Children's Bedrooms

Traditional Harmony

A child's bedroom serves two functions - sleep and play. So it's important to define the opposing activities through the application of positive and harmonious Feng Shui. If the application of good Feng Shui is ignored, a child may have difficulties unwinding at night. An overly yang room is too mentally stimulating for children and will affect their sleep.

As already outlined in "Color in the Home", colors play a significant role in the tone and feeling of a child's bedroom. So select shades and hues to balance the child's activities in the room. Play areas should be bright, to enhance children's learning, creativity and curiosity, and sleep areas should be decorated with soft yin colors.

More importantly, children should feel safe-so a view of the door is essential. Strange shapes and shadows lurking in dark corners can be a source of fear for children. As with adults' bedrooms, children's beds should face their supportive direction. The Chinese believe that if your child is troubled, you should use a compass to check the direction in which they are sleeping or studying. Preferably move the child's bed to face their supportive direction.

Children's beds should have a headboard and should not back onto a window or a door. If your child's bed doesn't have a headboard, make a mock-headboard by applying a colorful screen or mural, to create a sense of security and protection. Watch for beams, storage or shelves overhead - these can be oppressive. Heavy pictures on the wall behind the bed or a towering bedside light can also be oppressive. Also, bunk beds and canopies over the bed depress positive Qi.

At night, remove mirrors from your child's bedroom or cover them with a cloth. If bedroom doors are continually slammed by children, indicating that the children are trying to attract energy toward them, attach a Feng Shui ring bell charm to the inside of their door to encourage cooperation.

Modern Design

The perfect way to define play / study (yang) and sleep (yin) areas in a child's bedroom at night is to cover the dominantly colored areas with yin - colored fabric or curtains. A wooden screen is also a good option for defining the opposing areas, as it creates a psychological barrier between activities.

It is equally important that mirrors are covered at night. Green, purple or blue fabric is best, with tranquil or restful motifs such as fish, sea life, mermaids or flowers blowing in the wind. A soft night - light can be effective to help children relax.

Furniture with curved corners will not only help prevent accidents; it will also prevent poison arrows. Stimulate a child's sense of touch with numerous textures - furry, soft, hard, smooth. Use fluffy beanbags and cushions. If the floor is hard and cold, apply a soft yin rug.

Create fun, spacious storage options for toys and clutter, but do not store things under the bed. In nurseries, hang a colorful mobile at the end of the bed, but not above, as this can be perceived as threatening.

Bells tied to the cot can be stimulating by day, but are best removed at night. Decorate and paint the room for a new baby as long as possible before it is due, and air the room thoroughly after painting so that the paint fumes disappear. Preferably, decorate the room with natural products and use bedding made from natural fibers.

And lastly, sound is soothing and reassuring to children, so try musical mobiles or classical music to help send them to sleep.

According to ancient Chinese tradition, attaching a Feng Shui charm such as this symbol of good fortune to a child's bedroom door will call in positive energy (Qi) and enhance the flow of peaceful energy into the room.

For good Feng Shui in your child's bedroom, apply beanbags, quilts, toys and cushions with abandon. Even if the floor is concrete or wooden floorboards, provide a soft yin rug. Also remember, furniture with curved corners will not only help prevent accidents, it will also prevent poison arrows.

A child's bedroom serves two functions - sleep and play. So it's important to define the opposing activities through positive and harmonious Feng Shui. If this is ignored, a child may have difficulty unwinding at night. An overly yang room or play area, such as this one, is too mentally stimulating for children and will affect their sleep, if in close proximity to their bed. So either erect a screen to shield it, define the area through the use of paint or furnishings, or store playthings away at night.
Children's Bedrooms