A reader asks:
“There is a huge round mirror above my bed’s headboard. It reflects light from the window that is on the wall directly across the room. Does this mirror create Bad Feng Shui?”
Mirrors are often called the “aspirin of Feng Shui” because they’re used in so many Feng Shui adjustments, but one place mirrors don’t belong is the bedroom.
Here’s how a mirror creates bad Feng Shui in your bedroom:
- The hard, reflective energy of a bedroom mirror catches every bit of light and magnifies every sound, interfering with your ability to get a good night’s sleep.
- A mirror disturbs and stirs up the atmosphere in the room.
- Mirrors reduce the feeling of sanctuary you need in your bedroom to care for your health (and your love life!).
In particular, a mirror directly above your bed creates a “window-like” effect.
In Feng Shui we avoid placing the head of a bed beneath a window — even a symbolic one — because we don’t want your Chi energy to escape as you sleep.
To have the best Feng Shui in your bedroom, move mirrors out of the room and into other spaces in your home — your hallway, living room or dining room, for instance.
If you can’t move the mirrors out of the room, find a way to cover them while you sleep.
Now — soak up the feeling of relaxation and calm you instantly feel, just as soon as the mirrors are gone.
(Photo credit: Richard on Creative Commons)
Thank you so much Ann for the explanation about why my lovely mirror above the bed isn’t such a great idea. I plan to replace it with a black and white photo that I love.
Great, Liz — that sounds perfect. I’d love to hear if making the change helps you sleep better at night….!
Hey Ann, I have mirrors on the closets in my bedroom.Can’t move them for sure .So is there a way to remove their negative effect.
Hi there — I’ll make this my blog question of the week tomorrow (Wednesday) — look out for it and let me know if it answers your question (or doesn’t!). Ann
We have a double closet with mirrored doors .Since it’s bad to have mirrors in the bedroom I’d like to change the doors. What kinds of doors would be better?
Hi Cris, Thanks for this great question.
Replacing your mirrored closet doors is a very good idea; you will notice a wonderful new relaxed feeling immediately when they’re gone. Any other kind of door will do as long as it blends with the rest of your bedroom decor. I also like replacing doors with curtains to bring an additional element of softness into the bedroom.
Another thought is to hang a curtain over the mirrored doors that you can pull closed at night to cover the mirrors, at least in the short run.
my wife and i LOVE mirrors and we have,…..at least 4 in our bedroom. AND two of them reflect us while we are in bed and we LOVE IT! I understand why you shouldn’t have TVs, Electronics, office stuff, kids toys etc, BUT Mirrors? To me mirrors are portals into another dimension. If they are reflecting something you love you get to love it more ( like if it is reflecting a Jade plant in your wealth corner, it would double your money) So when we wake up, are being “romantic” or our favorite flowers are being reflected in them ( and they are NOT reflecting any clutter) we get a lot of JOY and good energy from them. Can you send me a link to more ancient information about mirrors?
Hello and thanks for your comment and questions. I congratulate you on your and your wife’s happiness 🙂
In Feng Shui we have an old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” In the case of mirrors in the bedroom, there is no need at all to remove them if you are experiencing joy, good health, a good night’s sleep and all the other things that a bedroom is about. If any of these are a problem, though, the removal of mirrors has been found to help, over and over again.
I have a mirror in my room facing my bed and I’d like to cover it at night, I’m wondering if it will matter what sort of materials I use, thanks
Hello Pemala, The only requirement for a suitable material is that it maintain the appropriate Yin/Yang and 5-Elements balance in your bedroom, which depends on your intentions for the room — for example, whether your main concern is to attract romance or get a better night’s sleep. Keep this in mind as you select a material.
can i put a dresser at the opposite end of the bed, or opposite bed but on other side that does not reflect teh bed
If the dresser has a mirror on it I would suggest removing the mirror no matter where you place the dresser in your bedroom. The dresser itself will not be a problem from a Feng Shui perspective.
Hi Ann thanks for the tips Im learning a lot!
