Great Feng Shui questions continue to flow into my email inbox. Reader Zelia wants to know:
“I’ve done everything else for good Feng Shui in my bedroom, but do I really need a headboard for my bed?”
It’s true that one of the most-often recommended Feng Shui bedroom adjustments is a solid headboard for your bed.
Whether you’re single or in a couple, a child or an adult, a headboard gives you the sense that you have a safe, strong mountain at your back as you sleep.
A good Feng Shui headboard also helps set up your bedroom for romance by creating a safe space for intimacy and connection.
For the best Feng Shui, the style of headboard is key:
- It should be made of wood, not metal.
- Padded headboards are also OK.
- It must be solid, not open or barred.
- Storage headboards attract clutter; they are a “Feng Shui no-no.”
With solid wood or padding at your back, you always feel that you have something solid to lean on. This subconscious knowledge helps you relax, get the best possible night’s sleep, and connect meaningfully with your partner.
But it’s not always easy to set up a headboard.
- Perhaps your bedroom is small and a headboard would make it feel over-crowded.
- Or perhaps a headboard isn’t in your budget right now.
- Or maybe your living situation is temporary and a headboard would be an impractical purchase.
Just because you can’t have a headboard, there’s no need to panic. You can still have good bedroom Feng Shui by setting your bed up with care and intention.
A headboard does not fit comfortably in this couple’s small bedroom. But simply adding two large (European Square) pillows in back of the regular sleeping pillows gives them a comfortable, cozy, makeshift “headboard” that they can lean on as fully as any regular headboard.
When it’s time for sleep they place the extra-large pillows on the floor next to the bed until it’s time to make up the bed the next morning.
If your situation doesn’t allow for a headboard right now, make the smaller investment in good-quality oversized pillows.
i have a rattan headboard, but my tempurpedic box mattress doesn’t let me attach it. So I just place it close to it and it works, but it is not attached. It is not very wobbly, but a little bit.
It is a beautiful one from Pier 1 amd its made of natural fibers.
Thank you for your kindness and best regards, Danny
Danny, you are most welcome. Can you attach your rattan headboard to the bedroom wall so it doesn’t wobble at all? That would be the best Feng Shui because you want your bed to feel completely stable.
My bedroom is small, too. There’s no room even for nightstands. But this is a great idea, with the extra pillows. Plus they can be used for the armchair or the sofa for more comfy feeling 🙂
Hi,
I have no headboard on my queen bed, never have. I know this may sound strange, but I like my bedroom best when my bed is centered beneath the only window in the room. When my bed is there, I breathe a big sigh of relief. I love the natural symmetry it creates for my boyfriend and I; we each have our own side of the room, and the doorway is at our feet and to the left. Is this okay?
Yes, Len, as long as you and your partner are healthy and your relationship is sound, there is no reason to make any changes to your setup. As we say in Feng Shui, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Hi,
I am looking for a headboard for my queen bed. I have found a sleigh bed made out of wicker that seems pretty solid. Would that be ok? vs. a wood headboard?
thanks,
Jennifer
I has three sideways diamond shapes woven into the headboard
Hello Jen,
The wicker of the headboard sounds fine because it is very solid. But I am a little concerned about the three diamond shapes. Images of threes might connote someone in bed with you besides you and your romantic partner, and the diamond shapes may create “poison arrows” pointing at your head. Give these ideas some thought before you invest in the headboard.
Thanks for writing 🙂
Good morning. My bedroom is located in the southeast .element wood. Can I have Rattan material in my bedroom and my room is not to big. Can I put my bedroom in front of my closet that the closet have 2 wood doors or below my windows. I heard is not good below windows. I do have a wood headboard. Please advise. Frances
Frances, If at all possible place your bed in the Command Position and not under the window. I am glad you have a wood headboard as it is one of the best materials for a good night’s sleep. Only make big changes if you are not sleeping well at night. Good luck!
Dear Ann,
I am so excited about this posting on not having a head board. I have been following feng shui on and off for years now, and each time a headboard has been mentioned all I saw was huge dollar signs. The last head board I ever has been on a waterbed over 10 years ago ( a feng shui no no). Any way, my 31 year old son and I are getting ready, October 3 to move into a 2 bedroom apartment. We have laid the bagua over the apartment lay out, found the commanding positions in the bedrooms and placement of the computer desk. But I am so excited to be able to try out this larger pillow behind the sleeping pillows and use them as the head board and remove them at night. Both my son and I have full size beds, so I thought Queen Size very firm pillows to use behind the sleeping pillows. I would never sleep on a firm one so this will give me the feel of a headboard. My bed, the command position in this apartment falls in the Fame and Reputation section. I have been following the Black Hat style of Fang Shui, found the book Move Your Stuff Change your life in the library by Karen Rauch Carter. In my google searching, looking for feng shui for apartments, I found you. I am so excited to find your web page and I am looking forward to reading more here and applying these to my new living area.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad this Feng Shui advice resonated with you, and wish you the best in your Feng Shui journey.
My bedroom has cathedral (or vaulted, I’m not sure if there’s a difference) ceilings, and they slope down kind of low. So a headboard attached to the wall is out of the question. There’s really no space for a headboard, unless i move the bed closer to the center of the room. Most of the times the pillows stay put, but sometimes during the summer when I use lightweight sheets, such as the smooth satin, the pillows slip off. The mattress is on a wooden frame, which has storage drawers, so I’m not sure if a headboard can attach to it.
Hello Karin,
It sounds like you need to use your pillows to create the look of a headboard since you can’t have a real one. The more important issue is to use uplighting by your bed to reduce the visual impact and sense of pressure that may be coming from the sloping walls.
Thank you for your post! I’ve read that attaching a headboard to the wall instead of the bed does not have the same effect in feng shui. I have a headboard that fixes to the wall about a foot above the bed (any lower and it would be too low to really be a headboard). Do I need to fix it to the bed with 2 poles either side, or does it need a solid piece of wood to bridge the gap between the bed and headboard? Or is it just as good attached to the wall a foot above the bed? Thank you
Molly,
It is always best to attach a headboard to your bed if you can do so. The important thing is to create a sense of stability and sanctuary as you sleep.
Hi,
I am just in the process of trying to find a new bedstead, and I am wondering if a sleigh style headboard would be alright in the bedroom? The top of the headboard would touch the wall, but the rest would not. Would that constitute a floating bed/headboard. Also for a married couple, would a straight headboard, instead of a curved headboard be ok? Sorry for the questions, I am new to this! Thank you
Hello Harper,
A sleigh-style, solid wood headboard is fine, as it will provide the “mountain” of protection you need when you sleep, according to Feng Shui principles.
This might sound odd, but I’m moving into a new place where the Master Bedroom has very little light coming through the one window due to a fence structure outside. Additionally, the only placement for my Queen-sized bed would be under that window with my feet facing the door. I have decided to make that bedroom more of an office; choosing the second bedroom as my master. Here’s the real question: This second bedroom has a wall-length closet right now with no doors; more of an alcove space. It is in a great position for my headboard; window with lots of sunlight to its left; feet in view of the door at the opposite end to my right. I thought I’d get a soft canopy for overhead to soften the closet door frame; two round end tables and pretty plants by the bed. Is this closet position ok? It feels like it would be cozier, and definitely a solid wall for my headboard. Are there other things I should consider with this placement?
Hello Pamela, It sounds as if there are good possibilities here so please use the Ask Ann form to ask this question, and include a sketch of the room(s) so that I can visualize the situation more clearly. Thank you.