How to design Pooja rooms in small spaces?

interior design of residence, KISHAN SUTHAR KISHAN SUTHAR
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In earlier times, almost every house in India had a Pooja room. However, with the modern urban lifestyle that includes tiny box-like apartments, often the home’s layout doesn’t include a pooja area. Is it possible to incorporate a pooja space into a modern apartment or house, even if one wasn’t planned? What rooms are best for including a Pooja cabinet or mandir? What materials are best for Puja rooms? We present tips on everything you need to know about modern pooja room designs in apartments and small houses, including Vastu Shastra tips on what’s ideal.

Can I have a Pooja room in the living room?

If the architect didn’t reserve a particular area for the Puja room, then one has to find an alternate area in the home to install it. The living room is an excellent choice for it, especially if one can find a corner in the northeast direction to locate the pooja shelf or cabinet. If the northeast isn’t available, then either the east or the west walls are the next best choices. Place the idols in the east or the west so that sunlight refreshes the space every day. When looking at Pooja room ideas in living rooms, ensure that the area has sufficient privacy. One can do this by installing a partition or a glass sliding door to hide the area when it’s not in use.

If no niche or corner is available for the Pooja room in the living room, consider placing the idols on floating shelves or in a free-standing mandir unit. Ensure that the pooja space doesn’t share a wall with a bathroom. Additionally, it shouldn’t be above or below a toilet in the house.

Is a dining room a suitable location for a Pooja room?

Like the living room, one can use a dining area to install a pooja room. In fact, as per Vastu Shastra, if the northeast direction of an apartment or house is not free for the pooja space, then one can have it in any other room except the bedrooms, toilets and store room to avoid negative energy from invading the pooja space.

Get ideas from these 7 Indian homes with pooja space in the dining room.

What are the Vastu guidelines for installing a Pooja room in the kitchen?

In some apartments and houses, one has no alternative than to incorporate the pooja space in a cabinet or corner of the kitchen. While it’s not ideal to have it in the kitchen, there’s no harm in doing so. However, it’s essential to be aware of the dos and don’ts regarding the location of the unit in relation to the stove, garbage bin and water source to ensure that the positivity of the Pooja room is not compromised.  

Like with other areas, the northeast direction is the ideal place for the mandir in the kitchen. It shouldn’t be above the sink or stove. The design of the mandir or cabinet should allow closing the doors when it is not in use to protect it from negative energy.

Why is it inauspicious to have a pooja room in the bedroom?

A pooja room is a place for prayer and meditation, whereas one uses a bedroom for sleeping. In some houses as a last resort, if there is no other place available for the pooja mandir, it can be in the bedroom, but one should ensure that the feet do not point towards the idols while resting as this is disrespectful.

What are the types of materials that are ideal for pooja rooms or mandirs?

Wood is a recommended material for pooja spaces as it is natural. It’s easy to create simple pooja mandir designs with wood, and if space is scarce in the home, one can even use wood to build shelves or cabinets to arrange the idols. Depending on one’s budget and the preferred size of the mandir, it’s easy to find suitable designs in wood from prices starting INR 900 for a tiny one. Of course, one can also find beautifully handcrafted and carved mandir or pooja room designs in wood for as much as INR 15,000.

Natural stones such as marble and granite are also popular for mandirs. A tiny marble mandir can cost around INR 3000, while the price of larger ones with intricate carvings can work out to approximately INR 30,000. Granite mandirs are less expensive than marble ones. One can easily find a medium-sized model for around INR 8,000.

When looking at small pooja cabinet designs try to choose those with double-shutter doors. As these doors open outward, a single door will pose a hindrance in the area.

Get inspired by these beautiful pooja room designs.

What is the ideal type of flooring for the pooja room?

The flooring in a pooja room should be easy to clean everyday as it’s vital to refresh the energy in the space and keep it free from dirt, dust or insects. Since the mandir is a part of a larger room in the home, the flooring should match the rest of the room. However, if the pooja area is in a niche, one can change the flooring in that section to give it a distinct identity. Like with pooja mandir designs, wood and natural stone are the preferred materials for the flooring of pooja rooms. Ceramic tiles are another practical solution since they are easy to maintain.

What colours should I use in a pooja room?

Since pooja spaces need to be tranquil, the colours used on the walls should be soothing. White is the best option for a pooja room. Light yellow, pastel blue and light green are other recommended colours. For the flooring, white or cream marble or tiles are the best options. Other shades on can consider for the walls include light purple as this shade enhances the ambiance of spirituality.

What other factors should one consider while designing a small pooja room?

The pooja space should have ample positive energy. Therefore, it’s essential that the mandir or cabinet is clutter-free. It’s best to keep the number of idols or images to a bare minimum. The ideal size of an idol shouldn’t be larger than one’s palm. Ensure there are no damages on the images or idols in the pooja room as this brings negativity to the area. Design the mandir or cabinet so that it has a drawer underneath for storing pooja items that one can access easily. It will also help to keep the area better organized.

There are so many elements that go into the design of a perfect pooja room or mandir. That’s the reason we recommend consulting a Vastu professional or an interior designer to ensure that every element suits the pooja space and fills it with positivity. From helping to identify the perfect corner or niche that one can convert into the pooja space in a living room, dining area or kitchen to assisting with the selection of the right dimensions, materials and flooring for the pooja area, a professional who has experience in designing pooja rooms will ensure that every element is perfect. They can even help to customize small pooja room designs that bring a touch of creativity and stunning design elements to the area to make a pooja space unique.

Scaling down pooja room designs for small spaces

Often, you fall in love with a puja room design that you come across in a large house or bungalow. However, instead of replicating the same design in a small home, you can try to scale down the size as well as the elements to suit your space. For example, instead of a separate pooja room like this one, you can use the same latticed door frame for your puja room in a recess or alcove in the corridor.

Space-saving modern pooja room designs

For small apartments, built-in pooja cabinets are an excellent solution as they save space while providing all the needed functionality. You can get professionals to customise the unit based on the available space and your requirements.

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