Living room Vastu: direction, seating, TV and colours

The living room is where family and guests meet, so Vastu advice for it is about arrangement more than structure. That makes it one of the easiest rooms to work on in a rented flat. This guide covers the direction, where the head of the family sits, how to place sofas and the television, colours, and why the centre of the room is kept open.

Which direction suits the living room

North is linked with opportunities, east with light and standing, and the north-east with clarity. A living room in these zones is said to make a home feel open to people. The south-west is kept for the master bedroom and the south-east for the kitchen, which is why a living room there is traditionally avoided.

Seating and furniture

The most common advice is that the head of the family sits in the south-west part of the living room, facing north or east. Guests are then seated in the north or east part of the room, or across from the host. This mirrors the owner’s seat in an office, which is placed in the south-west for stability.

Heavy sofas, cabinets and bookcases go along the south and west walls. Lighter chairs, a low table and open space suit the north and east. Square and rectangular furniture is commonly preferred to odd shapes, and furniture should not block the door or windows.

TV and electronics

Electrical equipment belongs to the south-east, the fire zone, so the television, music system and Wi-Fi router are commonly placed in the south-east part of the living room. If the TV must go on another wall, the east wall is the usual second choice. Keep cables tidy, and switch off and unplug what you are not using for long periods.

Colours, lighting and decor

For a living room in the north, east or north-east, light colours suit: white, cream, light green, light yellow and light blue. Good natural light from the north and east windows is valued, so keep those curtains light. Family photos are commonly hung on the south or west wall, and an aquarium or a small water feature, if you want one, is commonly placed in the north or north-east.

• Keep the north and east windows clear and the curtains light
• Hang family photos on the south or west wall
• Keep fresh flowers or well-kept green plants rather than dried or thorny ones
• Remove broken decor, stopped clocks and damaged pictures

Keep the centre open

The centre of the home, the Brahmasthan, is kept open and uncluttered in Vastu, and the same idea is often applied to the centre of the living room. Leave the middle of the floor clear rather than placing a heavy table or cabinet there. A light rug and a ceiling light above are fine.

Adjustments without rebuilding

• For a living room in the south-west, many consultants suggest keeping heavy furniture along the south-west walls and the north-east of the room open
• For a south-east living room, cool, light colours and fewer electronics are commonly suggested
• Rearranging seating so the family sits facing north or east is the simplest change commonly suggested in a rented flat
• Bright lighting and a clear centre are commonly suggested to keep any living room open and welcoming

These are traditional practices that many families follow. They vary between Vastu schools; for your own home, a consultant can say which matter most.

Related Vastu guides

• Vastu colours: The shades traditionally linked with each direction and room, with easy ways to use them in a rented home.
• Vastu tips for home: Where each room traditionally goes, how to treat the centre and the corners, and what to change in a flat.
• Vastu plants: Tulsi, money plant, bamboo and more: where each is traditionally kept, and which plants are kept outside.
• Mirror Vastu: Which walls suit a mirror, why it should not face the bed or the main door, and what to do with broken ones.
• Vastu directions: Deity, planet, element and the right rooms for each of the eight directions, and how to find them at home.
• Fish aquarium Vastu: The north-east, north and east, the rooms it suits and avoids, the fish count custom and care.
• Wall clock Vastu: The north and east walls, why the south wall is avoided, room by room placement and stopped clocks.

Your personal best directions come from your Kua number. Check your whole home with the house Vastu calculator, see whether your house number suits you, and find your lucky number. More tools: all free calculators.