In my bedroom Im not able to put my bed in power position, because of built in wardrobes, so i have no view of the door, which could cause me to miss out on opportunities. could i use a mirror to view the door, as long as i cannot see my reflection? and if mirror is reflecting the entrance as you enter is this bad for energy ? thanks hope to hear back
Kind Regards
Darren
Hi Darren,
Yes, I would try a small mirror and see how it feels, as long as it doesn’t reflect you in your bed. Notice whether this makes a difference in your sleep habits. If your sleep is disturbed, remove the mirror and hang something else that allows you to notice movement around the doorway, but that is not a highly-reflective mirror. Thanks for the good question!
hi ann,
hope your doing good, i am so stress now where to put my mirror we have a drawer with a mirror on it and we have it inside our room facing our bed i can move the mirror but idk where im going to put it, and is it bad to have your bed below the window??we have small room with two windows so idk as well where to place our bed, please help me ann. thanks a lot
Yes, Tina, removing the mirror will reduce your stress right away. If your bed must be under the window, make sure you have a good headboard and curtains or shades on the window that you can close at night. This will help you to retain and gather positive Chi energy throughout the night.
Hi Ann
my master bedroom is in the south west corner of the house. It has got two windows one is on South wall another is in West wall. I have a wardrobe which has a mirror which reflects either side of the window if kept in any directions.
Pls suggest sleeping direction
pls suggest wardrobe position since it got mirror
Current position of the wardrobe is one East wall facing West which has a window which reflects the water tank of the neighbouring house. We sleep next to wardrobe with head in South.
Hello Vraj,
I would suggest moving the wardrobe so that it reflects the most peaceful view, and that you should cover the mirror at night when you sleep. These two adjustments will create better Feng Shui right away.
Thanks for your reply..There are two windows one on South n West walls..We sleep with head in the south. There is a window just above our head position. Can we keep the window open during sleep as u had referred to chi energy in one of your posts
Dear Ann
I shall cover the mirror during the night for sure. Otherwise is the wardrobe position itself is wrong and that is why am I asked to move the wardrobe ?
Wardrobe position currently on east wall facing West and only other option would be keeping it straight to my bed on North wall facing south. Again there is a window on southern wall.
Thanks
Vraj
Vraj, it is hard for me to say for sure without seeing the whole layout. The main thing without knowing more is that the mirror is covered up while you sleep, and that your bed is in the Command Position in your bedroom if at all possible. If you’d like to set up a Skype consultation please let me know.
Dear Ann,
I am doing the interiors of my house and realised few anamolies after reading your article. My master bedroom is in SW. As in enter from NE towards my right I have two huge wardrobes where i have full size mirror in one reflecting balcony on the south. This is a separate area inside my room. Like a small dresser area. It doesn’t reflect my bed or when I am lying on my bed.these wardrobes will not be seen….so is it OK to have a mirror on the north wall facing the south balcony in the room?
There are two things to consider about having mirrors in your bedroom. If you are sleeping well at night, no changes are necessary. And, if you don’t need to walk by the mirrors when you get up out of bed in the middle of the night, then your spirit won’t be disturbed and that is also auspicious. Good luck!
Hi. I just bought a bedroom set with a dresser which has a large mirror. It is currently placed across from the foot of the bed but not directly in front of the bed. My other option is to put it next to the left side of the bed facing the bedroom door. My husband is opposed to removing the mirror since it is large and heavy. I wanted to move it to the sitting room or dining room but he’s set on keeping it in the bedroom. What can I do? Appreciate your help.
Hello Sonia,
This is a great question. I agree with your idea to move it to another room and have seen this work successfully many times. However if this is really not an option for you, I suggest covering it (completely) at night when you go to bed. This will go far in cutting down hard, reflective Chi. It will calm the room and help you both to sleep better.
Should u keep any mirror in your bedroom
Hello S,
Mirrors in the bedroom can create a situation where you don’t get a good night’s sleep. If you must keep one there, cover it at night to create softer, more nurturing Chi energy.
