What is the Best Feng Shui Color for Bedroom?

Both Uncle Dixer and I get asked about the best feng shui color for the bedroom from time to time. For both of us, the short answer is that there is no single best feng shui color for the bedroom. We believe that many colors can be suitable for your bedroom, and you’ll find out why in this article.

I’ll start with my own opinion. Personally, I think the feng shui effects of using specific colors in the bedroom is actually minimal. Don’t get me wrong, though. I’ve previously written about feng shui colors and how they impact on our emotions, so I know that colors do have an impact on us. But in terms of the influence of color on your home’s feng shui and how this might translate into a big impact on your health, wealth, and relationships, you could say that I have my doubts. 

Before I elaborate, let’s look at what Uncle Dixer has to say about the best feng shui color for the bedroom.

The Best Feng Shui Color for the Bedroom: Uncle Dixer’s Thoughts

A reader of Feng Shui Nexus once asked Uncle Dixer: what feng shui colors are the best for our bedroom? This is how Uncle Dixer responded:

 

“Best color for the bedroom would be colors that are calm, relaxing and helpful for falling asleep. Loud colors like red and bright orange should be avoided.

 

It should also be a color that appeals to you and not a color that you dislike or something that a friend or a colleague tells you that you should have. A color you like helps you feel comfortable. And when you feel comfortable, you will feel relaxed, you will sleep well and be able to recharge your energy for the next day.”

 

I totally agree with the points Uncle Dixer made here. But just as an aside, I am not Uncle Dixer. You can see who he is here, and you can see where our opinions on feng shui converge and/or diverge when you read his work. 

But what about other feng shui experts around the web? What’s their opinion on feng shui bedroom colors?

Bedroom Colors Based on the Bagua and the Five Elements Theory

Most of the pages you see online will tell you the same thing: that you need to adjust your bedroom’s feng shui colors according to the color’s place on the Bagua and its relative “element”, which is in turn based on the Five Elements theory.

 

To do so, you need to learn first about the Bagua. Below is an illustration that will help you visualize these key concepts in Taoist cosmology.   

Second, based on what others believe, you will need to find out which Bagua sector your bedroom belongs to. The easiest way to do so is to use your floor plan. The common method is to find out where North is relative to your floor plan, then overlay the center of the Bagua with the center of your house. The North on the Bagua should match up to the North in your home. Finally, you should determine where your bedroom is based on the North you’ve come up with and match your bedroom to the sector of the Bagua that it belongs to.

Tying things together to the theory discussed above, here’s a list of the Five Elements and the suggested colors for a bedroom based on the corresponding element:

• Metal: White, gray, silver
• Wood: Green, light green
• Water: Blue, black
• Fire: Red, orange, pink
• Earth: Brown, yellow 

Most sites will use this method to determine your “best” feng shui bedroom color. However, I want to point out that this method belongs to the Black Hat feng shui sect. This is a sect that I personally don’t practice because I have doubts about its efficacy.

However, these experts do bring up a very good point: the colors you choose for your bedroom should correspond to what you’re trying to achieve. For instance, using the color red in your bedroom can invoke romance, which is what you might want if you are looking for an environment to spice up your love life. On the other hand, using the colors green and blue can have a cooling effect on your bedroom and make it seem like a better place to rest and relax when you’re alone. 

In other words, there’s really no “best” color for the bedroom, although I did notice that most experts recommend skin-toned colors. Your primary takeaway from the discussion above should be that your color selection depends on your goals and the location of your bedroom relative to the Bagua, plus the element associated with that direction.

Bedroom Colors Based on Yin and Yang Theory

Just like when you’re using the Bagua, there is no single best color based on the Yin Yang theory.

For those of you not familiar with Yin and Yang, I recommend that you read this guide about the Yin Yang Theory. In brief, based on this theory, the best bedroom color should be more “Yin.” That’s because the bedroom is a place to sleep and relax, both of which belong to Yin activities (as opposed to the active areas like the living room or dining area, which belong to Yang).

What colors are Yin colors? By tradition, yin colors are colors that are soothing and relaxing. They include (but are definitely not limited to) the colors blue, green, and gray. Colors that elicit strong emotions, on the other hand, should be avoided. These colors include (but again, are not limited to) red, orange, and bright yellow.

