How The Right Color Desk Can Add Good Feng Shui To Your Home Office

Creating a productive, useful, and aesthetically pleasing workspace is a challenge. And while a desk is the centerpiece of most any home office or study, it's nonetheless an element that can be slightly overlooked when creating an optimal space in favor of other important issues like seating and storage.

Since it's one of the things you spend a great amount of time looking at and working on, however, a desk is perhaps the most important element in helping you to form both harmony and balance where you work. Feng shui, the design philosophy based around the free flow of chi (or energy) throughout the home can be a great source to look to when setting up this all-important space.

According to feng shui principles, there are several key elements to consider, including the space and size of your workspace and its outfittings and technology. Further, when it comes to your desk, you'll need to be mindful of how it's positioned in the room and where. What you might not know is that even the color of your desk, as well as what it's made of, are important factors in establishing the good balance and flow that make spending time there working productive and inspiring.

According to feng shui, the most harmonious color for a desktop may be white, a shade that serves as the blank slate of the feng shui philosophy, as well as a color that represents openness and clarity. A white desk can increase feelings of cleanliness, organization, and relaxation. Its white surface also provides a clear background for whatever you may place on it, which leads to feelings of order and avoidance of visual clutter. This order keeps the mind from becoming too overstimulated or cluttered as well.

A white desk also is also more likely to subconsciously help you to keep it clean and orderly since it's apt to show more dirt in the first place. It's also great for its light-reflective properties, which makes working there more comfortable on the eyes without adding direct glare from lamps. A white backdrop also allows you to easily use other elements on the desktop to bring visual interest, such as fun organizers, a funky lamp, or a colorful keyboard.

Feng shui wisdom also suggests that wood is the optimal material for any desk, which would make painted white wood the ideal surface for working over other artificial material desktops. There are, however, many options for creating a white work surface, including other more organic materials like marble or glass, which can have the same effect. If you're looking to add some color to the desk itself, opt for a base that fits the color scheme or design style of the room. You can also add colorful accessories for the desktop or choose a bold-colored or patterned desk chair to add more pizazz to the space.

If you prefer a wood finish throughout the entire piece, light beige or pale gray wood is an excellent option that can achieve the same effect in balance and flow as a purely white desktop while adding additional richness and variation. Light woods work especially well to add texture and dimension to all neutral or minimalist-styled spaces.