FENG SHUI: Home office
Today we're talking about feng shui, pronouned {fuhng shwey} you know that fancy word you hear a lot of designers use when describing a furniture layout or design plan...guilty! Feng shui is a Chinese philosophy of harmonizing or balancing the energies in any given space. Although, it sounds complicated, we've broken it down to the basic guidelines and we're using our latest office project as a quick reference.
Position: The most important aspect when designing any space and usually the one factor that is constantly overlooked. We have a perfect example with the office layout BEFORE, which has the desk positioned in the wrong direction with our client facing the wall and having her back towards the door. In Feng Shui, you always want to have the "commanding position". Meaning, you want to face the opening of the room and have a view of your entire surroundings. By moving the desk in front of the built-in, our client will now be able to see all and feel more secure in their new power position.
Clutter: Stay clutter free by keeping everything organized and getting rid of anything that is piled up. Try to put things away and hide all the extra cords and wires as much as you can. The mess around your desk is impacting you more than you think. All that clutter is adding negative energy to your space..so, clean up!
Harmony: Create balance and harmony by using the 5 elements of Feng Shui.
Fire: Burn a candle or use a task lamp to represent the most unpredictable element. The light will enhance and boost the energy in the space.
Metal: Create balance by incorporating a metal piece. In our design storyboard, we chose a gold bar cart. Not only does it help combine different textures, it's also oh-so-chic!
Water: Bring in a mirror or an artwork representing good old H20. In our plan, we decided to place a decorative mirror above the bar cart, which can also help reflect more light from the windows on the perpendicular wall.
Wood: Easiest element to integrate into your design because a lot of furniture pieces are made of wood. The accent chairs used in our seating area have stunning wood legs.
Earth: Natural greenery is a must, so don't forget to plop a plant somewhere in the room. Not only will it help soften any sharp corners and edges, it will also improve air quality. Study shows that the stuff we're breathing indoors can be just as bad as some outdoor pollutants...yuck! Luckily, there is a simple solution, just get your green thumb on!