Vastu for home: where each room traditionally goes
Vastu for a home mostly means choosing the direction for each room, starting with the main entrance and kitchen, and keeping the centre open. Most texts give a preferred direction, an acceptable one and a few to avoid. Traditions differ, so read these as common guidance and not as fixed rules.
2 min read ·
Which direction is best for each room?
The table below summarises the traditional preferences for the main rooms. Directions refer to where the room sits in the plan, measured from the centre of the home. Any single room can be fine even if the home is not perfect overall.
| Room | Traditionally preferred | Traditionally avoided |
|---|---|---|
| Main entrance | North, north-east, east | South-west, south-east, south |
| Kitchen (stove) | South-east | North-east, south-west, north |
| Master bedroom | South-west | North-east, south-east |
| Pooja room | North-east, north, east | South-west, south |
| Toilet | North-west, west-north-west, east-south-east | North-east, south-west, centre |
| Staircase | South-west, south, west | North-east, centre |
Where do the entrance and kitchen go?
Most texts prefer the main entrance in the north, north-east or east, and accept the west. They avoid south-west, south-east and south. The quality of the entrance counts too: keep it well lit and free of clutter.
The kitchen stove is traditionally placed in the south-east, the fire corner (Agneya). North-west is considered acceptable. Many practitioners advise cooking while facing east and keeping the sink in the north-east of the kitchen, away from the stove.
Where do bedrooms, pooja room and toilets go?
The master bedroom is traditionally placed in the south-west (Nairutya), with north-west as an acceptable second choice. Children's bedrooms are usually suggested in the north-west or west. Many people sleep with the head towards the south or east.
The pooja room is preferred in the north-east (Ishanya), north or east. It is usually kept out of bedrooms and away from walls shared with a toilet. Toilets are preferred in the north-west, west-north-west or east-south-east, and avoided in the north-east, south-west and centre.
Should the centre of the home stay open?
The centre of the plan, the Brahmasthan, is traditionally kept open, light and uncluttered. A toilet, staircase or heavy construction there is the usual thing texts advise against. Good daylight and ventilation suit any home, whatever tradition you follow.
If a room does not match
These need no building work.
- Move what is movable first: a bed, a desk, a stove position inside the kitchen, a pooja shelf.
- Clear clutter from the entrance and the centre of the home and let daylight in.
- Use colour and lighting if you like, and treat them as a matter of belief.
- For anything structural, ask a qualified architect or engineer and the local authority. Do not demolish or rebuild for a Vaastu reading.
In VastuLive
You upload or photograph a floor plan, or sketch one in the app, and VastuLive reads the rooms, the entrance and the North marking. The report gives a score and a finding for each room with the rule behind it.
See how the app worksQuestions
Which room matters most in Vastu?
No single room decides the whole home. Practitioners often start with the main entrance and the kitchen, and most texts look at the overall layout. Traditions differ on weighting, and any single room can be fine even if the home is not perfect overall. After those two, check the master bedroom, the toilets and the centre.
Can I follow Vastu in a rented home?
Yes, in the non-structural ways. You can arrange furniture, use the rooms you have sensibly, keep the entrance tidy and well lit, and keep the centre of the home clear. Anything that touches walls, plumbing or stairs needs a qualified architect or engineer and the local authority, so leave that alone in a rental.
What if my home faces south?
The facing alone does not make a south-facing home good or bad. A house faces the direction its main entrance opens to, and room placement and where the entrance sits along that side matter as well. Many texts list a south entrance among those to avoid, but traditions differ. Keep the entrance well lit and free of clutter.
Do these rules apply the same way in every region?
No, they do not apply in exactly the same way in every region. Texts and practitioners differ, and regional traditions weight some placements differently, so use these as common guidance. Ask someone you trust if you want a second view. Good daylight and ventilation suit any home, whichever tradition you follow.
Keep reading
Based on traditional Vastu texts and practice. Traditions differ, and nothing here promises a result. For structural, legal or safety questions, ask a qualified architect or engineer.