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Pulling out the fluorescent tubes and painting the walls green would be just for starters on a long list of improvements, he advised us.

Our well-being would also dramatically improve if we brought in more plants, put up mirrors, introduced a tank of fish, threw away all rubbish and clutter and rotated our desks by 90 degrees.

That, he proffered, would be a "healthier" step in the right direction towards making our nuclear bunker habitable.

"It's about making inside more like outdoors, keeping the environment alive, continually reviewing the surroundings and making sure the objects around you are pointing towards the things you want to do," he said. "It's dead in here."

Nearing the end of a two-year professional training course, the charismatic 46-year-old who moved to Cedars Close in Borehamwood just seven weeks ago, is building up his reputation in the competitive world of Feng Shui consultation.

Former careers include clock-maker and bus driver, but Ben, who grew up in north west London, has been interested in Chinese philosophy for more than 25 years.

In addition to facing up to the "challenge" of re-arranging his flat according to Feng Shui principles on a limited budget, he is looking forward to a second year of teaching a part-time introductory course in the discipline at a college in Stanmore.

Walking into Ben's flat, the first thing that strikes you is how normal it is -- except that it seems unusually spacious and bright, considering its size.

"I'm not suggesting that people live in a box with a light bulb, because that would be boring, and personalising an environment is important. But it needs to feel more like outside," he stressed.

And it is amazing how much painting walls and ceilings bright sky-blues, whites, yellows and greens, adding a few plants -- and crucially, throwing out the clutter -- can make to a flat.

You get the impression that things are arranged according to principles, but you would not be able to say exactly what those principles are even if you tried all day.

Back in the land of work at our newsroom, Ben said painting the walls green would have a calming effect in a stressful environment: "And you want people who come in to feel calm," he added.

Rotating the desks to face towards the door would also ease anxiety, he advised.

"The way they are arranged blocks the energy flow and points people's attention towards that enormous pile of clutter you've got at the end of the room."

Pointing at my out tray under a mountain of papers always threatening to topple on to the floor, he said: "Throw it away. You'll never need it."

Ben can also happily chat about chi -- the energy which flows in through doors and circulates around indoor spaces -- and about how you can help keep it flowing.

He will tell you about which areas of the home or office correspond to the various areas of life, including relationships, career, helpful friends and religious life.

For all the talk of energy flows, his manner is far from mystical. He delivers his advice with absolute conviction, like someone telling a friend how to fix the car.

The centre of his argument is simple and persuasive: what binds the atoms in the desk together is the same energy which binds atoms in the human body together.

Scientists have yet to define the nature of energy, so who can say there is no subtle connection between the quality of environment and our mental and physical well-being?

A consultation with Ben begins with a question and answer session covering all aspects of the client's life from family relationships, through to career and wealth to spiritual life and sources of inspiration.

Where there is a problem in one aspect of the client's life, a solution can be sought by looking at the corresponding section of the home or office.

And to help explain, Ben sums it up in a book introducing Feng Shui he is currently working on. "When man releases himself from that linear environment he becomes again a being in his natural state. The brain suddenly takes one less step to decode the incoming images when the straight lines are removed, consequently relaxing more."

For more information or to arrange a consultation, telephone Ben on 0181 953 8184.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.