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Sounds Ominous but Not to Worry, the ‘Coffin Position’ Refers to the Placement of Your Bed According to Feng Shui
Having a 25+ year background in real estate, I’ve seen and heard various decorating and house design rules that matter to people.
I’m not a Feng Shui expert by any means; however, I’ve had the privilege of listening to some people express the importance of Feng Shui to them over the years.
What is the Coffin Position in Bed Placement?
If your bed is directly aligned with your bedroom door, then your bed is in the ‘coffin position.’ It means your feet at the end of the bed point to the door in your bedroom. That linear design symbolizes your energy being lost, drained, weakened, or pulled from the room while you sleep. Yikes!
Don’t panic; belief has everything to do with the results we achieve in life, and if you believe in the importance of Feng Shui, then the position of your bed will consciously or even subconsciously matter.
[Click to Tweet] – Now, I have to check to see if my bed is in the coffin position! #wheresmybed #yikes
If This Matters to Me, Where Should I Position My Bed?
Well, the Feng Shui experts say that you should place your bed so that your feet aren’t directly pointing at the door when you’re lying in your bed. Even moving it slightly over can position your feet so that they’re not directly lined up with the door. You’ll have to look at your room and decide how you achieve that.
Of course, the term ‘coffin position’ (yuk) had me look at the bedrooms in our home, and quite coincidentally, not one of the beds in our house is situated so that the end of the bed lines up directly with the door.
Whew! I’ve placed the beds according to what’s best for each room; it looks like we accidentally followed the rules of Feng Shui.
What Will Happen to Me If I Violate this Feng Shui Rule?
The common sense part of you may be screaming, absolutely nothing! But then again, maybe you avoid walking under ladders, won’t step on a crack cause you’ll break your mother’s back, or have all the mirrors carried into your home carefully so none break!
To each his own on this one.
If you’re a firm believer in Feng Shui and other ‘good luck bad luck symbols,’ then this will matter to you. If you’re not, then, of course, you’ll get a good laugh.
What’s most important to you is what matters. Decorate according to your personal preference, and if that includes placing your bed so that it’s not in the coffin position, then I say, go for it.
Feng Shui Explained…
Feng Shui Basics – Understanding and Implementing Feng Shui into Your Home Decor
If you enjoy funky freaky decor, then BOO! Check these out!
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I have to admit, I’m not much into caring about any superstition. I don’t walk under ladders simply because there usually isn’t room to do so. I am careful with mirrors because I’m not keen on cutting my feet or cleaning up glass and I don’t walk looking down (sorry Mom!). So, I guess I don’t mind that my bed is in the coffin position, but I have to say, I’m not to crazy about the term. I did learn something today, feng shui!
Lol Cynthia, your mom is probably relieved – and yah, the term alone is a reason not to do it, but then again, if the room is small and that’s the only option … well life goes on
Wow I had to go look, my bed is offset to the door opening, I guess I’m safe. Thanks for this very interesting piece, as it’s something I’ve never heard of before. So it’s true you learn something new every day!!
Sam, lol, I bet a lot of people will run to their rooms and check – funny I never liked the bed to line up with the door anyway, go figure
Whew what a relief. I have to be able to see the door when I am bed so I never have my feet pointing toward the door.
Lorelei, good deal, all your energy is being safely preserved while you sleep 🙂
Never heard the term ‘coffin position’ before. What an odd name. My bedrooms all have doors that are offset from center, so none of my beds are in this position…lol. One learns something new every day. 🙂
Oh you’re safe then, lol – I think they give it the term coffin position because a coffin is pulled by the feet of the thing – something like that I remember reading
I’d never heard of this. My bed doesn’t line up with the entrance to my bedroom from the hall, but the bed’s foot does point toward the entrance to the master bath that adjoins the bedroom. I choose to believe that doesn’t count.
Barb, I’m with you, that doesn’t count! lol
Much agreed! I wouldn’t count the bed facing the closet door either.
I did already know this about the positioning of the bed but did not know the coffin bed term, oh my! The head of my bed is on the same wall as the bedroom door, yay!
I am with you, I find that by using Feng Shui life feels better. I have my money section purple and love red and/or pink.
The problem with my bed is that I have a king and there is only one way to put the bed, and that`s right feet pointing toward the open door but when I am sleeping that door is always shut. Even is I move it to the other wall I have 2 open doors, one to the closet and another to the bathroom. Any solution?
that’s the problem with big beds (which we have mostly) – but if there’s only one way to put the bed, then that’s what you have to do – you could be very unconventional and turn the headboard to the door with the foot of the bed moving the other way but you need a lot of space to get around the bed and space to get in the room – with a lot of space that can work quite well and look nice too – I did that with one of our beds, but it wasn’t a king, it was single captains bed – I turned the headboard away from the door, pushed it up against the wall, kept distance between the wall and the bed and put a dresser with a mirror on the wall so it was like a little cubby behind the bed – being unconventional with furniture design can be a ton of fun – and thanks for stopping by 🙂
Ouch! We have twin beds and guess which one lines up with the feet pointing toward the door! Yep, mine! But with our oddly shaped bedroom and ensuite bath, and how our 3 windows are placed, it’s really the only feasible way to put the beds. I’m used to living life dangerously though, so I think I can get through it! Never heard this term before, though I knew about feng shui. Fun article, Barbara!
Nancy, keep living dangerously, lmao! if anyone can do it you can 🙂
I don’t know very much about Feng Shui, but this seems fairly common sense. There’s a certain vulnerability to having your feet directly facing the door. In some NeoPagan faiths, there are similar traditions about not having two doors (or a window and a door) directly facing one another. There are things that people do to minimize the impact (like using mirrors facing one of the doors.) It may just be psychological, but it does tend to change the feel of a room and make it seem a little more cozy and safe 🙂
Not really into feng shui, but I’m glad to know my bed is *not* in the coffin position! Nice to be doing something “right”…
I have, however, survived a really alarming bit of bad feng shui (in a Chinese restaurant of all places). This restaurant was in one of those shopping plazas with the big glass wall of doors and windows facing right out into the parking spaces, offering a direct route for hostile Shan according to feng shui. I don’t know whether the Shan had anything to do with it, but one day an old sick patient approaching the restaurant failed to apply the brake in time, rolled right over the little cement bump that was supposed to stop the car, and coasted right in through the glass wall! The wall slowed the car enough that although the nice booth-like tables along the wall were tipped over and some diners hit the floor, nobody was badly hurt–except the driver, who was taken to the hospital. The restaurant closed immediately but is open again now.
So, one rule of feng shui is really true: Door or window opening directly into motor traffic area = bad.
oh my goodness that’s a scary experience! Glad you’re ok after that. Even Feng Shui can’t help us when a driver loses control!
Hello.. I checked and found my bed is placed opposite to the bedroom door i.e it is facing the bedroom door but not directly. It is at least 4 inches to the left of the door. Is that ok ?? Please answer.
Hi, thanks for stopping by. I couldn’t give you a reliable answer, as I’m not an expert in Feng Shui – This article is a general “did you know” article. For me personally, it’s my belief system that would determine whether I was satisfied with the position of my bed. I’m inclined to maybe keep the bed’s positioning in mind in relation to Feng Shui, but honestly, if that didn’t work for the room’s decor, I wouldn’t worry about it – but that’s me – you have to decide for yourself. Have a wonderful day!