Kitchen has a VERY important role in residential Feng Shui. When we do a Feng Shui analysis of a home, the three most important living areas to look at are (1) the front door, (2) the bedroom, and (3) the kitchen.
You may already know why the front door and the bedroom is important. For those that don’t know, here’s a brief explanation.
The front door is the mouth of the house. It’s where Qi enters, manifests, and influences its occupants.
The bedroom is where we spend almost a third of our lives, which is why it’s important to make sure that the bedroom is located in the right “place” so that good energy can benefit us.
So now, the kitchen. Why the importance?
In short, it is where Feng Shui energy interacts with Fire, which can be used to suppress negative Qi (and positive Qi as well, but hopefully that’s not the case). It is a highly active area where we snack and prepare food and drinks.
Here, you will find 33 kitchen Feng Shui rules that I know or have heard of. Although I doubt the validity of some of these rules (as you will see later), I suggest that you follow some of these rules when you apply Feng Shui to your kitchen.
Kitchen Placement and Location
1. Kitchen Should NOT be at the Center of the House
As previously mentioned, kitchen is filled with fire. With the kitchen at the center, it symbolizes “fire attacks the heart”, with the center of the house being the “heart” because of its central location. This has the ability to bring down the luck of all the occupants of the house, causing instability and health issues.
There are also other practical considerations. If the kitchen is at the center, cancer-causing grease smoke and cooking fumes can easily travel to all over your home, including your bedroom. How would that make you feel?
2. Kitchen is NOT Suitable at Front of House
The kitchen is best situated at the back of the house, just as how the bedroom should be at the back of the house. Using the same concept, the kitchen should not be close to the front door. That’s because the front door is at the “front” end of the house. But why is this?
In ancient times, kitchen is analogized to be a source of wealth because of its function: producing food. Further, because the amount of wealth (and/or prosperity) a family has is a private matter, the kitchen should be placed at the back so you won’t be exposing your wealth to the public. Thus, if kitchen is at the front of the house, there is a potential that wealth is leaking away.
3. Kitchen is NOT Suitable Outside of House
As mentioned earlier, the kitchen’s function as the production of prosperity. Having your main kitchen outside of the house will make it hard for the Qi of prosperity to gather.
Wealth is not the only aspect that will be affected. Some experts say that this setup can cause family members to live in different regions, making a family reunion difficult. However, this will not be a problem if you have an outdoor kitchen that’s barely used.
4. Avoid Kitchen at a Specific Northwest Section
To be specific, the kitchen should not be located between 300 and 330 degrees Northwest of the house (according to the compass). If so, just make sure the stove isn’t within that section.
This is mainly because the Northwest section is correlated with the health of the father (or the male head-of-household). Kitchen at this location can cause various health issues, including headaches, high blood pressure, strokes, or other head-related illnesses. Male residents that are older than the male head-of-household may also be affected.
The effects for women is not as harsh. Instead of health, social relationships will be negatively impacted, especially in terms of career promotions.
5. Avoid Kitchen at a Specific South Section
To be specific, the kitchen shouldn’t be located between 165 and 195 degrees South of the house. If so, just make sure the stove isn’t within that section.
With kitchen at this location, residents of the house have a tendency to be ill-tempered, and social relationships will not be as desired.
However, if your kitchen stove is not between 165 and 195 degrees South, the effects are greatly reduced.
6. Avoid Kitchen at a Specific North Section
To be specific, the kitchen should be located between 345 and 15 degrees North of the house. If so, just make sure the stove isn’t within that section.
Kitchen at this location affects relationships between family members, including the family’s marital relationship.
Just like the Kitchen at the South, if your stove isn’t between 345 and 15 degrees North, the effects of this kitchen is minimalized.
7. Kitchen Should NOT Face the Front Door
Technically, this applies if the kitchen STOVE faces the front door. However, I have included it here because some experts will say that the kitchen DOOR should not face the front door, which would apply only to the architectural design of certain countries. For instance, in United States, there’s not really a kitchen door, and therefore, I would look to the stove instead of a kitchen door.
