As per vastu, the living room is best in the north, east or north-east of the home, with heavy furniture along the south and west walls so that the host sits facing north or east. The north-east corner of the room is kept light and open, and the TV goes in the south-east part.
This is the room where a family receives people, so the tradition's aim is simple: an open, bright room that feels welcoming, with the weight of the room kept to the back. This guide covers direction, seating, the TV, lights and plants, photos, and what to do if your drawing room is somewhere else. For how the directions work across the whole home, see vastu shastra for home.
Which direction suits a living room
In the vastu purusha mandala of the classical manuals, the north and east are the light, open side of a plot, and the south and west are the heavy, closed side. A room for meeting people belongs on the open side.
| Living room in | Traditional view |
|---|---|
| North | Preferred; linked with Kubera and with opportunity |
| East | Preferred; morning light, linked with the sun |
| North-east | Preferred, provided the room is kept light and uncluttered |
| North-west | Acceptable; linked with movement and visitors |
| South or west | Workable with heavy furniture and good lighting |
| South-west | Usually kept for the master bedroom |
In most houses the living room sits near the main door, so the two are read together. Our main door vastu guide covers the entrance.
Seating: who faces where
The traditional rule is about the host. Place the main sofa or the head of the family's chair against the south or west wall, so that the person sitting there faces north or east. Guests can then sit along the east or north side, facing the host.
The reasoning is the same one that runs through vastu: the heavy, settled side of the room is the south and west, and the direction you face is the north or east, the directions of light and growth. In a modern room, this usually means:
- Main sofa on the south or west wall.
- Side chairs or a smaller sofa on the north or east side.
- The centre of the room kept open, with a low coffee table rather than heavy furniture.
- Nothing heavy in the north-east corner. No tall bookcase, no heavy cabinet.
Heavy furniture to the south and west
Wardrobes, display cabinets, bookcases, a heavy wooden divan and large stone items belong on the south and west walls. The north and east walls carry lighter things: windows, a light shelf, plants. If you imagine the room tilting, the tradition wants it weighted towards the south-west.
Television and electronics
The TV goes in the south-east part of the room, the fire corner, since electrical and heat-producing items are linked with Agni. A TV on the south-east wall also usually means the viewers sit facing roughly south-east, which is fine; the host's facing rule applies to the main seat, not to every moment of watching TV. Speakers, the router and the set-top box can sit with it. Keep the north-east free of wiring and equipment where possible.
Keeping the north-east light
If there is one living-room rule to keep, it is this one. The north-east (ishanya) of the room stays light, clean and open. A window, a small plant, a water pot or simply an empty corner are all in keeping with the tradition. Many families place a small prayer shelf there if the home has no separate pooja room.
Lights and plants
- Light: a bright, evenly lit room. The south-east corner suits a lamp, since it is the fire corner. Dark corners anywhere are worth fixing with a lamp; that alone makes a room feel better.
- Plants: healthy green plants on the north or east side are the usual suggestion. The tulsi is traditionally kept in the north, east or north-east, and often in the courtyard or balcony. Thorny plants other than roses and bonsai are generally kept out of the living room by tradition. Dried or dying plants are removed.
Family photos and pictures
Family photos go on the south or west walls. Photos of departed elders are traditionally hung on the south or south-west wall of the room, not in the north-east and not in the bedroom. For the rest, pleasant images are suggested: landscapes, flowers, a rising sun, a family together. Pictures of war, violence, crying people or wild animals in attack are traditionally avoided.
Colours
Light, warm colours suit a living room: cream, off-white, light yellow, soft beige, light green. The vastu colours for home guide gives shades by direction.
If your living room is in the south or west
This is common, especially in flats, and it is not a problem to be corrected by rebuilding. Apply the inside rules instead: heavy furniture on the south and west walls of the room, the host facing north or east, the north-east corner of the room light, and good lighting throughout. For structural changes, talk to an architect or engineer; vastu here is about layout and use.
Common myths
- "A south-facing living room brings loss." No classical text promises a specific misfortune from one room's direction. South and west rooms are simply arranged differently.
- "You need a laughing Buddha, a crystal or a vastu tortoise." These are not in the classical vastu texts. We do not sell any vastu product, and nobody should pay for one out of fear.
- "Mirrors in the living room are always bad." A mirror on the north or east wall is fine in tradition. What is avoided is a mirror directly facing the main door.
A house-warming
If you are setting up a new home, many families hold the griha pravesh on a chosen date. Our muhurat finder has a house-warming purpose, and the panchang shows the tithi and nakshatra for your city, for example the Jaipur panchang.
Try it yourself
With a phone compass, check where your main sofa sits and which way you face from it, what is in the north-east corner, and where the TV is. For a reading of the whole home, our vastu consultation online is an AI reading: describe your rooms' directions, add a floor plan if you like, and the model reads them against the classical rules and suggests three renter-safe remedies. It is not a human pandit or a site visit; our about page explains how we work. The next rooms to look at are usually the kitchen and the master bedroom.