Short answer: In an office, the owner sits in the south-west, facing north or east, with a solid wall behind the chair. The entrance works best on the north or east wall, away from the corners. Keep the north-east open, the safe against the south or west wall, the server rack and pantry in the south-east, and toilets in the north-west.
Finding the directions in an office
Offices fool compasses. Steel desks, UPS units, server racks and the building’s own frame all pull the needle. Stand near the middle of the floor, away from metal, and take the reading. In a tower, take a second one near a window. If the two disagree by more than a few degrees, take a third. An error of 10 degrees is enough to put the owner’s desk in the wrong zone.
Then mark the eight directions on a printout of the floor plan. The same 16-zone grid I use for homes works for an office; the 16-zone method page shows how to draw it.
A note before the rules: an office is shared by people with different charts, and the person whose chart matters most is usually the one who carries the risk. The direction that steadies one founder can be the one a partner should avoid.
Owner cabin as per Vastu
The south-west is the zone of control and staying power, so it belongs to whoever makes the final calls. Inside that cabin:
- A solid wall behind the chair, not a window or a glass partition.
- Face north or east while working.
- No beam over the chair.
- The desk set towards the south-west part of the cabin, not in the exact middle.
- Visitors sit across the desk, facing south or west.
If the owner’s cabin cannot be in the south-west of the office, put the owner’s desk in the south-west corner of whatever room they do have. That gets you most of the way. The same rules apply to any office cabin: a manager’s room, a partner’s room or a clinic consulting room.
For the popular running-horses picture in a cabin, see where to hang a 7 horses painting in the office.
On the desk itself, a tortoise goes on the north side facing you, as I explain in my tortoise direction for office desks.
Sitting position in the office for each team
| Team | Best zone | Face while working |
|---|---|---|
| Owner, partners | South-west | North or east |
| Senior managers | South or west, near the owner | North or east |
| Accounts and finance | North | North |
| Sales and marketing | North-west | North or east |
| Design, research and creative work | East or north-east | East |
| Operations, admin and HR | South or west | North or east |
Nobody should sit with their back to the main door. If a whole row of desks has to face south, a solid panel behind each chair helps more than turning the row around.
Entrance and reception
North and east entrances are the easiest, kept off the corners. A south or west entrance is not a reason to give up a good lease: on the south wall, the door works better in the south-east half; on the west wall, just south-west of the middle. The reception desk sits well in the north-east or east of the front area, with the receptionist facing north or east. Keep the first few metres inside the door bright and clear of cartons.
If you want a chime at reception, keep it to the north-west or west; my wind chimes for office and shop notes cover the rest.
Safe, cash and accounts
Keep the safe or locker in the south-west, against the south wall, so its door opens towards the north. Against the west wall it opens east, which is the second choice. The accounts desk itself suits the north. Never keep the cash box under a staircase or in the north-east corner.
Server room, pantry and toilets
- Server room or rack: south-east or north-west, never the north-east. The south-east is the fire zone, which suits heat-producing equipment.
- Pantry, electrical panel and UPS: south-east.
- Toilets: north-west or west; not the north-east or the centre.
- Store room and old files: south-west or south.
- Conference room: north-west or west, with the senior person at the south-west end of the table facing north-east.
Advocate and CA offices
Law chambers and CA practices bring one more element: paper. Case files and client records are heavy and they pile up. Keep the file racks on the south and west walls, ideally in the south-west, never along the north wall. The senior advocate or partner sits in the south-west, facing north or east, with clients across the desk. Juniors and clerks do well in the west or north-west. Keep the north-east of the chamber clear; a law library on that wall is better placed on the west.
Startup floors and co-working desks in Bengaluru
Most offices I review in Bengaluru are rented: a small CA or design firm, a shop, a startup floor in Koramangala, HSR Layout or along the Outer Ring Road. So I rarely ask anyone to break a wall. The usual work is moving the senior person’s desk, turning chairs to face north or east and clearing the north-east corner.
In a co-working space you control even less. Pick a desk where you face north or east with a wall or panel behind you, keep the north-east of your area clear, and avoid the seat next to the washroom or under a beam. Founders taking their first private cabin in a co-working building can use the owner’s cabin rules above inside that one room.
