Perhaps the basic concept of feng shui can best be described by the phrase, "a place for everything and everything in it's place."
Feng shui literally translated means wind and water. If you place your home where the wind blows too fiercely and it may fall down. Place your home too near a river and if the river floods, well, clearly that's a bad thing. It's no surprise then that the concepts of feng shui apply to buildings and their surroundings.
However, feng shui goes beyond the obvious practical advantages of simply finding a home in the correct location. It also takes the metaphor inside the home, office or any space for that matter and allows the practitioner to find the most advantageous placement for everything within that space.
For instance, it's considered poor feng shui to have your desk;