When we analyze the Feng Shui of a home, one of the key areas to look at is the kitchen. The kitchen is believed to be the source of a family’s wealth due to its function of producing food. This is where food is prepared and is often also where family and friends gather. As such, the energies within this space have an important bearing on the overall luck of the family and household.
Here are some guidelines to follow when designing your kitchen.
1. BACK OF THE HOME IS BEST
It is best for kitchens to be situated at the back of the home, as those located in front are believed to weaken the family’s wealth luck. You need to avoid the SW or NW of the home as well. When a kitchen is located in the SW, it negatively impacts the luck of the Mother; while in the NW, it badly afflicts the luck of the Father. If your kitchen happens to be in one of these sectors, make sure that, at the least,your stove is not located in the SW or NW sectors of the kitchen itself.
2. AVOID HAVING STOVE UNDER A BEDROOM OR TOILET
When planning the layout of your kitchen, the location of the cooking stove is very important. Having the cooking stove located under a bedroom or worse, directly under a bed, brings bad luck to its occupants as it signifies being burnt by extreme Fire chi. Apart from repositioning the bed, you can also place a piece of natural crystal (Yang Earth) under the bed to weaken the shar chi.
The toilet is where unwanted waste and dirt is washed away, thus having your cooking stove below it severely impacts the health of your family. This also holds the symbolic meaning of flushing your wealth away.
3. BEDROOM & TOILET DOORS SHOULD NOT FACE KITCHEN
Bedroom and toilet doors should never open out directly into the kitchen as this feature puts you in the line of shar chi, weakening everyone’s health. When it comes to toilet doors, the reasoning is as much about feng shui as it is about practicality. After all, it is a terrible idea to have a toilet in the same vicinity as your food preparation!
4. DON’T HAVE MAIN DOOR FACING KITCHEN ENTRANCE
The main door of your home should never face the entrance to the kitchen as this leads to unnecessary bills and expenditures. This is also why having an open concept home where the kitchen shares the same space as the living room is not considered lucky.
5. AVOID EXPOSED OVERHEAD BEAMS
Exposed overhead beams are not encouraged in any part of the home because they bring “pressing down” chi, creating undue pressure and emotional stress in those who spend time beneath them. If you are feeling down all the time and unmotivated, have a look up at your ceiling. There just may be some exposed beams causing problems. This can be fixed by installing a false ceiling.
6. SEPARATE YOUR STOVE & SINK
Placing your stove right next to the kitchen sink leads to disharmony within the family, not to mention risk of injury due to splashing of hot oil when you cook. There should be at least a 3-ft gap. This also applies to ovens, electric kettles, rice cookers and deep fryers in relation to the sink.
7. KEEP STOVE & FRIDGE APART
The refrigerator represents Yin chi as it helps preserve food; the stove emits strong Yang chi which we use for cooking. There is thus a clash of Yin and Yang when they are placed right next to each other. Keep them apart for a more harmonious flow of chi.
8. MAINTAIN A CLEAN & WORKING KITCHEN
Declutter regularly. Keep the kitchen clean and organized. Broken countertops, leaking faucets and cabinets in disrepair bring obstacles. Fix them as soon as they get broken or stop working. Drinking and eating from chipped plates, bowls and cups likewise impacts very negatively on the luck of the user, so make it a point to get rid of broken dinnerware immediately. Kitchen knives and cutlery should be kept in drawers when not in use.
9. THE MORE BURNERS ON THE STOVE, THE BETTER
When deciding on a stove, go for those with more than one burner, as a single burner means having only one source of income. Chinese families always emphasize the importance of having many sources of income, so the more burners on the stove, the better!
10. BEWARE MIRRORS
While mirrors signify abundance when they reflect food on your table and multiply happiness when family members eat together, do not have mirrors reflect the stove or oven. Doing so generates excess Fire chi, which brings danger of accidents and disasters.
11. AVOID PLANTS IN THE KITCHEN
Never decorate your kitchen exclusively in green or place too many plants or flowers there. This introduces too much Wood chi, which can overly strengthen the Fire chi of the kitchen.
