Feng Shui theories applied to kitchens and homes

The theories of Feng Shui, the ancient oriental discipline that combines philosophy and architecture, can be very useful to design your kitchen.

Feng Shui is a very ancient art, which originatedabout 4000 years ago, but its basic ideas can be very useful also to design andfurnish modern kitchens and in general all the rooms of your house. But letsfocus 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 FengShui.

The objective of Feng Shui is allowing us to establishcontact with the harmony of nature, so that we can benefit from the energy ofnature, and Feng Shui applied to architecture is believed to give us the chanceto take advantage of positive energies and dismiss the negative ones from ourhouses. This is possible through a precise choice of colours, position of roomsand so on.

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

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

As far as the position of household appliances isconcerned, be sure that there are at least 60 cm between stove and fridge (thecold of fridge, indeed, might extinguish the fire of stove), and that stove isnot between fridge and sink (which might cause sadness and similar moods).Between stove and sink, which are connected to two elements that are incontrast to each other, you should place a marble worktop, which blocks thesecontrasts. Moreover, according to Feng Shui the best position of the stove iseast (and certainly not north, a source of coldness), while the sink should gounder the window.

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

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