Feng Shui Office – The Ultimate Guide – BT Office Furniture

The Chinese words ‘Fen’ and ‘Shui’ means ‘wind’ and ‘fire’. The concept derived from an ancient poem base on the deep connection between human life and surrounding environment. Practitioners or Feng Shui believe that everything from furnishing to décor has an ‘energy’ and how we arrange these things can impact all aspects of our lives. In this article we will explore some of these concepts and how they can help you when creating your office space.

All the basic principles of feng shui reflect nature, this includes the essential principles: the commanding position, the bagua, and the five elements. Let’s find out more.

The Commanding Position and the position of your desk

Your desk is one of the most important areas according to feng shui because it symbolises your career. Achieving balance in this area of your life will help you find success and happiness because your career is so closely connected to your path in life.

The commanding position is the area of a room that is furthest from the door and not in direct line with it. It puts you diagonally from the door, and ideally, it should be in line of sight. This is where you spend most of your time when you are in the room. The placement of your desk is incredibly important in a home office, especially when it comes to attracting positive energy.

Your desk should be in a commanding position. Be mindful of not facing a wall while working as this can block energy and create a symbol of facing obstacles. Diagonally opposite the door is ideal as it is the ‘power position’. Avoid placing your desk in a position where you are facing a wall, however, if this is unavoidable you can use mirrors placed on the walls to show who is entering your space.

Finally make sure you have enough room. Leave yourself room to grow. You should be able to get in an out of the desk with ease.

The Bagua

A bagua is the feng sui energy map covering the floor plan of a room. “Bagua” translates to “eight areas”, and each of these areas relates to different aspects of your life, like family, knowledge or career.  Feng shui advises not to work on all the different areas at once, but to instead strengthen your energy or improve flow in one area.

The 5 elements

There are five Feng Sui Elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. FengShui experts say that you should include all five elements in your office space in some way. The element you are more in tune with should be used more than the rest, same with the element that more closely represents your business or industry.

Let´s find out the meaning of some of them:

Wood: Wood symbolises loyalty and is said in the FengShui principles to promote creativity and inspiration. Woods are often present in office spaces and can be part of the desk, floors, wall panels, or introduced as other design elements. Your wood element is best positioned in the eastern corner of your office.

Fire: Fire is said to be the most powerful element, representing passion, excitement and aggressiveness. FengShui experts advise to always place the fire element in the southern corner of the room. Red is the colour that is most associated with the fire and is said to inspire creativity and appeals to a wide range of people. If red doesn’t go with decoration, a cande or lamp can be a good option.

Water: Water symbolises balance, flowing energy and wealth. Promote networking and free flowing ideas. If you don´t have space for a water fixture in your office, you could get a painting or photo of a large body or water such as river or a waterfall to symbolise that flow. Mirrors also represents water, however FengShui experts advise not to place mirrors in your office because it can reflect negative energy from others that visit your office and you should always maintain control of the energy in your space. The colours associated with water are blue and black, the said to promote wisdom, trust and learning. Water elements should be placed in the northern corner of the room according to FengShui experts and promote concentration, focus, and intelligence.

Earth: Earth elements help you achieve balance and stability and create a firm ground for building and strengthening relationships. You could add earth tones such as light browns, yellows, oranges, and sandy colours. Balance and stability can also be achieved through FengShui with clay or ceramic decoration pieces, or paintings of landscapes hung on the office walls. Whenever possible this element should be in the center of the office.

Metal: If you are looking to increase profits, make more income, and improve overall financial success, add metal elements to your décor. Metal can be represented with silver, grey, gold, or any metallic colours and should be placed in the Western corner of the office space. Décor pieces made of stone, marble or metallic will give the impression of professionalism and success.

Desk Colour Material

Colour and material greatly affect the feng shui of your desk and are an important buying consideration. A heavy and solid brown desk is the best of all the available desk materials, however, it’s important that you like the desk. Choose a colour and material you like, as well as one that is going to help you achieve feng shui.

Consider the five elements when buying a new desk for your home office, as the colour and materials represent the energy you want to bring into your workspace.

Earth element for stability and grounding:

• Colours: Brown, earthy yellows/oranges/neutrals
• Material: Wood or painted wood/composites

Metal element or efficiency and clarity:

• Colours: White, grey and metallic
• Material: Metal or painted wood/composites

Water element for networking and flow:

• Colours: Black
• Material: Metal or painted wood/composites

Wood element for growth and activity:

• Colours: Green and blue
• Material: Painted wood/ composites

Fire element for inspiration and fame:

• Colours: Red
• Material: Painted wood/composites

Feng Shui Office Colours

If you have the space to decorate how you please, colour is a key element when it comes to boosting creativity and productivity. Whether you can paint the walls, or simply add accent colours through your décor and mood boards, here are the best colours to add balance to your home office space.

Blue – An intellectual colour that is best used in spaces that require focus and concentration.

Green – Green provides balance which is key to Feng Shui, it’s also ideal for those working long hours as it’s easy on the eyes.

Yellow – Yellow is connected to our emotions an stimulates positivity, creativity and happiness.

Orange – Ideal for fun, creative spaces where stimulation is key, it’s also associated with warmth and comfort.

Objects for a Feng Shui Desk Arrangement

Certain objects at your desk can help inspire feng shui and bring different energies to your office space. Here are some you can try:

Plants: Plants represents and symbolise growth. Having them on your office desk means you are growing at work and progressing well. Some plants to consider: hade plant, silver crown, money plant.

Living, green plants invite growth.

Fluorite crystals: These crystals can be beneficial for focus and help expand your intellect.

Ceramic mug: A mug that you love invites energies of earth that are about self-care and stability.

Lamps: Lamps or light fixtures energises your name and improves your reputation too. Light can also be a source of creativity, so you are never dry on inspiration.

Crystal: Crystals are said to be able to absorb bad energy and purify the environment they are in. Clear quartz, rose quartz and jade are recommended.

Clutter

The basic principle of Feng Shui is everything having a place. Having a cluttered office can restrict productivity, both through the visual impact of having junk spread across the room and the physical limitation of not being able to move freely. A good solution would be to clear your desk of anything won’t need tomorrow at the end of the working day, this will leave your desk ready for work the next day.

Sitting Comfortable

If you are sitting long hours in your office chair, you need to make sure it is the right one for you. A comfortable chair with a high backing is ideal for feng shui. It is believed that a high back creates support and protection.

BT Office Furniture

If you are looking for some advice when refurbishing your office or need Free Space Planning Services, our experts are always available to help you.

Since its formation in 1994, BT Office has become a leading UK office furniture supplier. We have a wide range of Office Furniture available that are perfect for use at home and at work.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you choose your perfect office.