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Discover the ancient technique of Vastu Shastra and how it can help with everything from positioning your bed to choosing the colour scheme for your bedroom.
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Last Modified 4 November 2024 First Added 4 November 2024
The layout of your bedroom is so important when creating a relaxing room for sleep.
If you’re looking for ideas to help make your bedroom, guest room or child’s bedroom a restful sleep space, why not try the ancient Indian principles of Vastu Shastra?
In this blog, we’ll explore what exactly Vastu Shastra is, what the benefits are (spoiler alert: there’s many!) and how to put some of these techniques into practice in your own bedroom.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, let’s take a moment to examine what we mean by Vastu Shastra in design. Originating from ancient India, the term quite literally translates to the “science of architecture” and is a traditional Hindu practice based on ancient texts that offer guidelines for architectural design.
Vastu Shastra definition:
Vastu Shastra is a Sanskrit term that translates to the “science of architecture.” It incorporates many architectural design ideas, such as space, arrangement, layout and measurements.
Source: Yogapedia
Similar to the concept of Feng Shui, the Vastu Shastra texts can help you plan your home using principles of design, layout, space arrangement, spatial geometry and ground preparation.
Vastu Shastra is also fondly known as the “yoga of design” and is often a means to integrate architecture with nature. You might be more familiar with this in the practice of yoga: where one aims to find peace and balance between oneself and the natural world. It all sounds very zen, right?
The practice of Vastu Shastra is based on powerful cosmic energies. It recommends best practices on the placement of objects, always with the goal of improving energy flow within a room or space. The philosophy of Shastra is based on the flow of Prana (life) in Hindu culture.
Whether you believe in the higher cosmic powers or not, ultimately, the goal of Vastu Shastra is to create a harmonious living space. And who doesn’t want that in their bedroom?
It’s said that people living in a “Vastu-compliant” place lead a happier and healthier lifestyle than those that don’t. This includes:
Source: myvaastu.in
Sounds pretty good to us, don’t you think?
If you’re looking to create a calming zen zone in your bedroom, Vastu Shastra can help. From where you place your bed to the positioning of mirrors and plants, this traditional Hindu “science of architecture” offers guidance on how to organise your sleeping space.
Here are our top design tips on following the principles of Vastu Shastra to help you create the perfect sleep sanctuary…
The direction that your bedroom faces is an important part of Vastu Shastra. In fact, the way a room faces can dictate who the bedroom should be used by:
When deciding on where to position a bed in the bedroom with Vastu Shastra, the flow of the earth’s magnetic currents is a key factor. This flow goes from northeast to southwest.
So, what’s the best position to place your bed?
Top tip: When you’re deciding on your bed’s positioning, avoid placing your bed too close to the wall, as there must be enough space to access the bed from both sides. Try not to place the bed under a beam – if you can’t avoid this, you could install a false ceiling to mitigate the negative effects. Another consideration is not putting the bed in the corner of the room, as this stops positive energy from flowing freely.
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Positioning your furniture can also have an effect on how relaxing your bedroom is, as it affects the energy flow in the room. According to Vastu Shastra, heavy pieces of furniture, such as your wardrobe, should be placed in the south or southwestern direction.
Keeping your bedroom free from clutter is also important in Vastu Shastra, so plenty of storage is key. If you’re short on space and need to clear your clutter, consider an ottoman storage bed to cleverly conceal your mess.
Mirrors and their placement are another important aspect of Vastu Shastra, as they’re believed to bounce energy around the space. It can cause restless nights and increase worries if the mirror is in the incorrect spot.
To ensure you get a good night’s sleep, avoid placing a mirror opposite your bed. If you have a dresser with a mirror, place this next to the bed so you don’t have the mirror bouncing energy towards you during the night.
Top tip: If you can’t avoid a mirror facing the bed, Vastu principles recommend placing a cloth over it when you’re not using it.
Vastu Shastra recommends that electronics, like TVs, laptops and tablets, are kept out of the bedroom, as they send out energies that can disturb your sleep. Now you have another reason to stop doomscrolling when it comes to bedtime!
Of course, this may be a harder rule to adhere to. If you can’t avoid keeping TVs or other electronic devices in the bedroom, make sure they’re in the southeast of the room, and at a reasonable distance from the bed. If a TV screen faces the bed, cover it when it’s not on as it can also act as a mirror. Our handy TV beds mean you can conveniently stow your TV away between uses, all at the touch of a button!
Colours play a vital role when it comes to Vastu Shastra in the bedroom, and there’s a lot to think about.
As a general rule of thumb, use light shades to decorate your bedroom, as dark colours can disturb the mind. This is also true when it comes to bed linen, as dark colours can heat up energies around the bed.
It is also said that a newly married couple should have pink, blue or a soothing yellow in the bedroom, whilst the colour red should be avoided as it symbolises fire and could cause conflict. For children’s bedrooms, green to encourage growth, or yellow to promote happiness are good choices.
The direction of your room should also inform your colour choice:
Interested in colour theory? Check out our colour ideas and inspiration.
As clutter is a no-no in Vastu Shastra, keeping your decorations minimal is essential. But this doesn’t mean avoiding decor altogether! If you like art, feel free to have paintings and sculptures in the bedroom, but choose them carefully.
According to Vastu, your décor will govern your thoughts and mood, so when you’re selecting paintings or sculptures, think carefully about how they make you feel and choose pieces that give your bedroom a peaceful vibe.
Unsurprisingly, fresh flowers and live plants are highly recommended in Vastu Shastra – as they help to integrate your bedroom design with the natural world. It’s recommended that you avoid artificial flowers, as they are said to dampen spirits and energy.
Once again, colour is important here, not just for the flowers but also for the vase. Red vases can help to increase warmth in a relationship, so they’re great for a couple’s bedroom. Meanwhile, yellow is a good colour for students’ vases, as it’s the colour of wisdom and knowledge.
Not sure where to begin when creating your bedroom jungle? Check out our guide to the best bedroom plants to help you sleep better.
Whether you’re looking to do a complete bedroom overhaul or have a play with moving a few bits of furniture around, there are plenty of ways to apply some “science of architecture” to your bedroom in your own way. After all, the core principles of Vastu Shastra are to create peace and harmony in your sleeping haven, so do what feels right for you. Ohmmmm….
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