Kitchen positions

Food is treated with great care in Chinese culture. It is sometimes referred to as a form of "post-natal Chi" - meaning that once we are born, food supplies us with the vital energy of the universe. How food is prepared and where it is prepared is all part of the process of sustaining our life force. If that process is disturbed, the energy of the food will be affected and the disturbance transmitted to all those who eat it.

As with the other rooms of the house, therefore, the position of your kitchen is extremely important. The kitchen entrance should not be directly opposite your front door, in order to protect it from any incoming harmful energies. The heat of cooking and the materials, such as grease, that it releases into the atmosphere should not be allowed to penetrate the rest of your home. So make sure that your kitchen doesn't open on to your living room or bedroom; if it does, keep the doors closed whenever cooking is in progerss.

Uneasy cooking

When you stand at the oven/stove the door is directly behind you. If it is open, your tortoise side is unprotected, which contributes to a sense of unease when you should be calm.

Exposed back

Here, too, your back is in a direct line to an open door, whether you are at the oven/stove or sink. Neither position is free from tension. The only thing you can do is close the door.

Stove by a window

The oven/stove is directly in front of the window. In Feng Shui this is a problem because the oven/stove is the modern hearth of the home and is a significant force. Its tortoise side should be protected and hence its back should be not be against a window.

A good layout

This is a good layout for your kitchen. It has none of the problems associated with the other plans. If your kitchen is arranged appropriately, your food, your health, and your family will prosper.