Where should study desk be placed in a room? [Feng Shui Tips]

When it comes to success and working at home, the placement of your study desk is actually very important. For this topic, I turn to Feng Shui. It is a practice that originates from ancient China but is still applicable today.

Feng Shui is about finding harmony and balance between our energy and airflow in our surroundings. The principles of Feng Shui are often used in interior design and can be applied to your office for maximum productivity, creativity, and workflow.

Why is Designing a Feng Shui Study Room Important? 

If we consider the study room as one of the most important rooms regarding productivity, It is important to create a great feng shui feeling.

Having the perfect place to study is a crucial step in your academic process. If you are uncomfortable in the room you are studying in, then you are going to get very little done and will have to spend twice the time studying the same materials. 

A lot of times, we decorate rooms to fit the aesthetic of our home or try to lay out the floorplan of a room to maximize space, but this is not a great method to get a good feng shui.

Oftentimes, when we have a room laid out in a way that fits the rest of our home or to optimize space, then it can actually negatively affect our productivity. 

Where should the study desk be placed according to Feng Shui?

The most important part of the feng shui study room layout is desk placement. You should place it in a command position.

To Achieve correct feng shui desk placement or command position, place yourself to see your room entrance. You need to have a solid wall behind, don’t be on the line with doors, and don’t look towards the window.

This position will give you the power to deal with whatever obstacle comes in front of you or in your life. With this placement, you will be surrounded with a lot of energy, concentration, and motivation to achieve your planned projects easier.

TIP: If you are trying to position your kids study table or desk, Feng Shui suggests that your child face north or east while studying. It is also important that your kid's back never be to the door.

What is wrong desk placement according to Feng Shui?

There are a few positions you should avoid. I’ve prepared some diagrams to help you visualize better.

Do Not Sit with Your Back facing the Door or in line with the entrance

To optimize your studying and productivity, you need to create a balanced and healthy environment to do work in. You should not set up your study room so that your study desk is positioned to be facing the wall with your back to the door or be in line with the room door.

There are a few reasons for this.

1. First, if you are fully emerged in your work and fully focused on what is in front of you, it could startle you if someone came in without you seeing, taking your attention away from your work. 
2. Not being able to see the door is thought to potentially cause you to miss out on a business opportunity that might walk by. You are limiting your options by “closing” yourself off from your door. 

Do Not Place Your Study Desk to Face the Wall 

You should never place your desk in a position where it is directly facing the wall. Facing a wall feels extremely depressing.

The whole idea of feng shui is linking your productivity to your mood and energy.

The study table should not be placed in front of a wall because when you are feeling depressed or uninspired, your productivity and concentration will drop.   

Do Not Place Your Study Desk in Front of a Window 

It seems like a natural choice to put your desk in front of a window, especially since we said it is bad to put it directly in front of a wall. Like facing a wall affects your productivity, so does facing out a window.

There are a few reasons for this as well.

1. Looking out a window can cut your productivity and take your attention away from the tasks you have planned.
2. The energy importance of feng shui believes that looking out of a window will allow your personal energy to escape.

Is Shape of Sudy Desk important according to Feng Shui?

The shape of your desk should also be taken into consideration when positioning it in your space. A traditional rectangle-shaped study desk allows for the most freedom for placement, but might not be practical for your needs. 

Study Desk with shelving

If your desk is a piece of furniture that is part of a shelving unit, then the command position is likely not an option. This type of desk generally requires being placed up against a wall. If possible, put it against a wall that will not have your back to the door of the room. If your back must be to the door of the room, try to have a window in your line of sight to one side.

Galley Desk

A galley desk is really two rectangular shaped desks positioned so that you can swivel between the two for different projects. A galley desk might be difficult to put at a diagonal angle, but can likely still be put in a command position. Place whichever desk you will spend less time at to be facing the wall. That way your power position of facing the door (and the rest of the room) will be used the most of the time.

L-Shaped and U-shaped Desks

An L-shaped desk and a U-shaped desk will have the same issues as the galley desk in terms of being practical at a diagonal angle. However, they can each still be placed in a power position in the back of a room facing the door.

What Color is Best for a Study Desk?

Your Study desk is the space that you work in, and therefore it needs to be relatable to you and your space. When choosing a color for it, we can turn again to Feng Shui principals to provide insight or guidance.

• Feng Shui likes a brown, partly because it likely means it is made of wood. Wood is believed to bring a natural energy and nourishment because of its origin from nature. Brown understandably is regarded by Feng Shui to be comforting and nourishing.
• A white or gray desk will encourage clarity and focus
• black desk facilitates introspection and concentration
• A red desk may seem fun and vibrant in the store but is such a strong color that it may be hard for you to sit and work at it over a long period of time

Ultimately when choosing your study desk color, you want it to blend with the design and style of the room, and be something that you like and can feel good about spending a lot of time at.  

A Few Additional Tips for Your Home study desk

1. Take care of your back and buy a quality office chair. Odds are you spend close to 40 hours a week sitting at your desk. Don’t compromise your ability to work well by using a chair that isn’t comfortable or doesn’t support your back. I recommend office star. It’s not expensive but has great back support.
2. Have a plant or two in the room. This is another Feng Shui principal. By adding live plants to your office space, you add an energy of life and benefit from breathing better air.
3. Decorate without Cluttering. When choosing decorations such as wall art, or photos the general principal is that less is more. You want to have a personal touch to your office space that provides happy thoughts or inspiration but doesn’t drown out your productivity.

How to Create Balance in Study area?

An important aspect of creating a perfect feng shui in your home or study room is focusing on balance.

The main feng shui tip when creating a balance is to incorporate ideally all of four main elements (Earth, Wind, Fire and Water) in to your place or room without some being overwhelmed.

You will pick one main element. For home office that would be most certainly metal. As we mentioned above , metal element will bring clarity and efficiency to your room.

When we have our main element selected, we try to incorporate other elements. We do them in a way that they complement each other and definitely not compete against.

Read more about Balance in Interior design and compare It with balance in feng shui.

Is Natural Light Important When Studying?

Natural light is important for adults and children when studying, learning, or working. Natural light helps our concentration and is better for our health. Try to bring as much natural light to your study table as possible. If your desk is in a room that doesn’t have natural light, be sure to invest in good quality lighting.

Is it Good to Study in Front of a Mirror?

According to Feng Shui, mirrors can be bringers of light and add a beautiful design element to your wall. The placement of the mirror should never be to your back however. You want the mirror to be in your line of sight from your command position, not to allow your guests or your clients a view of the back of your head.

If you’ve had to tuck your desk into a closet or a tight corner in another room of the house, a mirror can be placed on the wall you are facing to provide you with a view of what happens behind you.

Read also

• Light as element in interior design
• 7 elements of interior design