If you often work or study at home, a good feng shui desk layout can be quite beneficial for your productivity and energy levels. This ancient Chinese art and science recommends certain spatial arrangements and orientations to promote a positive energy flow.
Feng shui can also help you put together an ideal, balanced space for you to focus and find clarity as you work on different aspects of your life. When arranging a feng shui desk, it’s important to not just take into account the room color combinations and home decor but to have a clear understanding of your working style and the purpose of your desk.
Other feng shui elements to consider include desk positioning in your room or home office, desk surface arrangement, material, color and shape. In order to help you create an organized space that fits your needs, we put together this comprehensive feng shui desk guide. It lists basic feng shui practices as well as additional components to consider when arranging the perfect desk and home office space.
Desk Placement
When it comes to positioning, a basic rule in feng shui is to orient your desk in a “commanding position.” This means that your desk should be indirectly facing the door of your home office or bedroom.
In an ideal situation, your desk would be on the opposite side of the room, facing but not directly in line with the door and solid wall behind you. If it’s not possible for you to place your desk facing the door, a mirror reflecting the main entrance of the room will still allow you to see and seize new opportunities.
Assess Your Space And Your Work Style
Before you start to add or remove items from your desk, make a goal list of your aspirations, objectives and areas of your life you wish to focus on. Whether you’re starting a new passion project, working on improving your health or need help focusing on schoolwork, knowing your needs beforehand will help you determine the changes you need to make to the surface of your desk.
Declutter
It is quite common to have some clutter on your desk, especially when working on a big project or during a busy week. However, cleaning and ridding your desk of any unnecessary items at least once a week will help you achieve better focus and an organized life. Remove any items that are not used daily and place them in a nearby drawer for easy access.
Adding Practical Items And Decor
A minimalist look isn’t always the best in feng shui unless there’s only one area in your career you’d like to focus on. Having practical items and decor can further help you harness the necessary energy to achieve your goals. Things like indoor purifying plants, crystals and notepads are great for the surface of your desk.
Sources Of Light
A source of light is a must-have in feng shui. If you don’t usually work at night, try orienting your desk to receive optimal natural light. Preferably, this would come from a window on the side of your desk. If you’d like to add a desk lamp, the upper left is the best position for it according to feng shui general practices.
Things To Consider
The color, material and shape of your desk can be carefully chosen to promote your desired energy flow. Depending on your line of work and the purpose of your desk, choose a combination that best fits your needs.
Desk Color
- Dark Brown: A stabilizing and strengthening color that can provide plenty of comfort to the body but often does not energize the mind. If you have a dark brown desk, try to balance it out with metal and bright objects.
- Light Brown: Medium-toned wood colors are great for stabilizing and strengthening the body while also energizing the mind.
- Gray: Perfect shade to encourage focus—however, gray desks can often drain your body’s energy, so create balance with earth-toned elements.
- White: Activates the mind while encouraging discipline and clarity. Similar to gray, white can often be draining so we recommend adding a wooden frame or a dark green plant with a wooden stem.
- Black: A black desk is perfect for introspection and open-mindedness as it attracts energy inwards. According to feng shui, this color is also great for bringing new opportunities.
- Red And Bright Colors: Red desks are great for activating the mind but oftentimes draining so this shade and other bright desks are not ideal for long-term use.
- Green And Earth Tones: Provide a good balance for the body and mind as green and other earth tones tend to be nurturing shades. Also, they’re perfect for encouraging creativity and revitalization.
Desk Material
- Wood: Our first recommendation as it’s not only a reliable and long-lasting material, but it also provides stability, nourishment and a quality flow of energy.
- Metal: Great for mental energy and concentration. If you’re looking for sharpness and clarity, a metal desk is ideal.
- Glass: Since glass desks can be very revealing, they are great for people who are trying to convey honesty and transparency. However, as energy passes very quickly through glass, this option is not the most stabilizing so be sure to balance with natural elements to achieve a solid workspace.
