South-Facing Homes: Vastu Shastra & Design Tips

In Vastu Shastra, the ancient Hindu system of holy architecture, south-facing homes are notorious for their bad luck and difficult-to-balance energy. But this notoriety isn’t well earned—south-facing homes simply have a lot of energy, which means you must be careful about how you set up your living space. The good news is that if you are thoughtful, all of that energy will feed into a productive and happy home. We’ll show you how.

Things You Should Know

In Vastu Shastra, south-facing homes are ruled by Mars and Lord Yama. These homes are bright and full of plenty of holy energy and strength.
South-facing homes get the most natural sun, which is ideal if you like gardening and want plenty of warm light flowing through your home.
Use neutral-colored curtains, furniture, and holy symbols to divert energy away from any rooms that feel chaotic.

Section 1 of 8:

Are south-facing homes inauspicious?

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No, south-facing homes being inauspicious is actually a myth. Lord Yama, the God of death, rules over the south. While it's true that Lord Yama is the Hindu God of death, they’re also the God of justice, law, and equality. People tend to overfocus on the death component and view Yama as a scary figure, but that’s not the case—death is a part of life, after all. This reputation leads south-facing homes to be bad luck, but that’s not necessarily the case. There’s a lot of power spilling in through south-facing windows, and that energy must be respected.^{[1]
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- No direction in Vastu Shastra is automatically auspicious or inauspicious—it’s all a question about what you do with the energy you’re given.
- South-facing homes are arguably the most intense when it comes to the spiritual power available, but that’s just an opportunity to do something wonderful!

Section 2 of 8:

Who is a south-facing house best for?

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Since Mars is the ruling planet of the south, people who have Mars in their birth chart are considered to be blessed residents. Given the intense energy in south-facing homes, you’ll likely be happier in one of these residences if you work in an intense industry, like marketing, law, medicine, finance, media, or politics.^{[2]
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Section 3 of 8:

Benefits of a South-Facing House

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In Vastu Shastra, south-facing homes are high in energy. South-facing homes get a bad rap for being inauspicious, but they’re actually very lucky if you plan the layout right and you thrive on strong vibes. With the sun at your home’s back and Mars ruling your home, south-facing homes are flooded with energy.^{[3]
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- If you’re an active person, this is probably the best orientation for a home.
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You get tons of sunlight with a southern-facing home. You may not get the most spectacular sunsets or sunrises with a south-facing home, but you’re going to get the sun coming in all day from the back of your house. This is ideal if you want to live somewhere with a ton of natural light.^{[4]
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- Backyard gardens grow best with a south-facing home. All that sun in the back will keep any herb gardens, flower beds, or planters well-lit.
- You’ll typically spend less money on utilities with a south-facing house too, since the windows get sun all day and keep you warm in the winter, and blinds can keep the sun out in the summer.
- For non-followers of Vastu Shastra, south-facing homes are typically the most desired.

Section 4 of 8:

Downsides of a South-Facing House

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South-facing homes require careful planning in Vastu Shastra. With a home open to Lord Yama and the strongest energies of the universe, you must carefully design your home’s layout to prevent chaos and negative energy from overwhelming your living space. It’s more than doable, but you must design your rooms carefully to distribute the powerful energy evenly.^{[5]
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- The main axis of most homes leads towards the front door. In Vastu Shastra, this presents a problem for south-facing homes. All that powerful energy gets bottlenecked at the front door and ruminates.
- With Lord Yama in charge, there are a lot of myths out there surrounding death and south-facing homes. This can make reselling your home a little difficult depending on where you live.
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Southern-facing homes are prone to heating damage. While all the exposure to natural light is generally considered a good thing, it can lead to some maintenance issues. The UV light can damage your home’s siding, windowsills, and roof. Without any shade, any back deck or patio will also require more frequent sealing or painting.^{[6]
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- Dealing with sun damage isn’t the end of the world. Your home is designed to hold up to the elements. It’s just something to keep in mind if you’re looking at buying an older home with no cover.

