Office Furniture from Cubeking

Over the last few months, we have accumulated a lot of information on feng shui for our readers, and received a lot of good feedback in return. While we have a whole sectional / page on Office Furniture Feng Shui here on our blog, we decided to compile a short list of the most frequently asked questions relating to feng shui and its applications in and out of the office. We hope this helps with your interior design, furniture purchasing, and office management decisions.

Top Ten Feng Shui Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What is feng shui and what is its purpose?
2. Where does the practice of feng shui come from?
3. What are the benefits of feng shui?
4. Is feng shui the real deal or just superstition?
5. How does feng shui work?
6. How can I judge whether implementing feng shui principles in my office really helped?
7. What are some basic feng shui principles?
8. What is a bagua map?
9. What kinds of companies out there do feng shui interior design arrangements for office furniture?
10. How can I get started practicing feng shui in my office

1) What is feng shui and what is its purpose?

 

Feng shui is a body of knowledge containing best practices and a set of guidelines for creating a balanced, harmonious environment, in terms of both exterior and interior applications. Pronounced "fung shway," feng shui is derived from the Chinese words for "wind" and "water."

Besides its origins with its focus centering on generating oneness with nature, feng shui's meaning of "wind" and "water" is doubly relevant in that these two elements are very sensitive to the energy passing through each other. A calm night may have placid mist on the water and a gentle breeze, but if there is energy in disharmony, a hurricane could occur.

To prevent hurricanes from happening, feng shui teaches a combination of simple and complex rules that are orchestrated to correctly channel the energy around us and in us, which is called "chi" or "qi". In business terms, your company's chi could be interpreted as a mixture of what propels your team and compels clients towards mutual harmony and benefit. In other words, your company's chi is basically the energy from your surroundings that promotes good business. Feng shui's chi impacts on how comfortable you might feel in your home, the stress level at work, and even how welcome a new client feels upon entering your office.

2) Where does the practice of feng shui come from?

Ancient Chinese shamans and kings used feng shui principles involving astronomy to find connections between mankind and their surrounding home in the universe. Closely utilizing the science and cosmography of the first magnetic luopan compass and the luiren astrolabe, feng shui was used as a tool to determine time and layout plans for agriculture for bountiful harvests and to arrange graves, homes, palaces, businesses, and even whole cities. Feng shui relics and artifacts have been found dating back to even 3000 BC. It was during the Zhou dynasty (770-476 BC) that feng shui became interwoven with the I-Ching classic Book of Changes, fortune-reading trigrams and hexagrams with advice for what to do in certain situations in life.

3) What are the benefits of feng shui?

While the applications of feng shui have evolved over the years and some of the nuances of the rules have changed leading to new schools of thought, the art of feng shui has been tried and tested and has yielded thousands of years of steady results. Users of feng shui in the workplace cite increased productivity, reduced stress from disharmonious surroundings resulting in better health, morale, and energy level, and improved confidence among the benefits produced by feng shui's impact. Other benefits include improved employee employer relations, better logistical flow of people, nicer office and office furniture aesthetics, and a deeper connection with nature.

4) Is feng shui the real deal or just superstition?

While some of feng shui's belying meaning may seem mystical, much of feng shui is rooted in common sense and practical living. It has also been tried and tested over 5000 years and is still around. In fact, feng shui has been employed in some of the world's most famous and successful architecture of both ancient and modern times. It should be noted that mystic astrology and scientific astronomy have closely been related since their beginnings, and a case can be made for astronomical alignments impacting life and energy - even stock prices - on Earth. As technology advances, more applications can be found for feng shui. Environmental psychology notes the benefits of ergonomically designed furniture based on scientifically reducing stress on the natural curves of the body - why not also a holistic ergonomic of naturally fitting into one's environment?

5) How does feng shui work?

Feng shui takes information about your surrounding environment, accesses tools such as a bagua map, luoshu grid or luopan compass, and determines a reading for the appropriate design, layout and siting of a place of residency, business, repose, etc. Then a process is put into action involving the removal of bad energy, followed by the arranging of objects and furniture to channel the optimal flow of positive energy, and the additional placement of objects or arrangement to get the energy going. The way it works after this process takes place is really a continual awareness and sensitivity towards one's surroundings and a attuning to a positive attitude towards becoming one with nature.

6) How can I judge whether implementing feng shui principles in my office really helped?

Write a checklist of before and after questions and survey your employees. You might ask:

• What is your personal stress level like at work?
• Are you more in tune with your surroundings?
• Do you feel that your concentration level has improved?
• Are your communications with fellow employees and supervisors improved?
• Is it easier to get around the office?
• What were you holding onto before implementing feng shui office techniques that you have since let go of?
• Is your focus more or less on career growth now as before?