- Laminate: As the most passive and neutral choice, laminate does not provide positive or negative energy. An upside to this material is that positive energy can easily be encouraged with the right desk position and surface arrangement.
Shape Of Your Desk
- Rectangular: Ideal and most recommended choice for individual work. Rectangular desks provide stability and help you concentrate while encouraging growth.
- Curved: Another feng shui favorite, a curved desk is great to promote creativity and a continuous flow of positive energy. For grounding energy and stability, make sure you sit in the inside curve of your desk.
- L-Shaped: Many believe an L-shaped desk often poses a feng shui problem. However, when positioned correctly, L-shaped desks can provide plenty of positive energy.
- Square: Although great for small spaces, square desks can often lead to energy stagnation so be sure to add plenty of glass elements like a flower vase or a glass print to balance your workspace.
- Oval Or Round: Although great for groups, oval and round desks lack stability so we typically don’t recommend these shapes for a home office.
Desk Arrangement
In order to achieve a successful feng shui desk arrangement, you must have a basic understanding of the Bagua map. This map is used as a guide to arrange homes and spaces in a way that encourages a positive energy flow through different areas of your life. If used correctly, your desk arrangement can help you focus on things like wealth, creativity and relationships to propel you to the next stage of your career.
1. Wealth And Prosperity
This area of your desk represents abundance and your gratitude for what you already have. Place an item that symbolizes prosperity to you preferably in shades of gold or purple to encourage wealth. Art, a bamboo plant, collectibles and statues are great to have in this are of your desk.
2. Fame And Reputation
This area focuses on how you want others to perceive you and represents clarity and integrity. Go for red or pyramid-shaped objects. Awards, candles, a desk lamp or business cards also work perfectly in this space.
3. Love And Relationships
Represents your relationships and your ability to nurture yourself and attract love. Try adding something pink that symbolizes your most meaningful relationship. If you’re single, a vase with a pink flower will do the trick. If you’re in a relationship, have a pair of items like two heart-shaped paperweights or a personalized frame with photos of you and your partner.
4. Family And New Beginnings
Represents those who came before you (parents and ancestors) as well as your future. Use items that symbolize growth, preferably in shades of green. A family frame or an indoor plant with a wooden stem in this section will help you hone in on positive energy, growth and strength.
5. Center and Well-Being
Typically, the center of the Bagua map—which represents the well-being of your mind, body and soul—encourages you to leave this area free of clutter. If you typically have something in the middle of your desk, stick to square-shaped items in yellow or orange tones. This can include images of the sun, a calendar or yellow post-it notes.
6. Children And Creativity
This area falls on the center-right corner of your desk and when arranged appropriately, it can help boost your creativity and represent joy, openness and your ability to complete new projects. Add round, oval or arch-shaped metal features like a frame, a bell or a pencil holder to increase concentration and encourage calmness.
7. Knowledge And Self-Awareness
If you constantly use your desk to study or you’re working on building a new skill, focus on the bottom left corner of your desk to encourage wisdom beyond your years. Place square-shaped items like a book or a photo of an idol, preferably in dark shades of green and blue.
8. Career And Life Purpose
Represents the journey of life including your purpose and career. Although we also recommend leaving the bottom center of your desk free of clutter, sticking to glass decorations, dark colors and images of water can encourage prosperity.
9. Mentors, Outside Contacts And Travel
If you often find yourself in need of help from your friends, place a phonebook or an item that symbolizes protection for you. If you have dreams of traveling soon or often, place a globe, a world map, a travel guide or an image of your next destination. Stick to greys, pastels and metals for this section.
If you already have a desk that doesn’t particularly fall under feng shui recommendations or if your room doesn’t allow you to orient your desk appropriately, remember you can easily balance out energy flows by adding or removing a few items.
Whether it’s adding a metal print, a plant or toning down some of the decor, quick and easy changes can do the trick. Organization, focus and clarity are just a few of the benefits of good feng shui and with this guide, you’re ready put together your ideal workspace.
