Feng Shui theories applied to kitchens and homes

Feng Shui is a very ancient art, which originated about 4000 years ago, but its basic ideas can be very useful also to design and furnish modern kitchens and in general all the rooms of your house. But let’s focus on the kitchen, which is one of the most important spaces in each house, and which might become more welcoming and cosier thanks to the theories of Feng Shui.

The objective of Feng Shui is allowing us to establish contact with the harmony of nature, so that we can benefit from the energy of nature, and Feng Shui applied to architecture is believed to give us the chance to take advantage of positive energies and dismiss the negative ones from our houses. This is possible through a precise choice of colours, position of rooms and so on.

Colours, first of all: red should be avoided, as it refers to the element of fire, which is already to be plentifully found in any kitchen; neither blue is a good colour for the kitchen, as it is connected to water, which is in contrast to fire. The best colours for kitchen furniture are yellow and light green, which stimulate creativity. Moreover, wood furniture, thus natural, are certainly the perfect choice for a Feng Shui kitchen.

And now some tips for the position of the kitchen: if you do not have built your house yet and you are still having it designed, the ideal solution would be positioning the kitchen at the rear of the house and not in the centre. Moreover, you should avoid placing the kitchen north-west, because according to the Feng Shui theories flames might damage the head of the household, and if it is possible do not place the kitchen under the bedroom or near the bathroom. You should also prevent the kitchen from being seen from the entrance, using for example a screening or a plant to block the view.

As far as the position of household appliances is concerned, be sure that there are at least 60 cm between stove and fridge (the cold of fridge, indeed, might extinguish the fire of stove), and that stove is not between fridge and sink (which might cause sadness and similar moods). Between stove and sink, which are connected to two elements that are in contrast to each other, you should place a marble worktop, which blocks these contrasts. Moreover, according to Feng Shui the best position of the stove is east (and certainly not north, a source of coldness), while the sink should go under the window.

Although in many houses there is no division between the room where you cook and the room where you eat, Feng Shui suggests a division of spaces, at least with plasterboard or curtain, if there is not a wall between them.

It is not always possible to follow all these tips when you design a kitchen (if you buy an already built house, for example, you cannot decide the position and orientation of rooms), but if you apply even only some of the Feng Shui theories, your kitchen and your house as well might turn into a more comfortable place to live in, in harmony with yourself, the other members of your family and nature.