Hi Ann, This doesn’t have to do with my bedroom but I don’t see where else to ask you this. In a post I saw you said: Don’t hang a mirror so it reflects you within 5 feet of entering your home. This will cause your Chi energy to bounce right back out the door.
I am wanting to put a round mirror above my fireplace in my living room but it will reflect my front door. I don’t quite understand the 5 feet thing. The mirror will be about 26-30 feet feet from the doorway but still be able to perhaps reflect part of me. Does the distance make it ok? Thank you!
Hi Karla,
Asking your question on this page is fine 🙂
It sounds to me as though the position of your mirror will be just fine. The reason for the 5-foot restriction near a doorway is that the mirror will act to almost prevent your Chi energy to enter the home. When a mirror is farther away than 5 feet, your Chi can easily get into the house and start moving around freely.
Hi Ann, Aside my bed is a sliding wardrobe and it is a reflective black colour glass…This few days i can feel my sleep not being well…Any other ways to make it better rather than remove the wardrobe or change my room?
I definitely suggest covering the mirror to the extent that you can. Either cover it permanently with a wallpaper-like treatment, or hang a curtain over it that you can use to cover it while you sleep. Good luck.
Is it OK to hang pictures or photos of you and your family opposite a mirror? I tried to look for answers on this but found none so far? Please let me know soon. Thanks.
Hello, This should be fine as long as you really like the person you are looking at, since you will be looking at two images of them.
Thanks Ann for your answer.
My compass from feng shui says to place my bed south west but if I put it on Southwest my closet door behind me with the mirror I have no problem placing it there and covering my mirror closet door but then I will be facing my wondow. Is there something I can put so I may still have energy n good feng shui place my bed this way
Fanny,
I would need to see your floor plan to give you a good answer to this important question. Please let me know if you would like to set up a mini-consultation.
hey I would like to know if its good that I have a mirror next to a window. my window faces my door and my mirror faces my bookshelf and my desk is it good I would like to keep a mirror in my bedroom. oh I forgot to tell you my window has an amazing view of nature so whenever I enter my room I see that first . thanks for this article.
Hello Esmeralda,
The key to good Feng Shui is your own health and happiness. If you are sleeping well at night, have healthy relationships, and your life is going well overall, then you probably do not need to make any changes at this time.
Hi,
We have a tv above the dresser in front of our bed. My husband likes it there, but I know it is considered bad feng shui. We are redecorating, and my goal is to have a bedroom that encourages a loving marriage and longevity. What can I do to “fix” this without moving the tv to the other room?
Thank you!
Amy
Amy, you are right, having a TV in the bedroom is not ideal for a happy marriage. The best Feng Shui solution if it must stay there is to place it in a cabinet that can be closed when the TV is turned off.
Hi Ann,
I have become very interested in the compass school of fend shui, though I can tell from your answers that, for you, floor plan is the most important element in choosing bed placement. I have most certainly placed my bed in the best (indeed only) possible position relative to the door, the closet, etc. Unfortunately, this means my head is pointed in my birth year’s “Wu Kwei” direction, meaning I am attracting personal bad luck. Do you give any credence to the idea that there are inauspicious compass directions that have to do solely with birth year (and gender)? If so, could a small mirror placed high (above eye-level) and pointed in an auspicious direction, serve as a possible cure by bringing that direction’s energy more into the bedroom to compensate for the inauspicious direction of the head while sleeping? The placement of the mirror is such that the bed and its occupants are not reflected. Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer.
Robin, in Feng Shui there are no absolutes. I would try this adjustment and then wait a bit to see if it is having a positive impact. You can also place the small mirrror to reflect in your desired direction, and hang a piece of art over it so that the mirror itself does not show, yet can still have its positive benefit.
Hi
I have bought a Queen bed wall unit with a big mirror in the center and storage shelves on the sides.I have placed this wall unit on the south wall in the south west bedroom.
Could you please tell me is this placement is good.
Thanks
Hello Rek, Please use the Ask Ann form to ask this question, and include a sketch of your room so that I can visualize the situation more clearly. Thank you.