If your commercial office space could speak, what would it say?
“These file cabinets are from the Cold War but you should hire us for our innovative ideas.”
Or,
“1995 was a good year for us! Check out the top-of-the-line bean bag chairs in our lounge.”
We want to help your office, workspace, restaurant or retail space brush up on a new language – Chinese. Specifically, we’re serious about feng shui. It has been called “the art of placement” and a way of “positioning of buildings, rooms and objects to achieve harmony with nature.” These principles have existed for thousands of years and permeate every space humans occupy.
Here are our feng shui suggestions for your commercial space.
- You might be reading this at your desk. Look up from the screen. Do you see a wall? If at all possible, move your desk so you are not facing the wall, but instead facing so you can see the door or cubicle opening. Here you are in a “command position.” You have visual control over your space and you’ll project a more powerful image.
*Don’t put your desk so your only point of view is the door or opening. Make sure you are slightly offset. Ask anyone who has faced a door straight on can tell you, you can easily become distracted when you have no other option but to stare at whatever is outside of your door.
If you are facing a wall no matter what, take steps to make the wall “invisible” with strategic uses of art, wallpaper, or other inspiring images. It may be tempting to face the window but the light will often interfere with your monitor, and on beautiful days it can be even harder to concentrate on a task that is less appealing than say, being outside.
- About those windows. Optimize the natural light available to you as you work in your office. If you have a window, keep it bare, or keep the curtains or blinds completely open during working hours. Research shows that the presence (or absence) of natural light directly affects your work satisfaction. We’ve explored this topic in a previous blog
- Ensure you have something strong behind you to back you up. If you are practicing good feng shui, is likely going to be a wall, unless you are in an open floor plan. We’ll have to discuss feng shui for that situation in a later blog.
*If you can’t have a wall behind you, one way to accomplish strength behind you is with a focal point. A focal point is a concentration of energy that attracts the eye and sets the tone for how the room “speaks” to an audience. Examples include a large piece of wall art, an odd shaped mirror, or an ornate bookcase.
Feng shui for your office doesn’t have to be difficult. Feng shui celebrates natural light, open windows and facing life, and commanding a strong presence. Effective interior design, whether you believe in feng shui or not, is integral to office productivity. At Planning Interiors, we help Atlanta businesses achieve the greatest efficiency and happiness from their commercial spaces.