Putting the FengShui Elements to Work in Your Office

Last week, we posted all about how to FengShui your office space and included the Do’s and Don’ts when implementing FengShui techniques in your office or office space. This week, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look at FengShui’s 5 elements and delve deeper into the details of how to put them to use for balance and harmony at your work place.

The 5 FengShui 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. To discover the element that represents your personality, experts suggest thinking of your favorite vacation spots and choosing the element that is prevalent there. Keep in mind that balance is still very important. Use caution not to overuse any one element; that might throw off the office’s chi and create disharmony. You can also increase use of the elements as necessity in your job dictates.

Water

Adding water, such as a fountain or small fish bowl will help communication, promote networking, and free flowing ideas. If you are unable to add an actual water feature to your office space,  glass will work just as well. Mirrors also represent water, however some 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 colors associated with water are blue and black, and they promote trust, wisdom, and learning.  Water elements should be placed in the northern corner of the room according to FengShui experts and promote concentration, focus, and intelligence.

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 colors 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.

Earth

Earth elements help you achieve balance and stability and also create a firm ground for building and strengthening relationships. So whether you want to seal a business deal or just need some added balance and stability in the office environment, then adding earth tones such as light browns, yellows, oranges and sandy colors will do the trick. 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.

Fire

Feel the need to be more productive around the office? Ever hear the term “light a fire under. . . “? Well that stems from the FengShui practice that adding fire elements to an office space will definitely help in this area. Fire is said to be the most powerful element, representing passion, excitement, and aggressiveness. So be careful when adding this element to your office décor; FengShui experts advise to always place the fire element in the southern corner of the room. Red is the color that is most associated with fire and is said to inspire creativity and appeals to a wide range of people. If Red does not go along with the designs of the office then a candle or a lamp can also be used as alternative representatives of the fire element.

Wood

Wood symbolizes 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. Besides the usual brown color associated with woods, green can also be used to represent the wood element when using FengShui techniques to optimize your office space. Your wood element is best positioned in the eastern corner of your office.

Not Convinced Yet?

Sometimes just a small addition or change to your office space will help your chi flow and solve any number of problems or just make for a more comfortable work space. It can be fun to experiment with Fen Shui techniques and see which ones work best for you or your staff. Some Fen Shui accents can be used to help achieve goals.