So here are the specifics of this rule. The front door and the kitchen door (or the stove) should not form a straight line. If you enter the front door and can see the stove or the kitchen on the side, then it’s not a big deal.
If the kitchen door or stove forms a straight line with the front door, then the Qi that enters the home will be demolished by the kitchen’s fire. Further, it is possible to experience health and financial problems. An easy remedy is to place a heavy furniture or a divider between the front door and the kitchen.
8. Kitchen Location Based on Your Kua
I won’t get into the details here because it can get quite specific and extensive.
In general, the kitchen’s Fire energies has the ability to suppress negative Qi because of its cooking and fire energies. Thus, good locations for the kitchen can be based off of your Kua’s inauspicious areas. Meaning, if you’re in the West Kua Group, then the kitchen is suitable in the North, South, East, and Southeast of the house.
9. Kitchen Location Based on the House Kua
Again, I won’t get into the details.
Just like a person’s Kua, the house also has its own Kua determined by its sitting and facing direction.
The house’s Kua can be interpreted similarly to the person’s Kua, where there are four lucky and unlucky sectors. As a rule of thumb, the kitchen should be located at one of the four unlucky sectors. Its purpose will be to suppress the negative Qi brought by that unlucky sector.
10. Kitchen Location Based on the Bagua
The kitchen brings strong fire element, and its strength is much greater than colors or shapes that are used to boost the Fire energy.
That’s why you’ll also need to check your kitchen’s location in your Bagua. You need to check whether there’s a conflict with the element associated with that location. (Water conflicts with fire, and fire weakens wood)
Generally, South and Southwest are considered ideal Feng Shui spots for the kitchen according to the Bagua, as long as the stove is not within the narrow southern section indicated in #5 above. If it is at other locations, you’ll need to find remedies to balance the energy of that area.
11. Restroom Should NOT Face the Kitchen
This might be intuitive for some people.
The kitchen is where food is prepared. The restroom is where bodily waste is disposed. Having the two face each other can disrupt appetite. After all, when was the last time the sight of a restroom is appetizing?
Further, the restroom is full of water element. Having the two face each other produces a conflict between the water and the fire element, which can potentially cause many kinds disruptions in life. The easy cure in this situation is to close the restroom door. Make it a habit!
12. Kitchen is NOT Suitable Next to Restroom
Just like the previous rule, this rule has more to do with how people’s appetite are affected by restrooms.
The restroom doesn’t need to face the kitchen directly for someone to lose his or her appetite. They can be within vision. They can be right next to each other. In fact, I know some people find it disgusting just by knowing that food is prepared next to the restroom.
Businesses understand this. That is why supermarkets usually hide restrooms from plain view. This way, people won’t get disgusted and food sales won’t be affected.
13. Kitchen Should NOT Face the Bedroom
In my opinion, the reasoning here has more to do with hygiene than Feng Shui.
The kitchen produces grease smoke, which is known to cause health problems. Imagine having to inhale that toxic gas even when you sleep. How would that affect your health? Further, the smell of food can linger in the bedroom, which I know can harm the sleep quality for some people. The easy cure is to close the bedroom door when cooking and keep your kitchen (or other areas) well ventilated.
14. Kitchen is NOT Suitable Under Bedroom
If a kitchen stove is right under your bedroom, some say that the fire energy can cause insomnia or liver problems.
Although I have my doubts on this one, many Feng Shui experts advise against this placement. I personally have slept above a kitchen stove for years. Perhaps I was young and didn’t feel its effects, or perhaps the energy couldn’t rise to the bed because of the high ceiling in the kitchen.
15. “Kitchen is NOT Suitable at the West”
I put this one in quotes because I have big doubts on this one.
From what I know, there is a saying that the kitchen is not suitable at the west sector is because it tends to have higher room temperature (caused by the setting sun). Because of this, food has a higher tendency to spoil, bringing extra health risks.
This may be true in ancient times. Today, however, we have the refrigerator where food can be stored for days (or weeks) without spoiling. That is why I have big doubts on this rule.
