Feng shui recognizes kitchen as one of the very important rooms of the house. In fact it is one of the most sacred places after the puja room in the house. It is the place where the food is cooked which nourishes us physically, financially as well as emotionally. A good cooked food is not only essential for good health but the love and emotions of the food maker makes food more energetic and creates lasting family bonds. It is the place where both fire and water is used; hence a critical balance of the two is always required. The need of a good consultant is always required when it comes to designing a kitchen.
Following principles should be kept in mind while designing a kitchen. Preferred Colours for Kitchen :
Kitchen should give sunny and bright feeling and warmth of the love and affection. It is that love and affection of the mother/ wife which takes the form of food. Red and earthen tones like orange and yellow are good for kitchen. Since both water and fire is used in the kitchen a touch of wood element in green or brown balances both the conflicting energies. A touch of prosperity colour purple is welcomed. A lot of appliances used in kitchen are chrome and black, the green,purple and red bring excellent balance.
Location of Kitchen :
The kitchen should be located deep inside of the house. It should not be too near to front door. It should not face the main door or the toilet door. Nor it should face the bedroom. The favourable directions for locating kitchen are Southeast. This compass directions support the fire energy. The kitchen should not be located in north, the direction of water. The kitchen should not be located in the center of the house. Proper advice should be taken for determining the best location depending upon one’s kua number. Northwest is the prohibited direction for kitchen: Northwest is the forbidden direction for kitchen location.
This condition is regarded as fire at heaven’s gate since northwest represents heaven. Daily fire here dissolves the luck of the patriarch, the earning member on daily basis. The negative effects are such that the bread earner of the family may loose job and health. Loss of wealth for him is also indicated. Overall this is a very negative position. Proper advise from a good consultant is required to mitigate the loss in unavoidable situations. Placement of stove, water and fridge : The stove is considered to be of great importance. It is also regarded as wealth generator. It should be put in your favorable direction and efforts should be made that the source of energy i.e. gas pipe or electric socket should be in your most auspicious location. The stove should be in very good condition. All its burners should be functioning and be used regularly. Defect in any burner is a sign of fruitless effort. To activate money luck do use stovetop at least once daily.
Keep stovetop clean. When stovetop is not in use, all pots and pans should be put away. The placement of stove, fridge, sink and dishwasher is utmost important. The stove represents fire element while other three are water element, they must not be placed nearby. There should a distance of 1m to 1.5m distance between the fire and water element. The fire and water element should not be put opposite to each other. Stove should be such placed that while working on it, the back of the person cooking should not be towards the door of the kitchen otherwise people walking in unexpectedly would fright him or her. Remedy can be stalling a mirror above or besides the stove. Keep kitchen clean and clutter free : The kitchen should be kept very neat and clean. It should be well lit and there should not be any dark corners.
Proper ventilation through daily opening of windows and installing proper exhaust fans wherever required to stop buildup of smoke and fumes is required. This will not only keep the Chi ( Pran Vayu ) healthy but ensures its proper circulation. Thereby improving the quality of cooked food in the kitchen and hence health of the family. The clutter like out of date jars, unused gadgets, over full waste bins etc. should be cleared on regular basis. Hide the waste bins. Any drains and pipes should be concealed in the kitchen. Avoid pointed surfaces : Pointed corners also known as poison arrows in Feng Shui like corners of work surfaces; edges of appliances, knives, corners of shelves etc. are very common in kitchen. Effort should be made to make edges round. The knives should be kept in drawers.
Storage of food : The food items especially the staple food should not be stored in plastic or metal containers, jars or bags. These should be stored in containers of ceramics or other earthen elements. Auspicious symbols of health and wealth are welcomed on these containers. These containers should never remain less than half filled. By following above tips one can harness most positive chi (Prank vayu) and invite health and wealth in their homes.