Feng Shui Tips: The Kitchen Nooks & Crannies

Many of the Feng Shui tips for the house you will come across will seem like common sense in the modern age, but the underlying philosophy aims to maintain the balance of the chi in the home. This means that the wind and water elements needs to be able to flow freely.

The kitchen is the soul of the home and to honour this it is important to keep it clean and free of clutter as much as possible. Neglecting to do so will destabilise the chi and bring disharmony to the environment, thereby affecting health and relationships. Again, you will note that just about everything on the list below is common sense, but then again, so many let them slide:

• Don’t leave knives lying around. Always put them away. Leaving exposed knives invites discord among family members and friends.
• The sink and stove should never be directly across from each other. This is a clash of fire and water elements, which indicates a continuous disharmony in the home. This one is particularly difficult to solve if both are permanent fixtures and cannot be altered. The best solution here is to ensure that the faucet is always swung away from the stove when not in use. Depending on the type of stove you have, another option is to place a stovetop cover over the stove after cooking, to create the illusion that there is no stove there. Many of the newer covers are sturdy and practical enough to act as additional workspace or chopping boards, while others are colourful birds or faux stone patterns.
• Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher overnight. Many of us tend to just leave dishes for the next day, especially if the dishwasher isn’t full, but Feng Shui says that this would definitely tip the chi scale in the wrong way, with negative side-effects on the health of family members.
• Plants and cut flowers in the kitchen are a great way to boost the chi in the kitchen. However since plants are a wood element, they are opposed to the governing fire element, so place them with restraint. If you are the type to to have potted herbs by the kitchen window, this is a great thing to have, and you can add aloe vera, Chinese money plant, jade plant, peace lily, and pathos. Brightly coloured fresh flowers in the counter or table are also good for the chi. However, do avoid using tried herbs or flowers in the kitchen as decorations.
• The bowl of fruits or vegetables should be placed centrally and in bright light. This is an abundance magnet, so don’t keep it hidden away in a dark corner.
• Keep your pantry tidy and clean. Negative energies love to hide and accumulate in messy corners and cabinets which inevitably blocks the abundance. It is worth investing in organisers and containers to help you categorise things better. This, by the way, applies to bedroom closets as well.
• Auspicious colours for the kitchen are green, orange, yellow, beige and white. Green can be represented by the plants, orange and yellow by the fruits, vegetables and flowers, and whites/beige for the cabinets and countertops. Unless of course you enjoy bright and bold colours for the walls and cabinets like I do!

Here’s wishing you a brighter and more harmonious kitchen!