Whether they are doing their homework, studying, sleeping or passing the time, children spend a lot of time in their rooms. It is therefore important that the qi they experience inside is positive and vibrant, thus leading to healthy and harmonious growth.
Good feng shui promotes a clean, open area where qi, or natural energy, can gather, and this eliminates the problems of cluttered space that we have come to associate children’s rooms with. Therefore, your children will feel empowered, energised and loved in a space where feng shui and open, clean design are nicely balanced.
Children grow up fast these days, and their tastes are always changing, especially through their exposure to social media and the internet. Concerned parents may also find it increasingly difficult to maintain a balance between practical and creative designs that appeal to both their taste and their children’s preferences. It can get more complicated when your children are teenagers, since they value their privacy highly, and can be stubborn when it comes to expressing their individuality through their bedroom design and arrangement.
Be flexible. Give your children the freedom in image and colour choices, or the type of furniture they want, while you adopt some basic feng shui techniques for the space. The goal here is to find a win-win situation where feng shui criteria are matched with the overall theme of the décor. To get you started, take a moment and consider these important factors:
• Location. This factor always takes precedence over direction, so it is important to get it right. Every year, a different sector of a property represents a completely different outlook. The Heavenly Doctor sector governs over health and encourages rest and rejuvenation. The Fu Wei sector enhances cognitive and thinking skills, making it suitable for the location of a desk or study area. To find these sectors, have your child’s Life Star number calculated by a consultant. Each Life Star number has its own unique Heavenly Doctor or Fu Wei direction that can used for the placement of the bed;
• Form. A square or rectangular-shaped room ensures an even and healthy circulation of qi. Having these tried and tested shapes for your child’s room ensures healthy qi flow, which is integral to establishing a favourable and positive space for their development. Leave those triangu larshaped rooms or skewed walls for a Tim Burton set;
• Interior. If the bedroom is located in the attic or right beneath the roof, try to level the ceiling. If you are unable to do so, move the bed to the side of the room where the ceiling is higher. This is because slanted ceilings cause imbalanced qi, which can result in disrupted and uneasy sleep;
• Colour. Colour is not a feng shui element, and therefore will not have any impact on the type of qi in your child’s room. That said, it has been proven to have a psychological effect, so calming or cheerful colours would be ideal;
• Furniture. The edges of furniture and shelves are of minor significance when it comes to influencing the qi in the room. Worrying about these features generating sha qi will only cause paranoia, as they will have no negative effects on the occupants. Just make sure there is nothing obstructing the entrance to the room, as you want to ensure a smooth flow of qi from the main door into the room;
• Arrangement. Avoid placing your child’s bed or desk under a beam to avoid suppressive qi that can cause disrupted sleep, as well as health and work problems. Avoid having the bed face the door, since that puts it directly in the flow of qi, which can also disrupt sleep; and
• Lighting. Since your children are likely to be studying and reading in their rooms, proper lighting is important. Natural light should only be a concern if you are suffering from a critical form of vitamin D deprivation because, contrary to popular belief, more sunlight will raise the flow of qi. More windows, on the other hand, would be a great addition to the room, as they can provide more access for qi to enter the house.
When it comes to applying feng shui principles to your child’s room, approach it like you would your own. A few minor changes and arrangements can make a world of difference, without intruding too much into your child’s privacy. Since feng shui is more about location and arrangement than colour, make an agreement where you decide the location of the bed and desk, but your child determines the colour of the walls and bedding. In the end, both of you are aiming to design a comfortable room, regardless of style.
For a more thorough understanding and application of feng shui personalised for you and the members of your family, consult our feng shui advisers.
Joey Yap is chief consultant of the Joey Yap Consulting Group and founder of Mastery Academy Of Chinese Metaphysics. Joey Yap Pte Ltd can be reached via its Singapore regional manager Ng Khai Yeing at khaiyeing@joeyyap.com.
This article appeared in The Edge Property Pullout, Issue 732 (June 13, 2016) of The Edge Singapore.