Feng Shui has some very definite ideas about how to place your stove in your kitchen. 

Most important is to place the cook in the Commanding Position.

This photo, which I took on a recent house tour here in Brooklyn, shows the ideal setup.

• The cook has a great view of what’s going on in his or her kitchen, keeping surprises at a minimum.

• She stays connected with her family as she cooks.

• And she can easily see people coming and going in this most important room.

If your stove is not in this position, don’t despair!

Place a mirror or other reflective surface behind it to serve many of the same purposes and enhance your kitchen Feng Shui.

“I adore the look of open shelves.  I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to them.  And, yet, I read on your blog and in other feng shui resources, that open shelves are like knives that cut the residents of the home.  Ouch!

“Do I have to abandon my dream of open kitchen shelving surrounding my one kitchen window?  Or is there something I could do to diminish the cutting effect of the open shelves?”

Indeed Krys’s fear’s are valid. In fact open shelves create two Feng Shui issues:

• The knife-edges of open shelves create “sha chi,” or poison arrows, aimed right at you.

• Open shelves invite dust and clutter, violating the #1 rule of good Feng Shui, to keep your space clean and clutter-free.

For instance in these two photos you can see that things are stacked behind other things on the shelves, making them inaccessible at best.

Your Feng Shui goal is to blunt the edge of the poison arrows.  You’ll create good kitchen Feng when you:

• Build the shelves so they’re just deep enough to hold one later of kitchen supplies. 
• Pull things to the front of the shelves to create more of a blunt-edge to the look of the shelves.
• Design the shelves with rounded edges to reduce their sharpness.
• Avoid using Metal for the shelf material.
• Keep the shelves clean and tidy.

Here’s an example of open kitchen shelving with good Feng Shui:

The shelves have been build just deep enough for the spice jars so you’re hardly aware of the sharp edges of the shelves at all.

Here’s another positive Feng Shui example, with dishes:

(Photos: tessituracrafts, collarcitybrownstone, bhg.com)

Just as clearing clutter is the first step to good Feng Shui in your space, decluttering your diet has the same beneficial effect on your physical health.

photo courtesy of http://johnstonefitness.com

If you’re looking for ways to bring positive and lasting change to your diet, give your body a new sense of Chi energy flow with these clutter-clearing diet suggestions.

• Do your best to avoid eating between meals, where calories can really sneak in.  You can help yourself by avoiding keeping your favorite snack foods around. (In my house that means no peanuts

 

• Give your internal organs a wash by drinking fresh, clear water throughout the day. Water is a natural energizer, so you’ll improve the Chi energy flow in every part of your body by staying hydrated.

 

• And don’t forget, a glass of water before a meal gives you a feeling of fullness with zero calories.  Drink a glass about a half hour before your meals to help yourself eat more slowly and stop eating sooner.

Keep your body’s Chi energy moving
Your body’s internal Chi reacts to your attention and intention. 

Keep your body moving — a walk every day, perhaps? — and your Chi energy will respond with improved health and a feeling of lightness, energy and clarity.

Looking for more?  Try these tips for setting up your kitchen with Feng Shui to help you lose weight.

Most apartment kitchens have very tight layouts, where the cook can stand in just one place and reach everything he or she needs.

I love to cook, so my kitchen gets a lot of use.

Here’s a photo; even though it’s small it’s still larger than any of my past apartment kitchens

My apartment kitchen.

From a Feng Shui perspective the kitchen symbolizes Health and Wealth: if you don’t have good health, it is much more difficult to create wealth and abundance in your life.

So your kitchen needs to have excellent Feng Shui, which comprises three essential criteria no matter what size it is:

1. Elemental balance. The kitchen is a naturally “Fire-y” place because of the stove.

• Balance Fire’s strong energy with the elements that control it: Earth (seen here in the yellow walls and countertops), and Water (seen here in dark-colored accessories).

2. Good Chi flow. Healthy Chi energy needs clean, clear surfaces to do the best job of nourishing you and your loved ones.

