Watch my eHow.com video about how to create a soothing home office.  As a Feng Shui Interior Designer, there are some key feng shui principles to keep in mind — so you can have a relaxing and supportive home office.

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Video Transcript:

Hi, I'm Anjie Cho, and I will share with you some simple tips to create a soothing home office using feng shui design principles. In feng shui, your home office represents your career and wealth. So this is an area to pay attention to.

The first thing to look at is where your desk is located in the relationship to the room's door. I often see clients in a situation like this one where their desk is facing the wall leaving their back or their side to the door. This is a major feng shui no-no. Ideally you should face your desk so you can see the door while not in line with the door. The most auspicious position for a desk is placed diagonally from the door. This desired orientation is called the command position. It's when you are facing the door and the expanse of the room. It means that you're in command of your life, your career and you can see what the universe has in store for you. The best opportunities will be available to you and you will be able to see them coming. This position minimizes stress and allows for the best work flow of energy. 

This space is at a premium in your home and you cannot face the door, set up a mirror so that while sitting at your desk you can still easily see the door in the reflection. Small concave mirrors found in automobile shops are excellent for this job.

The second way to create a soothing home office is to separate the space. Many of us don't have an entire room for an office space in our homes. If you don't have a dedicated room for your office do your best to separate your desk from the space it occupies. Visual boundaries are very important in keeping your work and play times balanced. Some ways you can create visual boundaries is with free standing bookshelves or a room divider. Or even a fabric panel or drapes. This is especially important in a bedroom or a living room. If you overlook creating boundaries you may have difficulty focusing on working and disengaging when not working. At the very least you can get a beautiful piece of fabric or scarf and cover your desk when your office hours are closed.

Finally to create a soothing home office take a look at what you are facing when you are sitting at your desk. Are you staring at a wall? Besides being very unsoothing in the feng shui world we encourage you to face into the room with a good view of the door, while not right in line with the door. As I mentioned earlier this position puts you in command of your life and career. If this is not possible and you must face the wall there are a few ways to improve the situation.

You can put a mirror on the wall behind the desk like I've done here. So rather then looking at a wall that represents a block in your forward movement, the mirror will expand your view and allow you to move ahead in your career. You can also put an inspirational image, an image with depth. Or even a vision board. A vision board is simply a collage of words and images of where you see yourself in the future. And of course don't forget the mirror to see the door. Often people will orient their desk towards the window and outdoor view. In my experience although it's nice to face a view it's not the best position for someone who wants to advance in his or her career. Your energy goes out the window and does not stay with your work. And it's not really soothing because you will be really stressed out when you start putting off your work. 

by Anjie Cho

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