Feng Shui for Kitchen Stove
16. Kitchen Stove is NOT Suitable Under Toilet
The idea here is that the toilet’s Water energy can affect the stove’s Fire energy. This only applies if the stove is directly under the toilet bowl. Also, it is not a concern if the ceiling is high and separates the two far apart. The suggested height is 15 feet, according to a renowned expert.
If this is your situation and your ceiling is not high enough, the remedy is to move the stove to another location. However, this may be costly. If you’re not experiencing any significant setbacks in life, I don’t think this cure is necessary.
17. Stoves on a Center Island
There’s a bit of a debate around this. Here, I’ll share why some experts prefer stoves on the center island.
Having the stove to the center island allows the cook to prepare meal in a command position, which is preferable. This is similar to having the bed placed in command position, which gives you a sense of security because you have vision of the whole kitchen area (and perhaps the living room).
18. Have Wall at the Back of the Stove
Here’s other side of the story from the above rule. Most Feng Shui experts from Asia says that stove on a center island is bad Feng Shui because it doesn’t have its back against a wall.
The stove is the key element of the kitchen, similar to the bed for the bedroom, desk for the study room, and couch for the living room. They should all have their back against a wall. Some say that an island stove setup makes it hard to accumulate wealth, get married, or have children. Another renowned expert say that Qi can come from multiple angles to the stove and affect the food, thereby bringing health issues.
The conflicting information from different experts may be due to architectural differences and preferences in different continents. I personally would prefer a setup where the stove has a wall behind it.
19. Stove Direction Based on Your Kua
Earlier, we talked about kitchen location based on your Kua and your house’s Kua. Here, we’re ONLY talking about your Kua and the stove.
Without mentioning the specifics, your stove should face one of your lucky directions. To be clear, the stove’s facing direction is the OPPOSITE direction that you face when you cook.
20. Kitchen Door Facing Stove
This applies mostly to architectural designs in Asia where the kitchen is walled off instead of being in an open area.
According to a renowned Feng Shui Master, having the kitchen door aligned with the stove forms a mini T-junction. The incoming Qi from the door is said to affect the food and thereby your health. The simple remedy (if simple) is to move the stove to another location.
21. Stove’s Location and Direction Relative to House’s Facing Direction
Here’s a rule that’s not commonly seen.
If the stove is at the back of the house and its direction is opposite to that of the house’s facing direction, then there’s a potential of losing large amounts of wealth. Again, the stove’s facing direction is the OPPOSITE direction that you face when you cook.
One thing to keep in mind is the house’s facing direction. In some cases, it is not the same direction as the direction of the front door.
22. Avoid Beams on Top of Stove or Cooking Area
Beams are notorious in Feng Shui because they bring suppressive Qi. Although beams can be cured by large upward-growing plants, plants are not suitable in the kitchen area.
Not only do beams harm the person who’s preparing meals, it can also cause fluctuations of Qi. As a result, the Feng Shui of the stove can be violently affected and can bring ups and downs to the family.
Please note: false beams have no effect in Feng Shui simply because they are “false.”
23. Stove Facing Water Element
This happens when the sink and the kitchen stove face each other and forms a straight line. (For more about the Five Elements of other kitchen appliances, please check the last rule in this article.)
When this happens, the Water Element of the sink and the Fire Element of the stove will conflict. Having this setup can bring health issues, lovers’ quarrel, or a decline in intimacy between lovers.
If moving the stove cannot be done, then placing an island in between will do. Another expert mentioned that Wood Element can be used as a cure, such as placing a green rug or mat in between the stove and the sink.
24. Stove Next to Water Element
Again, this has to do with the clash between the Water and the Fire Element. It only applies to the sink and the stove.
The clash between water and fire exists only when the stove and sink are next to each other, which can cause relationship problems such as infidelity. If the sink and the stove are 1 – 2 feet apart, you do not have a problem with the clash between water and fire.
25. Small Cooking Appliances are Mini-Stoves
Not many experts mention this, but I have read that kitchen Feng Shui can also be applied to other cooking appliances such as the oven, microwave, or rice cooker. They can be counted as mini-stoves, and applying Feng Shui for them can help mitigate undesirable kitchen or stove locations.