• Keep your counter-tops as clear as possible. Store there only the things you use every day. For example, I’ve gotten rid of our toaster altogether because we used it so infrequently. (I broil toast in the oven if I must!)

Kitchen abundance.

3. Artwork that exudes abundance and good health. No matter how small your kitchen, there’s always a way to anchor and activate your positive intentions through artwork.

• Find a piece of art that really “speaks” to you and hang it up. It may be a painting of fruit like the one I have in my kitchen, or a picture of something else that reminds you of abundance: a family photo, instance. Use your imagination!

How are you creating good Feng Shui in your kitchen?

“Any tips for when your stovetop is in your relationship area? How do you make that romantic?! Does putting your toaster oven and microwave together count as a couple?”

My kitchen's sugar & cream set.

I love a question like this because the answer can be found on several levels.

1. Feng Shui Location
Having your kitchen in the Bagua’s Relationship area is not a bad thing at all. After all the kitchen is the hearth and heart of your home, where you create and receive nourishment of all kinds.

2. Feng Shui Elements
The stove in your kitchen represents the Fire element, which in Feng Shui nourishes Earth, the bountiful element of every relationship. Get some good Fire-y energy going in there to warm your relationship energy right up!

Read more here about the nourishing cycle of the Five Elements in Feng Shui.

3. Feng Shui Enhancements
Enhancing Relationship energy in the kitchen couldn’t be easier — a sugar and cream set for your coffee, a pair of plants on the windowsill, a piece of art with twos of fruit or vegetables.

And best of all, when that happy relationship comes into your life, a happy photo of you and your sweetheart, hanging on the wall!

Your kitchen, of course!

Even if you’re not cooking, your kitchen symbolizes your abundance and fortunate blessings at this special time of year.

The holidays are a perfect moment to do a Feng Shui “Chi Checkup” in your kitchen to make sure you’re empowering Health and Wealth energy in your home.

This photo of a kitchen with wonderful Feng Shui is a great place to start:

What gives this kitchen good Feng Shui?

• Chi energy can flow because the surfaces are largely clutter-free (without being sterile).
• The stove is in the Command Position, so the cook can participate in the room’s social activity without being distracted from the task at hand.
• The skylight and window provide wonderful natural light during the daytime, and the room appears to have sufficient lighting for after dark as well.
• There’s a wonderful mix of colors, shapes and textures in this kitchen, so all five of Feng Shui’s elements are present in various forms.
• The flowers on the kitchen island contribute a sense of freshness, vitality and warmth.

I hope this charming kitchen will give you some ideas for “lighting up” your own kitchen with Feng Shui, so you can be open to all the warmth and abundance the holidays have to offer.

Enjoy!

In the ancient traditions that produced Feng Shui, nutritious, filling meals were absolutely critical to landowners’ ability to make a living.

So in Feng Shui the kitchen is considered the source of your health and wealth.

But even if you almost never use your kitchen you don’t have to miss out on its great Feng Shui benefits!

Instead you’ll need to make some adjustments to make sure that Chi energy is flowing and active despite the fact that you’re seldom in there.

• The stove is the most important appliance in your kitchen.  Keep it spotlessly clean and uncluttered.
• Turn on each burner at least once a week, to make sure this important source of energy can provide you with its flow and vitality.
• Don’t use the stove as a storage closet!!
• Activate your kitchen’s energy by hanging a spherical crystal to disperse dormant Chi.
• An inactive kitchen is also the ideal place for windchimes.  Ring them to “wake up the energy” every time you go into the room.

How else might a kitchen be activated — even when it’s inactive?

First up, a post about what I might call an extreme kitchen: three dishwashers! Two prep sinks!

This is the home of a Coca-Cola executive in Atlanta whose job is defined by entertaining at home. The Primary Purpose of this kitchen is to support their role as an executive, and it is beautifully expressed here.

Next, a set of gorgeous living rooms in homes with open floor plans.

