How do I feng shui my home office?

With more people working from home than ever on a long-term basis, it’s important to get your home working set up right, to ensure you’re working as productively as possible, whilst enjoying it too! The basic principles of feng shui are all about harnessing energy to harmonise an individual with their environment. Unlike being in a corporate office space, working at home allows you to have complete control over your layout and surrounding to create the energy you need for your job.

Applying the tips outlined in this blog will help you to create a working space that triggers the right energy, focus and output you need to deliver while working and allow you to shut off from it all when you’re not. 

1. Incorporate the Five Element Theory
   Feng shui is based on the theory that there are five elements that should be represented and carefully balanced in any space you’re in, to maintain a great balance of energy:
   • Fire – ignites passion. Express through angular shapes (a square vase or unusual wall hanging perhaps), candles and colours from the red family of colours.
   • Wood – summons motivation, inspiration and creativity. Why not consider a bespoke and insulated wooden home office. Natural materials such as wood provide interest, balance and warmth to interiors and replicates the effects of spending time outside in a natural, calming environment. Alternatively, wooden furniture is ideal, or you can incorporate plants and the colour green within your décor.
   • Water – for professional success. You can incorporate into a room through using glass, mirrors, water features or by using colours from the blue palette.
   • Earth – to evoke stability. Incorporate stone or clay, and tastefully use the colours yellow, brown and orange where possible.
   • Metal – conjures energy attraction. Any metal items such as picture frames, framed mirrors, lamps, ornaments. The colours white and grey work well here too.
2. Layout and location
   Having your home office as far away from your bedroom as possible to create as much division between your working space and your resting place as possible is an important guideline for good office feng shui energy. Having your office in a separate outbuilding from the house with its own entrance would be ideal home office solution. However, if this isn’t possible, do your best to put some distance between your desk and your rest area.
   Try to position your desk so it faces the door, with a wall behind you. This way you can see who is coming and going from the room. This is said to be a power position for achieving success rather than the vulnerability associated with having your back to the door. If having your back to the door is your only option, think about hanging a mirror in front of your desk so you can see behind you.
3. Air & light
   A well-lit and ventilated space will do wonders for your productivity and mood. Oxygen and light are key to creating a bright and space that you will enjoy working in. Natural light is best for lifting spirits and boosting energy, but if natural light is limited, add extra lighting with some nifty lamps and spotlights.
   If you can’t sit near a window, consider adding some air-purifying plants to your office. Having plants around can improve the air quality around them by cleaning the air of toxins and releasing humidity back into the atmosphere. For example, Aloe Vera emits oxygen at night whilst simultaneously taking in carbon dioxide – something we naturally produce when breathing. It is one clever plant at purifying the air.
4. Colour and décor
   Think about what inspires and motivates you and included it in your décor. Surrounding yourself with items that make you feel successful and happy will reflect in your work and enable you to summon the energy you need for your line of work.
   As we already touched upon in point one, colours are important for feng shui too and the colours you choose should really depend on what kind of work you are doing. For example, the colours a web designer would choose would likely be from a bold, bright colour palette to inspire creativity and positivity. However, an accountant may benefit from being surrounded by blue as it’s said to represent logic, efficiency and focus.
5. Declutter, declutter and declutter!
   A cluttered office has the potential to cause stress, impact productivity and generally make finding and doing things more difficult.Decluttering will not only help get your office and work in order, but it will also help straighten out what’s going on in your mind too.

If you are looking to create a home office in your garden space, be sure to consider our bespoke timber buildings. We can design you an office that perfectly meets your needs, and your ideal feng shui!