One way to apply Feng Shui to these appliances is to use your Kua number. You’ll want the appliance to face your lucky directions if possible.
But placement is just one thing. You’ll also need to use these appliances to prepare food. In other words, using them as décor will have no Feng Shui effect.
26. Number of Stoves Doesn’t Matter
Some people are big on numerology. However, Feng Shui has little to do with numerology.
With that said, the number of stoves you have doesn’t matter. Also, whether the stove should use gas or electricity depends on personal preference and not on Feng Shui.
Other Feng Shui Kitchen Etiquettes
27. Mirror is NOT Suitable in Kitchen
Generally, the kitchen is not a suitable place for mirrors. That’s because mirrors have the ability to amplify the energy of the Fire Element, which can cause an imbalance and fluctuations in your life.
Further, the kitchen is said to have bad Feng Shui energy. Having a mirror there can amplify those energies. You wouldn’t want that, do you?
28. “Leaky Faucets Causes Loss of Wealth?”
There is the saying that a leaky faucet causes an outflow of wealth. That’s because some experts equate water as wealth, and that a leaking faucet is similar to an outflow of wealth Qi.
However, I personally do not think leaky faucets will cause an outflow of wealth. It is true, however, that your water bill will go up unnecessarily. Perhaps this is what was meant by losing wealth?
29. Keep Kitchen Well-Ventilated
The kitchen is where you prepare food. That’s where cancer-causing cooking fumes and grease smoke is produced. (Which is also why the kitchen is said to have bad Feng Shui energies.) This is especially true if stir-frying is your preferred cooking method.
Keep the kitchen well-ventilated so other areas of your home won’t be filled with the harmful gas produced from cooking.
30. “Knives in Plain Sight is Bad Feng Shui”
Knives are sharp objects. So strictly speaking, it should have its own form of Xa Qi (negative Feng Shui energy) because of its form: a sharp cutting edge. That is why some people feel discomfort when they are in plain sight.
However, not all Feng Shui practitioners think that this is a Feng Shui practice. According to a renowned Feng Shui expert, organizing knives in knife block or magnetized knife block is not harmful or bad Feng Shui. In other words, there’s no need to keep your knives hidden from plain sight.
31. Cleanliness and Hygiene
Again, kitchen is where food is prepared. Because of that, food scraps can linger in various corners of our kitchen, arising from activities such as cutting green onions, tenderizing meat, or putting food on our plates.
If these food scraps are not cleaned up, bacteria will grow and can cause hygiene problems. Further, these food scraps, if not cleaned, can attract insects or even rodents.
In short, if you don’t keep your kitchen clean, the negative Feng Shui brought by the kitchen can be worse than your restroom!
Other Feng Shui Kitchen Tips
32. Are There Suitable Colors for Kitchen?
According to a renowned Feng Shui expert, using blue as your kitchen’s color theme would NOT be a problem. In other words, the Water Element’s energy brought by the color blue would NOT clash with the Fire Element that the kitchen produces.
Of course, it is quite popular to select a kitchen color based on where it’s located according to the Bagua. But here’s my suggestion: choose the colors that you personally like.
33. Don’t Over-Classify Water and Fire Elements
Some experts believe that kitchen appliances all have their Five Elements. However, there are other experts who would tell you NOT to over-classify those objects for the purpose of Feng Shui.
For instance, some say that Water and Fire Element would clash if the stove is right next to the refrigerator (or if they are facing each other, just like the sink). However, electronics can be considered Fire too. So what element is the refrigerator, really?
The tip here is to ask you NOT to over-classify things according the Five Elements, or else you’ll just be confusing yourself endlessly!
Conclusion
Feng Shui kitchen is essential when you want to Feng Shui your house. According to experts, stove placed in improper places can cause health problems because bad Qi can influence the quality of the food. Also, negative Feng Shui energies produced by the kitchen can be used to suppress other negative Feng Shui elements based on you and your home’s Kua number.
Although kitchen Feng Shui is important, it is just one part when looking at a home’s Feng Shui. If you truly want to benefit from Feng Shui, I suggest that you find a consultant rather than doing it yourself.