I’m a big fan of open floor plans (I even named my business after them!), although some of these seem a bit TOO open. 

I love this particular one because the living room feels nestled into the trees, bringing the harmony of nature right into the room.

 What do you think of it — would you be comfortable here?

 Finally a set of bedrooms that might inspire you to redecorate, Feng-Shui style.

I love that tree that’s been stenciled on the wall, bringing the growth energy of Feng Shui’s Wood element into the room.

What do you think?

Good Kitchen Feng Shui, by AK Complete Home Renovations.

One of Feng Shui’s most important areas, the kitchen is the heart of the home, representing nourishment and prosperity.

For most families the kitchen is the gathering place, homework central and where the party always ends up!

It is amazing how much ancient Feng Shui beliefs apply to modern kitchen design.

Applying Feng Shui is not only good design but good Chi as well.

Kitchen Feng Shui principle #1: It’s important for good kitchen Feng Shui that the cook is placed in the Commanding Position.

Cooking islands are a fantastic way to keep the person cooking in control of the kitchen and involved in everything that’s going on around them. These islands are often used to create an open flow from the kitchen to other rooms, like a family/great room.

• Smooth radiant surface electric cooktops or even induction cooktops are a perfect solution for a safe and unobtrusive cooking surface on a multi-purpose island.

Kitchen Feng Shui, principle #2: If a full kitchen renovation isn’t in the cards and the stove faces a wall, a mirror behind the stove reflects activity behind the cook.

If a mirror behind the cooking surface isn’t practical or desirable, we can easily create a mirror effect using glass or metallic tiles to create a reflection. We use these types of tiles in all styles of kitchens, from traditional to modern.

Kitchen Feng Shui, principle #3:  A clutter-free kitchen allows Chi energy to flow, so good storage options are essential.

It’s important to know our clients: how they shop, how they cook and what they use most and least, to properly design a custom and unique storage solution.

This helps us effectively use every last inch of cabinet space with items like in-drawer organizer trays, hidden/pull out spice racks, appliance garages, cabinets designed for mixers and other large appliances and lazy susans that fill cabinet corners.

The solutions here are truly endless: for instance we carry 8 different cabinet lines with hundreds of customizable options for storage.

Kitchen Feng Shui, principle #4: Five Elements harmony is so important in a kitchen, where Fire and Water are present in abundance, but the other elements may be missing.

This is one of the most fun parts of kitchen design. Seeing the varied elements come together in harmony is what makes a truly “good” design.

For example, Metal is found in stainless steel appliances and variations of metallic tiles, Wood in cabinetry, trim materials and flooring, and Earth in granite countertops, natural stone for flooring and backsplashes.

Kitchen Feng Shui, principle #5: Kitchens are important gathering places which need lively Yang energy.
Ample walkways prevent crowding, enabling family and friends to casually walk through the open kitchen and attached areas. This fosters conversation and minimizes congestion.

Create serving areas and seating that encourage flow and create inviting gathering places. And keep the space well lit to keep energy flowing!

Guest blogger AK Complete Home Renovations has been designing kitchens in Marietta Georgia for over fifteen years!

photo courtesy of AK Kitchens

Because your kitchen — especially your stove — is where you cook up health, wealth and abundance for yourself and your family.

Cooking up abundance!

This idea originated in ancient China where it was essential that the head of the household stay strong and healthy to ensure that the family would enjoy an abundant lifestyle.

Anything that went amiss in the kitchen had a direct impact on the family’s health, and therefore their wealth.

A leaky sink could cause contamination; feeling startled by unseen activity behind the cook might cause a recipe to go wrong; burners that didn’t work could cause ingredients to be undercooked … and so on.

The same kinds of things are still true today.

Take good care of your kitchen and you’ll be taking the best possible care of your finances, career and the future prospects of your family.

You’ll come to love keeping it clean and filled with healthy things to eat since it has such a direct impact on the rest of your life.

Does your kitchen need a Feng Shui makeover? Check out my top-10 tips for creating a Feng Shui kitchen.