Section 5 of 8:

Vastu Layout Rules for a South-Facing House

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Place the bedrooms on the west side of the house. The master bed should always go on the southwest of the home where you rest with the fading sun. Place any additional bedrooms in the northwest. The powerful flow of energy through a south-facing home can make it difficult to sleep at night if your bedrooms are on the east side, as the heavy sun has flooded the room all day.^{[7]
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- Position your beds to face south—especially the master bed. If the home has multiple floors, put the master bed on the highest floor.
- Set colorful candles out against the wall just east of the bedrooms. This will block any negative energy from flowing into your room while you sleep.^{[8]
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Look for a large front door in the center of the home. A large front door is essential if you want to keep the excess energy from getting bottled up in your home. If you’re building the house, opt for the biggest front door available. It’s also important to keep the front door in the middle, if possible. This way, the energy will be distributed evenly throughout your home.^{[9]
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- You can still overcome a standard front door, but it will require careful furniture arrangement and décor.
- There are a lot of myths out there that a bad main door in a south-facing home will bring debt or health problems. The reality is that you’re just likely to feel restless.
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Set the kitchen in the southeast corner, if possible. The kitchen is the place of nourishment, so place it opposite the master bedroom where your rest takes place. This will split the powerful energies coming in from the northern windows and distribute it more evenly.^{[10]
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- It’s best if all of your cooking takes place with you facing east. Keeping the exit to the kitchen on the northern wall will prevent the energy from feeding back towards the entrance.
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Install the septic tank on the west or north. Most contractors will set the septic tank near the entrance, but that’s bad vibes for a south-facing house (you do not want the first introduction to your home to be waste for Lord Yama). Put the septic tank to the east, north, or northeast of the home. This way, waste will flow north or east away from your home.^{[11]
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- Water storage in general should take place on the opposite side of the entrance.
The office is the neutral space in the home, so orient it to point in the same direction as your house, which creates harmony. Always choose a regular room for your office—square-shaped or rectangular. When it comes to furnishing the office, opt to keep everything symmetrical and even.^{[12]
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Use curtains and holy symbols to redirect bad vibes. Bright curtains (red or brown) guide Mars’s energy where it feels like you need it most. If your main entrance is in the center of the southern wall, place the curtains along the back windows. You can also use traditional symbols, such as Oms, carnelian gemstones, and depictions of Krishna to bring good luck to the areas of your home that feel most charged and unlucky.
- Set a Vastu pyramid near your front door. This supposedly keeps Lord Yama pleased.

Section 6 of 8:

Décor and Color Guidelines

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Opt for browns, oranges, tans, and reds. These are the colors of Mars—the ruling planet of a south-facing house. Avoid blue and black. These colors invite negative energy for south-facing homes. So long as your furniture, wall décor, and rugs are neutral, your home will feel warm and safe.^{[13]
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- This is actually one of the big upsides of south-facing homes. Most people prefer warmer, more neutral interior design anyway, so this one is typically easy to follow.
If you are going to set up a Pooja room, place it on whatever wall is on the back of the main bathroom. This will balance out and cleanse any dirty vibes and energy in your home. Also, opt for wood over metal or stone when it comes to fixtures in your Pooja. These warmer materials are better for balancing the energy in your home.^{[14]
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Section 7 of 8:

How Vastu Shastra Works

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Vastu Shastra is based on an ancient architectural text. Vastu Shastra translates to “the knowledge of dwelling.” It contains a series of guidelines for holy architecture—kind of like Indian Feng Shui but for entire buildings. Each building is oriented based on its front door, and a different planet and Hindu deity rules over each direction. This can be auspicious or inauspicious. Based on these Hindu texts, south-facing homes are often inauspicious without careful planning. They’re ruled by Lord Yama and ruled by Mars.^{[15]
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- North-facing homes are often auspicious. They’re ruled by Kubera and the planet Mercury.
- West-facing homes are usually inauspicious. They’re ruled by Lord Varun and the planet Saturn.
- East-facing homes are often auspicious. They’re ruled by Indra and the Sun.

Section 8 of 8:

Key Takeaways

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Of the four cardinal directions, south-facing homes probably convey the most spiritual liveliness. This makes these homes ideal for people who work in high-paced industries and people with a lot of passion and energy.
Set the bedrooms on the western side of the home and the kitchen and dining area on the eastern side. This way, you’ll balance the flow of energy as it cycles through your home.
No house is automatically inauspicious. A lot of the myths surrounding south-facing homes come from the fact that Lord Yama rules over the south. While Lord Yama is the Hindu God of death, they’re also the God of law, order, and justice.