You should always put your headboard against this wall – according to experts

Your interior design choices impact your sleeping pattern – here's what the experts want you to know

Bedroom with plush carpet
(Image credit: James Merrell)

Interior design decisions are important in every area of the home, but none more so than the bedroom. In this space, your choice of paint, lights, and furnishings have an influence over your sleeping pattern – so it is essential to get them right. 

While sleep experts often share their advice on color, they argue that the position of your bed – and bedhead – is also impactful when it comes to getting a good night's sleep. 

But where should you place your bedhead for a long and interrupted slumber? Here, the experts reveal the modern bedroom ideas that may change your layout for good. 

Where to put your bed headboard  

Blue and orange bedroom with velvet headboard

(Image credit: Anna Stathaki)

According to sleep expert Ryan Thaker from MattressNextDay, you should place your headboard on the longest wall in your bedroom. This gives the room more balance, but it will also lead to a better night's sleep. 

'Placing it against the longest wall should also allow you to have enough space to place a bedside table on either side,' he says. 'Choosing this spot for your bed will not only help you fall asleep faster, but it will also improve the quality of your sleep, too.' 

If you place your bed in an alternative position (such as under a window), you are more likely to come across sounds and shadows that are distracting – and may consequently lead to a poor sleep. So, if your luxury bedroom ideas focus on your window, it may be time to rearrange.  

Why your headboard placement is important – according to Feng Shui 

lavender bedroom

(Image credit: Future)

The reason why your headboard placement is so important comes down to Feng Shui beliefs. Feng Shui teachings suggest that, while sleeping, you are in a passive 'yin' state and are consequently more susceptible to the energies around you.

'As a general rule of Feng Shui, the best position for your bed and headboard is in the "commanding" position, placed against the wall opposite the door, but not directly in front of it – what is considered the "coffin" position,' says Anne Haimes, Founder and Design Director of Anne Haimes Interiors

Georgia Metcalfe at The French Bedroom Company emphasizes that your bedhead should sit against a solid wall so you are supported from the back. 

Bedroom with plush carpet

(Image credit: James Merrell)

'This makes you feel centered and secure when it is time to relax,' Georgia says. 'Placing the bed in the center of the wall and allowing room at either side is the desired setup. This helps balance your yin and yang,' she adds in her discussion of Feng Shui beliefs.  

Changing the placement of your best mattress may be the key to a good night's sleep. We're rearranging our space right away.

Megan Slack

Megan is the News and Trends Editor at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes. As the News Editor, she often focuses on emerging microtrends, well-being stories, and celebrity-focused pieces.


Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.