These qualitative questions and of course the bottom line can help determine the ROI of feng shui in your office.

 

7) What are some basic feng shui principles?

Some basic feng shui tenets you might have heard include "don't have your back to the door" and bring in red eggs and red fish for good luck. You should fundamentally follow the bagua map in geographic location / siting, exterior facing, interior allocation, and desk arrangement for various furniture, equipment, picture frames etc to match functionality with the reading. Decluttering your office is also a key element. Many other feng shui rules allow for freedom of space, strengthening hospitality, confidence and communication. Natural elements such as flowing organic lines, energetic paintings, windows, plants, and water are good for energizing and maintaining the flow of positive chi energy. Desk materials (wood, metal, glass) and interior colors also have their significance in feng shui.

8) What is a bagua map?

A bagua map is a grid and compass correlating 8 directions with 8 basic readings of chi in balance.

9) What kinds of companies out there do feng shui interior design arrangements for office furniture?

You may find that several companies out there do feng shui including interior designers, home decorators, architects, and more. However, not all companies that claim to do it can back it up, so do your homework. Also, while feng shui is a holistic teaching, employing many aspects of your surroundings (siting, physical building and appearance, interior arrangement and appearance, interior function, etc.) it is best to opt for a company with breadth of service. With the new and used office furniture reseller CubeKing for example, you have a one stop shop for office furniture purchasing, liquidation, removal and storage, as well as office space planning.

10) How can I get started?

Call CubeKing at 1-888-399-7025 or go to their website at www.cubeking.com to get started using feng shui techniques in your office today and revive your company's chi

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In our recent blog articles, The Lean Green Office Machine - Part 4, and The Lean Green Office Machine - Part 3 we briefly discussed the environmental advantages of checking the sustainability of the office furniture you purchase to ensure that you are helping safeguard the environment, conserving energy and reducing waste and pollution. this can seem like a daunting, even unrealistic task, since the more parts there are to a product, the harder it is to keep track of where all the parts came from, how they were made, and what they were made of. However, as a consumer, this simple step to help the environment can be just that: simple. As an environmentally minded group ourselves, we at CubeKing thought we should help. In this article, you will find a bit more detail about how to determine the sustainability of your office furniture. Sustainable Office Furniture Criteria

• Whether Your Office Furniture Is Used or New
• Whether It's Recycled & How Much
• Whether It's Recyclable & What New Products It Makes
• Ease of Assembly & Disassembly
• Materials Chemistry
• Life Cycle Assessment
• Quality & Durability
• Cradle to Cradle Certification (C2C)
• LEED Certified Manufacturing

Whether Your Office Furniture Is Used or New

If you buy used office furniture, you're helping the environment because no additional energy is going into making a new product, and because you are at least postponing the disposal of waste. Chances are also good that if you deemed it worthy to purchase, your office furniture is made from durable high quality materials to have lasted after prior use. By the same token, your office furniture becomes more sustainable when, instead of throwing it out, you resell it to another user after you're done to keep the usage going. CubeKing, America's number one office furniture discounter, buys and sells office furniture nationwide and will handle all aspects of your office furniture liquidation.

Whether It's Recycled & How Much

When you buy office furniture made out of recycled materials - plastics, wood, particle board, glass, etc - you're helping the environment in a way that's similar to when you buy used office furniture: the materials take less energy to recycle than to manufacture from scratch. Higher percentages of recycled materials mean more energy conserved.

Whether It's Recyclable & What New Products It Makes

Consider buying office furniture that is not only made from recycled materials but is also recyclable in itself. (There is a difference.) An important aspect in determining an office furniture product's recyclability after its use is the degree to which it was designed for assembly and disassembly, so that the recyclable parts can easily be separated. Sometimes you can also see on the parts themselves whether they are recyclable. If not, you can always check with the manufacturer. Keep in mind that just because your office chair's parts may be recyclable, it doesn't always mean that the parts are remade into the same, new office chair. It's likely that they will be recycled into components of several other products, some of which may be recycled again, others that may not. Finding out whether these end products are recyclable can help you determine the longevity of your sustainable office product.

Ease of Assembly & Disassembly

If you can't break it down again, how will it be recycled? Also, if it's not easy to put together again, it's not going to be as attractive to another user. Try to find office furniture that is easy to assemble and disassemble.

Materials Chemistry

Materials chemistry uses numerous human and environmental health criteria to evaluate the chemical makeup of products and production processes at the molecular level in order to identify and eliminate toxic and/or environmentally harmful chemicals. It's a scientific examination of the composition of your office furniture product. This information may be available from the manufacturer.