Disciplines like science and psychology back the emotional meanings and effects of colors, and you can see big brands use this to their advantage. Below are two illustrations of how colors are used by companies for branding and commercial purposes: 

 

 

 

Based on what we can see from these visuals, some colors invoke energies that may not be suitable for the bedroom because they disrupt sleep and relaxation. For instance, many reliable sources agree that seeing red can increase heart rate. Though the color red might help with romance in the short-term, it can also mean that seeing red in your bedroom will take you longer to fall asleep. Prolonged sleep deprivation might cause all sorts of problems, including an inability for you to focus at work and a tendency for you to go into mood swings that will have negative effects on your filial, platonic, and romantic relationships. 

However, there’s another very important factor to keep in mind: light intensity also affects the level of impact that a single color may have on you.

For instance, if your bedroom is dimly lit, a bright red bedsheet may seem like it’s more maroon in hue. The maroon color will not impart the same energy effect as a bright and flaming shade of red. A dimly lit bedroom also possesses more Yin energy than Yang energy.

Bedroom Colors Based on Classical Feng Shui

Lastly, what does classical feng shui say about bedroom colors? Here’s an interesting fact for those who are only starting to learn about classical feng shui: it actually makes little to no mention about bedroom colors (although there are references to colors in other areas).

The classics are all about Qi mapping, energy flow, and how to retain Qi that’s beneficial to the occupant. There’s heavy emphasis on the location of the bedroom relative to the house. There’s also emphasis on where the bed is located and whether there are any negative Forms in the bedroom.

Although some practices use colors to enhance the element of the Kua sector of where the bedroom is located (each direction and sector has a Kua, similar to the Bagua), those are more of a modern practice

Determining the Best Feng Shui Colors for Your Bedroom: Putting It All Together

If we combine Uncle Dixer’s insights, plus the beliefs on how to derive from the Bagua and the Yin and Yang theory, we can come up with these key points on the suggested colors for a bedroom:

• The color theme should be neutral or soothing, because that’s what will best promote sleep and relaxation.
• You can choose colors that honor the elements of the Bagua, like the direction that your bedroom is located in.  
• It is very important that you are personally comfortable with the color that you choose to adorn your bedroom. Your personal preference can be very different from another person’s.
• Red can feature in your bedroom, but it works best if it is not the main color theme. You can perhaps add accents of red, like with a red pillow or red bed runners, to spark a little romance. But due to the connotations and visual effect of the color red, it may not be good to go overboard. 
• The light intensity in the bedroom also affects how we perceive colors. The bedroom should be dimly lit to bring more Yin energy into the space, as Yin energy promotes healthy and restful sleep. 

By now, you probably have a few colors in mind to spruce up your bedroom. The question now is, what kind of feng shui results can you expect from using these colors?

The Limited Feng Shui Effects of Colors

Here’s another related question for you. Do you think that adding or changing up the colors in your bedroom can immediately help you enhance your wealth, improve your health, and build your relationships for you? 

For your sake, I really hope you answered NO!

Simply adding colors to your bedroom won’t bring you the desired feng shui benefits. If feng shui was that easy, there would be no need for any feng shui schools! Moreover, everyone would automatically be enjoying endless abundance in health, wealth, and love if feng shui could be adjusted so easily through the use of colors.

We must be realistic in our expectations for what the color adjustment will give us. In your case, your choice of which color to use in the bedroom may give you more restful sleep and (only perhaps!) a short-term boost in your love life. To avoid grave disappointment, don’t expect anything more than that!

Conclusion

When selecting the color themes for your bedroom, be sure to choose a soothing color that promotes sleep and relaxation. You can also choose the color themes that adhere to the elements based on the feng shui Bagua. Just keep this in mind: there is NO single best bedroom color. If I were to pick a single best color, then it would be the one that I like the most and enjoy looking at on a daily basis.

Don’t forget: simply adjusting your bedroom based on colors cannot bring you all your desired feng shui benefits. Colors cannot bring you lasting health, wealth, or love.

But bedroom colors do have an impact on us because they affect our sleep quality and our emotional wellbeing. Here, I need to emphasize that sleep is VERY important. In fact, a lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can lead to decreased focus, heart diseases, weakened immunity, and much more. Opt for colors that will improve the quality and restfulness of your sleep, and you won’t go wrong. This can be very important for people living in a big city like New York and need their rest after a long day. Feel free to use our website to search for qualified feng shui experts.

Have you tried to “feng shui” your bedroom with particular colors? What were the results? Share your experience with us by commenting below!