Office Vastu: the owner’s cabin, seating and layout

Most offices are rented spaces where walls cannot move, so this guide focuses on what can be chosen: which room is used for what, where desks face and where equipment sits. The table below gives the traditional placement for each part of an office.

Where each part of the office goes

This table lists each part of an office with its traditional first choice, the directions considered acceptable, and those traditionally avoided. Directions are read from the centre of the office floor, not the whole building.

The owner’s cabin and seating direction

The south-west is the earth zone, linked with stability and the head of the family. In an office the same idea applies to the head of the business: the owner sits in the south-west, facing north or east. South and west are the acceptable alternatives when the south-west is not available.

Many consultants also suggest a solid wall behind the owner’s chair rather than a window or a door, and a desk that is not under a beam. These points are commonly given rather than part of every tradition.

• Cabin in the south-west; south or west if that is not possible.
• Owner faces north or east while working.
• A solid wall behind the chair, as commonly suggested.
• The north-east of the cabin kept light and uncluttered.

Reception, staff and the conference room

Reception belongs in the north-east, east or north, the light part of the office where visitors are first welcomed. The north-west is acceptable. The south-west, south, south-east and west are traditionally avoided for reception.

Staff seating suits the west, north and east, with people facing north or east while they work. The south-west is kept for the owner. The conference room traditionally goes in the north-west, the zone of movement, where discussions are said to lead to decisions that move forward.

Accounts, pantry, toilets and electrical equipment

North is the zone of Kubera, so accounts are traditionally placed in the north, or in the south-east facing north. The north-east, south-west, south and north-west are avoided for accounts.

The pantry, like a kitchen, belongs to the south-east fire zone, with the north-west as the second choice. Electrical panels, generators, UPS units and server racks also go in the south-east. Toilets are kept in the north-west or west, and never in the north-east or south-west.

The entrance and the centre of the office

The office entrance is traditionally in the north, north-east or east, with the north-west, west and south acceptable. A south-west or south-east entrance is avoided. A clean, well-lit entrance with nothing blocking the door is the commonly given first step.

The centre of the space, the Brahmasthan, is commonly kept open, without heavy cabinets, pillars of files or a pantry.

Adjustments without rebuilding

• Many consultants suggest changing which room is used for what before any building work, for example moving the owner into a south-west room.
• Turning a desk so the person faces north or east is a commonly suggested adjustment that needs no work at all.
• Heavy cupboards are commonly moved from the north-east to the south or west of the office.
• A cluttered north-east corner is often cleared and kept well lit.
• Where the pantry cannot move, many people at least place the kettle or stove in its south-east corner.

These are traditional practices that many families follow. They vary between Vastu schools; for your own home, a consultant can say which matter most.

Related Vastu guides

• Shop Vastu: Where the cash counter, owner’s seat, stock and display traditionally go in a shop, and why.
• Vastu directions: Deity, planet, element and the right rooms for each of the eight directions, and how to find them at home.
• Vastu for wealth: The north zone of Kubera, where a locker is commonly kept, water in the north-east and fixing leaks.
• Study room Vastu: The best direction for the study room, which way to face, and where the desk and books go.
• Vastu remedies without demolition: Room use, colours, light, clutter, mirrors, plants, salt and yantras: traditional fixes, and when to rebuild.

Your personal best directions come from your Kua number. Check your whole home with the house Vastu calculator, see whether your house number suits you, and find your lucky number. More tools: all free calculators.