Before you Renovate your Kitchen

Are you looking to remodel your kitchen? If you are, here are some practical Feng Shui tips that may be of use to you. In the study of Feng Shui, the stove and other similar devices such as the oven and microwave are categorized under the element of ‘fire’. The wash basin, refrigerator, dishwasher etc falls under to the element of ‘water’. In the cycle of the five elements, water control fire which is a destructive relationship that is not friendly. Hence when you lay out these items in the kitchen, you should ensure that there is at least one foot (two feet is better) between them. The stove and the wash basin in particular should also not face each other directly as this is viewed as a clash between ‘fire’ and ‘water’. They can be placed side by side separate by a distance of between 1-2 feet or they can be placed perpendicular to each other. The back of the stove should also be backed by a wall. The toilet is also categorized under the element ‘water’ and it clash with the ‘fire’ of the stove. The stove must not be placed against a common wall with the toilet. It would be disastrous if the WC is exactly behind. Another possible clash is when the stove directly faces the door that opens into the toilet. You should reposition the door or relocate the stove. In the event that you cannot do anything, the only solution left is to fix an automatic door closer so that the toilet is closed at all times. In Feng Shui, it is thought that overhead beams can exert a hurting downward force and it is unfavorable form to have someone standing beneath for long period of time. Therefore when deciding on a suitable place for the stove, position it in such a way that the person cooking is not standing right under an overhead beam. In some designs, the kitchen is directly under a bedroom upstairs. You should place the stove such that it is not exactly below the bed upstairs. Or you can move the bed upstairs so that it is not directly on top of stove. It is also quite possible that the toilet upstairs is directly above the stove or oven. You should relocate them if this happens. The kitchen is a hot place and grouped under the element ‘fire’. You should not increase the heat by using a ‘fire’ type of color schemes such as the colors red and orange. You should also not use much of the color green as it represents wood which produce fire! Colors such as blue (which represents water), yellow (which represents earth) and white (which represents metal) are more favorable as they have a moderating effect on fire. In Feng Shui, ‘qi’ comes from all directions and they are not static. Some of these ‘qi’ are auspicious and some are not. The inauspicious ones can be activated by renovation works. We should be aware where they are and not carry out renovation when they affect a certain area. For example it goes into the NE in 2007 and you should not carry out massive renovation works in the NE sector of the house in 2007. In 2008, the afflicted sector is S and this is followed by N, SW, E, SE, Center, NW and W. The cycle then repeats itself.