Maximize Health and Happiness in Your Home With These Kitchen Feng Shui Tips

It’s the ever-popular congregation spot — the heart of the home. In fact, some would argue the kitchen is perhaps the most sacred room of the house. It doesn’t just nourish the body; it feeds the soul. So it’s important this space has (pardon the pop culture term) “good vibes.” 

Balance your kitchen’s energies and promote familial prosperity by incorporating these top kitchen feng shui tips. 

First, what does the kitchen represent in feng shui?

Viewing the kitchen as the emotional center of a home isn’t just a Western belief; feng shui also echoes this sentiment. Kitchens symbolize health, abundance, and wealth. It’s where you prepare your food, and that food is fuel for your body and mind. According to kitchen feng shui principles, safety and positioning is paramount for this room because of the power it generates.

So how do I feng shui my kitchen?

By following the basic principles of feng shui in your kitchen — balancing the five elements, opening up the space, removing harmful clutter, and letting the energy flow freely — you can maximize health and happiness in your home. 

Feeling inspired? Get cookin’ with the following kitchen feng shui tips.

1. Balance the Five Elements

Feng shui is about location, but it’s also about balance. More specifically, balancing five elements — earth, metal, fire, water, and wood.

These elements, as you can see, are rooted in nature and believed to work best when acting in harmony. For example, using wood in a way that fuels fire or water in a way that allows the earth to grow and flourish. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that elements can be used against each other, too. And, when that happens, it causes friction. 

Certain colors and objects represent the five elements. For example, hues of blue and mirrors represent water, which, in turn, promotes serenity. In the kitchen, specifically, water is also represented by your sink and appliances that use water (big surprise, huh?). If your kitchen feels peaceful, it’s because the elements are working in tandem. If it feels chaotic, the elements are fighting with one another or one element is over-represented.

2. Strategically Place Your Stove

Your oven and stove are fire elements, and fire elements conflict with water elements (since water extinguishes fire). So placing your oven and stove beside sinks, dishwashers, and refrigerators means that the fire energy is being tamped down by the water energy. Try to keep these from being side-by-side, if possible.

Your stove should also be in a commanding position. This means that you’re able to see the main entryway while cooking, signifying that you’re in control of anything entering and exiting the room. You don’t want to let opportunity pass you by, do you?

Using your stove daily can help activate prosperity. 
Boil a teakettle if all else fails!

If your stove isn’t in a commanding position, that’s ok. You can incorporate one or two kitchen mirrors that allow you to see the doorway. Placing a mirror by your stove also has the benefit of “increasing” the number of stove burners, which means increasing opportunities and wealth. Now that’s a life hack we can appreciate!

One last thing about the stove burners. If you use the same stove burner time and time again, you may want to rethink your habit. Rotating stove burners can open your perspective and make you more aware of incoming opportunities. Also, using your stove daily can help activate prosperity. Boil a teakettle if all else fails!

3. Declutter the Kitchen

No matter which room’s getting the feng shui treatment, one rule stays the same: It needs to be tidy and organized. Toss expired food, clear the countertops, remove gadgets you’re no longer using, and be sure to keep your stove clean (those stove burners, as we’ve already pointed out, are pretty special, after all).

It’s also important to get rid of any broken items. Chips and cracks translate to fractured energy, which brings bad luck. If you want to repair a piece, try to do so using precious metals. This is an ancient Japanese practice called “kintsugi” that allows you to see the beauty of the repair rather than the flaw.

4. Try Glass Cabinet Doors

If you want a kitchen feng shui makeover that’s also a kitchen design makeover, swap your cabinet doors for glass ones — or ditch the doors altogether. This not only visually opens your kitchen, but it also welcomes the opportunity for positive chi to flow through.

5. Add Some Artwork

Promote healthy eating and enhance the flow of good energy by adding some art to your kitchen walls. While you have a bit of freedom on what you select, it’s best practice to choose something that’s food-related. This can be literal or abstract, but it needs to awaken your senses and appetite.

6. Connect It All With Color

What color should a kitchen be according to feng shui? You can’t go wrong with classic whites when choosing kitchen feng shui colors. White represents purity, cleanliness, and clarity — perfect attributes for your wellness center. 

If you’re a fan of color, have no fear. There are options beyond basic white. Yellows, browns, and beiges represent health and relationships, which work well for this gathering spot. You can also go with a navy or dark blue, if your kitchen is often used for social gatherings. These shades promote connection and wisdom. Just avoid reds and oranges. Those colors are indicative of fire elements, and you already have enough of that in the room with your oven and stove.

Where should a feng shui kitchen be placed?

“Location, location, location” isn’t just a real estate saying — it’s one of the main feng shui tenets. And while you probably know feng shui has something to do with the placement of furniture in a room, what you may not know is that it’s also focused on where the room is located in your overall floor plan.

If you’re building a custom home and want to know where to place your kitchen according to feng shui principles, here’s the advice:

• The kitchen is best placed near your house's back door, not the front door. This affects the positive chi movement in your home.
• Avoid putting your kitchen in the center of your home.
• Don’t have the kitchen facing a bedroom. Kitchen energy and bedroom energy are yin and yang. Having these two rooms face each other creates conflict.
• The best kitchen location is in the eastern or southern area of your home.

NOTE: If you’re working with an existing home and have no control over your kitchen’s location, don’t worry. Having a kitchen in the center of your home or facing the main door isn’t akin to having a curse put on your family. Simply use some of the decorating tips we covered earlier to help counteract any unfavorable positioning.

Ready for some whole-home feng shui?

Once you get your kitchen feng-tastic (sorry, couldn’t resist), you’ll probably be motivated to revamp other areas of your home, like the master bedroom. But don’t be discouraged if it takes a little trial and error to get the flow just right.

To make the process flow a little smoother, use a PODS portable storage container right in your driveway for temporary storage while you pull things out, put them back, and move them around. If you find you have too much stuff but you can’t quite part with it all, pack any excess furniture and boxes in the container, and we’ll pick it up and keep it at a secure PODS Storage Center until you need it. Who knows? You may find that you breathe a little easier with it gone. And in that case, you can easily donate anything you’ve decided to let go of. Paying it forward? Now that’s some positive energy flow!

For more tips on home improvement and decor, visit the PODS Blog. From playrooms to the outdoors, garages to new floors, we’ve covered it all.

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LB Gabriel is a freelance writer who lives with her husband, daughter, and Golden Retriever in Memphis, TN. A frequent PODS Blog contributor, she's a sucker for any tip she can find on downsizing, cutting clutter, or minimalist living. When she's not on a deadline, you can find her on a tennis court or golf course.