Vastu for a home office
If your office is a corner of your flat, the same logic shrinks to one room: a desk in the north, east or north-east of the home, you facing north or east, and a wall behind you. Calls on camera add a few points about the background and light, which I cover in my guide to setting up a home office.
Common office mistakes and simple fixes
| Mistake | Why it matters | Simple fix |
|---|---|---|
| Owner sits in the north-east | The lightest zone is the wrong seat for the heaviest role | Move the owner’s desk to the south-west |
| Pantry or toilet in the north-east | It blocks the most open zone | Keep it spotless, door shut; move the pantry if possible |
| Heavy cupboards on the north wall | North is kept light for money and new work | Shift storage to the south or west wall |
| Cluttered centre | The centre should stay open | Move printers, boxes and files out of the middle |
| Glass wall behind the owner | No support behind the seat | Add a solid panel or move the desk |
Before the new financial year
The new financial year starts on 1 April 2027. Many owners like to reset the office before then: new seating for new hires, a cabin for a new partner, a move to a bigger floor. If that is your plan, aim to have the layout reviewed by 10 March, so the furniture can move over a weekend before the year closes. For a factory or warehouse, start instead with factory layout Vastu.
The owner’s chart and the office plan, read together
An office review places people and functions in the right zones. Adding the owner’s birth chart tells me which zones to fix first this year, because the period the owner is running makes some directions carry more weight than others.
For instance, the east is tied to the Sun, the planet of authority and recognition. If the owner is running a Sun period and the east of the office is blocked by a server rack and stacked cartons, I move that to the top of the list. When you want the business space and your chart read in one sitting, I offer an Astro-Vastu reading for owners and their workspace. A plain office review is still a fine place to begin.
I work from your floor plan and a few photos, online from anywhere or in person in Bengaluru. Commercial Vastu is priced on request after a short call, because offices vary so much; a home office in your flat is covered by the ₹1,499 home session. Either way you get a written report within 48 hours, and we can meet online or at my Begur studio. Book your office review, or read more on my Vastu consultation in Bangalore page.
Money at home and at work: where the cash goes
People usually ask me about the office safe, but the locker at home follows the same rules, and it is often the bigger problem. These are the checks I make in both. I cover the home side in more detail on my page about locker direction as per Vastu.
- Keep the locker or safe against the south or south-west wall, so that its door opens towards the north. North is the money side of any plan.
- Do not keep cash, cheque books or the locker in the north-east. That corner should stay light and open.
- Water belongs in the north or north-east of the plot. A sump, tank or borewell in the south-west is the most common money leak I find.
- Fix dripping taps and blocked drains in the north quickly. I treat a leak in that zone as a small but steady loss.
- Keep the north clear of dustbins, heavy cupboards and clutter, at home and in the office.
Vastu supports the way money is handled. It does not replace savings, clean accounts or advice from your CA. For the plant people keep for money, see my note on money plant Vastu, and for the full map of a plan, the 16 Vastu zones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which direction should I face while working in an office?
North or east. If your desk only allows south or west, keep a solid wall behind you and the north-east of the room clear. Avoid sitting with your back to a door or a window, which matters as much as the direction you face.
Where should the owner’s cabin be as per Vastu?
In the south-west of the office, with a solid wall behind the owner’s chair and the owner facing north or east. If the cabin cannot be there, set the owner’s desk in the south-west part of whichever room they use.
Is a south-facing office bad?
No. Where the entrance sits on the south wall and how the inside is laid out matter more than the facing. A door in the south-east half of the south side works well, and the seating rules inside stay the same.
Where should the server room be as per Vastu?
South-east first, north-west second. The south-east is the fire zone and suits equipment that runs hot. Keep the rack out of the north-east and away from the owner’s cabin wall if you can.
Can I follow Vastu in a rented or co-working office?
Yes. Desk direction, seating, a clear north-east and where you keep the safe and files can all change without construction. That is what most rented offices need, and the landlord never has to be involved.
Which direction is best for money as per Vastu?
North. I keep the north of a home or office open, clean and well lit, place the locker against the south or south-west wall so it opens towards the north, and keep cash out of the north-east.
Which direction should the locker face?
The locker door should open towards the north, with the locker set against the south or south-west wall. If the room does not allow that, east is the next choice. I avoid a locker that opens towards the south.