LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Kitchen Feng Shui


Artwork and accessories are a great way to express the Fire element of summer like in this Orinda bathroom. Photos provided

Good kitchen feng shui is especially important to fuel all of our passionate adventures of exploring in life. Good feng shui for the kitchen begins with clean and tidy counters, floors, the refrigerator and especially the stove to prepare your foodie masterpieces.

The energetic importance of your kitchen stove directly relates to the Fire element. The stove is one of the most powerful tools in our homes. Without the ability to cook and provide needed nourishment, our lives would be drained of the fuel we need to live fully.

The stove in feng shui is referred to as the third of the Three Pillars (front entrance, master bedroom, stove) or power areas of the home. In feng shui, the stove represents nourishment of self, family and friends, but also how you are nourished in turn by them and your community. Hence, the stove relates energetically to the home's finances.

Feng shui recommends that you use your stove daily. As you use your stove, you keep a continuous stream of nourishing energy flowing. Also, keep the stove spotless. See if you notice a shift in how people support and help you in return and in all the ways that lead to an income increase.

Ideally the stove should be placed in the "commanding position" of the kitchen, located on a center island with the cook facing the door to easily see who is entering the room. This stove placement creates the conditions for you to be energetically more "in command" of the way others treat you and your ability to sustain healthy home finances. Don't worry if your stove is nestled in between counters; feng shui "cures" can easily adjust for less than optimal stove placement.

White is the preferred color for a kitchen since it shows off our colorful food the best, but depending on the location of your kitchen, other colors can work nicely, too. Place fresh flowers or a fresh bowl of oranges (abundance and protection) on your kitchen counter to welcome the wealth gods into your home.

Essential kitchen feng shui also includes proper lighting, so you can see what it is you are cooking or preparing. Puck lighting under cabinets can direct light to food preparation areas, cutting-edge crystal chandeliers illuminate and recessed lighting with dimmers all lend themselves to create atmosphere with form and function in mind.

Outdoor Kitchen Feng Shui

If you are cooking outdoors, try to place your grill in the Fire element area of the Bagua, which is the middle of your backyard, farthest away from the front door of the house. Placing the grill here "activates" the Fire element of that specific area, but it is just good common sense to place the grill away from your home. Place a solar light overhead or nearby so you can see what you are doing when cooking after sunset and remember to maintain your grill. It's not only good feng shui, but it makes the food taste better.

Recently, one single Lafayette client felt challenged by cooking for herself. She said she rarely used her stove, and was struggling financially. Good stove feng shui is one piece of the puzzle to solve financial issues. I recommended at the very least that she boil water on her stove for daily tea. By doing this small act, she would begin to nourish herself and shift into abundance. Immediately she felt a change: she was less overwhelmed, was inspired to cook for herself, and she also invited friends over to cook together. By taking better care of herself, others wanted to take better care of her - all with a positive financial result.

Whether you are cooking up some grilled vegetables, salmon, sautéing a mushroom base sauce or stewing summer fruit for a pie, remember auspicious kitchen feng shui includes being nourished with freshly prepared seasonal food. When we honor ourselves by eating healthy food, we also can effectively honor others, and then the cycle completes with our community supporting us in return.

Next month's Part II will focus on the fire element that rules the Fame and Reputation and Respect area of the Feng Shui Bagua (far middle area from the front door).