Life Cycle Assessment

Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) assess whether your office furniture contributes to global warming and pollution, measuring the environmental impact of your office furniture's materials, production, and reuse, and/or disposal. It takes into account some of the other factors discussed and boils them down to green numbers.

Quality & Durability Sustainability also implies that your sustainable office furniture is going to be around for a long time. Buying durable office furniture models can help ensure that. High quality also takes into account the aesthetic aspects of your office furniture, and should be another factor that helps you make a good environmentally minded decision. The reason? Your office furniture could be made from material as durable as titanium, but if it's ugly, it probably won't enjoy a reuse.

Cradle to Cradle Certification The reward for passing stringent third party validation, research and tests done by experts such as McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) who measure your office furniture product's impact on the environment. C2C products purchased also award your company a Design and Innovation Credit under the US Green Building Council’s LEED™ rating system.

LEED™ (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) Certified Manufacturing

This rating system, associated with industrial office buildings and places of manufacture, will help you know that your office furniture product was put together in an environmentally friendly process that took place in an environmentally friendly building, most likely by environmentally friendly people like yourself. We hope this criteria checklist helps when it comes to making the right, environmentally friendly decision about your office furniture and other products. Remember, buying office furniture from a trusted, knowledgeable resource with a broad range of new and used furniture to choose from is a quick, easy way to find out a lot of the above information. So you can find the furniture you want, for the right price, and feel even better knowing that you just helped the environment. Resources: Steelcase did a great job of examining ways to make C2C, environmentally friendly and sustainable office furniture. Click here to read their guide to green "huggability". Go to CubeKing.com

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Making financial investments internally in your company can be a tough decision, because usually you're pitted against two goods. On a basic level, that typically means weighing the advantages of something short term, like salary bonuses against the benefits of return on long term investments such as growth programs, equipment, and upgrading office furniture. While it may be easier to calculate for the short term, long term investments can pack much more punch and have longer lasting effects. That's why we have provided some decision making tips to help you make a solid, confident decision about the long term investment of upgrading your office furniture.

The Top Ten Reasons to Upgrade Your Office Furniture System

1)Image is Everything Making good first impressions can make or break a deal. For many companies out there, the phrase "image is everything" rings true. It is true not only for companies that fall under the typically image conscious industry categories like fashion, finance, and frou-frou department stores and hotels, but for most companies seeking to strengthen their brand position in the market. Hence the increase in demand for modern office furniture systems, feng shui interior design and space planning, and branded office environments. As your industry becomes more competitive, customers will seek the more mature companies with established brands, quality style, and customer service. Looking the part by appealing to your client base can significantly increase your business, creating a substantial ROI for your new office furniture system.

2) Comfort Consciousness This one is along the lines of image consciousness but different. If furniture aesthetic is important to get your clients to walk in the door, then furniture comfort is just as important (if not more important) to help them feel at home. Employees will also appreciate the comfort of ergonomic furniture designed for posture support and to alleviate stress, increasing energy level and productivity. And of course, the boss can enjoy the comfort of a high back black leather office chair for his or her executive office.

3) Expansion You may be experiencing tremendous growth, but may not be prepared to hop ponds and move to a bigger office. If that's the case, then installing a better, more efficient and upgraded office furniture system to maximize space and number of stationed employees is the right solution for you. If you are planning on moving to a new office, you'll probably want to anticipate future growth anyway by installing a flexible office furniture system that allows for maximum head count. Workstations and cubicles do an effective job at managing space while balancing open air office layout with a level of privacy and comfort.

4) Storage Another case of running out of room, lack of good storage solutions is a common reason to upgrade your office furniture system and storage units. Many modern workstations and desks come with built in or configurable storage solutions, such as pedestal storage bins, overhead cabinets, shelves, drawers, and the like. Book cases and filing cabinets are a great way to organize your work and reduce pile up, clutter, confusion and duplication of loose account folders.

5) Functionality Are you working around your office furniture or is your office furniture working for you? If you find yourself hunched over to view the computer monitor, out of room to jot down notes, or unable to move the mouse because your tower is too far away because your feet have to have room... it's probably in part due to your office furniture. Adding office furniture accessories and components on top of your desk can be a patch up job, but can also clutter up your desk. Modern office furniture systems have built in solutions that resolve your common clutter and workstation usability issues.

6) Logistics Always bumping your co-worker on the way to the water cooler? Before you panic and run to the gym to shed a few pounds, consider whether your office furniture is to blame. If your current office furniture only allows for narrow passageways, has chairs too close together, or doesn't allow enough room for regular traffic flow of people, then it's probably a good time to upgrade your office furniture. This time, also consider hiring a space planning team that can recommend a layout that is an effective and comfortable fit for the number of people you currently have in your office or to plan for the number of people you wish to achieve in the future.

