A mirror is never neutral in feng shui. The tradition’s core rule is simple: a mirror doubles what it reflects. That is wonderful when it reflects something you want more of — light, a plant, a view — and quietly corrosive when it reflects a door, a toilet, a cluttered corner or the foot of your bed.
The four placements to get right
- Bedroom — avoid mirrors facing the bed (or the feet from the bed). The tradition reads it as doubling restlessness and reflecting the sleeper; the plain version is that a lit mirror in the dark is startling and a dark mirror in the light is unsettling. If a wardrobe mirror faces the bed, turn it to a side wall or cover it at night.
- Front door — a mirror directly inside the entrance reflecting the door is said to “send qi back out”. Move it to a side wall so it reflects the room, or lower it to chest height where it becomes a useful last-check mirror instead.
- Kitchen — mirrors above the stove or worktop are traditional “doubling the food” — the cook’s helper, classically said to double the household’s provisions. Functionally they also let the cook see the room behind.
- Workspace — a mirror that lets you see the door from your desk is the classic fix for a command position violation. Place it so it reflects arrivals, not your own face all day.
What mirrors are actually doing
Strip the language and the rules are sound interior design: mirrors brighten dark corners, expand small rooms, and create sightlines — and they should not face the bed, the door, or anything you do not want doubled. The feng shui rulebook is mostly this, told as a story.
Use the compass tool to find your room’s directions, then place mirrors to open the space rather than to reflect its weaknesses.
Dig deeper: today's almanac — free, deterministic and in plain English.