Feng Shui In Your Kitchen – Planning Tips

The essence of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art, is that balance and calm can promote health and possibly good fortune. It’s an ethos that many people, far and wide, have adopted and incorporated into their home.

One of the most important rooms in Feng Shui philosophy is the kitchen – it being a chaotic place where many people come together and also the place in which food is prepared and eaten. Essentially, says Oprah.com, the kitchen represents prosperity, sustenance and nourishment. Careful planning of this space in adherence with Feng Shui rules, it is said, can be excessively influential on the inhabitants.

Here are a few tips on for bringing Feng Shui into your kitchen:

Commanding

The same Oprah article emphasises the need for the cook not to have their back to the wall, carrying out tasks in what is described as a ‘commanding’ position – facing into the room. This isn’t an easy principle to accommodate in the kitchen, as many are constructed with the stove against the wall. It can be corrected, though, by hanging a mirror over the hob or by removing the oven to an island in the middle of the room.

Clean

A clean kitchen is good for both your mental and physical health. As the place in which ingredients are handled, meals are cooked, food eaten and equipment is washed-up, it’s imperative from a hygiene point of view that the room is spotless. It’s important also from a psychological stance, too – a messy, dirty kitchen can have negative effects on the psyche, causing unnecessary stress.

Clutter

It is good Feng Shui practice not to have lots of gadgets and clutter in a kitchen; the room should be simple. Keep the work surfaces clear and store as much as you can in cupboards, out of sight. Bite the bullet and have a good clear out, give away those trinkets and tools that you don’t use – in short remove the clutter.

Colour

Yellow is a favourable colour as far as Feng Shui principles go, being reportedly good for digestion. It’s also a sunny, happy colour and one that is common in kitchens, whether chosen Feng Shui-intentionally or not. Don’t recoil at the thought of yellow, soft butter hues are as effective – reportedly – as the brightest banana shades.

Crystals

Think of Feng Shui and crystals will probably spring to mind. Crystals, which derive their name from the Greek word for ‘frozen light’ are thought to possess energies that can – depending on the variety – protect, heal broken hearts and attract abundance. Blue kyanite might be appropriate for a kitchen, as it offers protection and stress relief without absorbing negative energies, plus it can be combined with other crystals to enhance the energising effects.