7) Stress Take a common sense look at your furniture: if it's broke, fix it. The pain-in-the-butt factor for judging if you need to upgrade your office furniture consists of tallying simple observations: If your office chair arm is falling off, if you can no longer adjust your seat, if your shelf needs to be carefully balanced in order to not fall, if you keep banging your leg on that pointy desk corner, if your desk has scratches and water marks all over it, or if your lobby seating is just plain ugly - then it's probably a good bet that you and your co-workers would feel less stressed and better off with an upgraded office furniture system.

8) Feng Shui A lot of people don't believe in it, and that's ok. Most people don't understand feng shui. But most people also aren't informed of the benefits that a feng shui office furniture arrangement can achieve, and the common sense principles behind its ancient philosophy. Just as you probably wouldn't paint your office pink and brown, because of your mental and visual associations with the colors and because of common sense, your common sense also suggests that out of practicality, you give feng shui treatment a try in your office. Feng shui office furniture arrangements can lend greater productivity and worker satisfaction to your office. Don't knock it 'til you try it.

9) Boost Morale Sometimes a change of pace and a change of place are just what the doctor ordered. If life at your work has dribbled into a dreary monotonous drawl, and productivity has worsened, your new office furniture system could be just the thing your employees need as an incentive and reward for their hard work.

10) Budget Of course, the appropriate budget is necessary for all investments. A budget surplus can lend even stronger rationale to upgrade your office furniture. But did you know that you can save thousands of dollars on perfectly beautiful, brand name, mint or near mint condition used office furniture by purchasing from an office furniture reseller? CubeKing, America's #1 office furniture discounter offers a low price guarantee for legitimate offers on used office furniture, and savings of up to 90%. Visit CubeKing.com today for more information and recommendations for upgrading your office furniture system. 

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Shape Your Furniture, Shape Your Future

As America's number one office furniture reseller, we do our best to provide the highest quality products and services for the lowest prices possible to achieve the best value and customer satisfaction. We have therefore taken it upon ourselves as our responsibility to let you in on the scoop behind some of the secrets of creating a successful office and office furniture system.

In previous articles, we have discussed various interior design elements including color schemes, materials, arrangements, even positive and negative space. One thing that we have not covered thus far in too great detail is shape, so we thought it deserved some attention. The following is our recommendations on orchestrating and building your office and office furniture systems with the design element of shape in mind to provide the utmost in enriched interior character and brand identity.

Angular & Pointy

Sharp and jaunting angled office furniture can provide the persons inhabiting the office with feeling of , aggression, foresighted integration, and penetrating ideas. Concave shapes can be found in this environment too, where the edges point out. This is especially popular on tables and reception desks. Technologically advanced, innovative, entertainment, and acquisition-based companies should give office furniture of this type of shape a closer look - but don't poke out your eye!

Rounded, Oval & Organic

Rounded and organic office furniture is perhaps the opposite of the aforementioned sharp and pointy. Instead of aggressive it is passive, flowing and receptive. It can almost be compared to the feminine aspect as opposed to the angular masculine. However, concave shapes (usually with rounded edges) can still be successfully thrown in with convex curves here. Organic companies value creative spontaneity, customer service, finesse, and perhaps even the environment. Liberal usage of free-flowing ovals and wavy lines can be contribute to very high energy levels in the office communicated through the office furniture. For a softer feel, employ more curve. Organic-shaped office furniture, including high-end work surfaces, chair backs, signage and carpeting patterns are an ever-growing trend in interior design for offices today.

Circular & Cylindrical

Perfect circles, concentric lines and cylinders are a more neutralized version of the organic, but can still add a lot of pep (think Target advertising campaign) to a company's brand perception upon some outsider's entry into the office. Round tables provide a sense of fellowship, roundish chairs provide ergonomics, and circular reception areas can run the gamut from austere to sporty. As such, companies that stand on full-service, flexibility and fun may find circular furniture ideal for their office furniture needs to reflect their brand.

Rectangular & Square

Traditional office furniture conceptions involve a lot of rectangular and square treatments of office furniture. Cubicles and call centers today don't have to be completely square either. Squares and rectangles breathe stability, neutrality, calm, and objectivity. Aesthetically, these shapes also may reflect minimalism, the ultra-logical, or even a bit of intimidation to boot. This can be good for companies where financial stability, credibility and authority are of high priority and are qualities that are key benefits included in the company's positioning statement and brand.

For more office furniture and interior design ideas visit us at www.cubeking.com

Go to CubeKing.com

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