Feng Shui & the Kitchen Stove

{Photo via This Old House}

One of the most important considerations in feng shui is the location and placement of the main entrance, bedroom and stove. Today we will focus on the stove.

In feng shui, the stove is important because it governs the health of not only the cook, but all occupants of the home. The stove is used to prepare our meals, and when we consume our meals our body uses the energy from the food to sustain our lives. It is for this reason that we want the stove to be facing one of our best directions.


{photo via Moon-Goddess~Earth's flickr stream}

Depending on your date of birth and gender, each person has four different auspicious or positive and four malevolent or negative directions. Having the stove facing our positive direction will infuse the prepared food with energy that is favorable and supportive of good health. To find out what your favorable directions are please click here and enter your birthdate into the 8 Mansions Feng Shui Calculator.

So how do you find out what direction your stove is facing? Using a good compass, stand with your back in front of the stove (as if you were inside the oven facing out) and use that compass direction to find out the direction the stove is facing. If it turns out to be one of your positive directions there is no need for change. If the stove is facing one of your negative directions you may wish to consider changing the location of the stove. This would only really be necessary if you are planning to live in your current home for the long term.

Another consideration is where the stove is in the kitchen. Ideally, the stove should be supported with it's back against a solid wall. This protects the stove from receiving any unstable or negative chi from adversely affecting the cooking. An island stove, although a popular modern kitchen feature, is not so desirable in the eyes of feng shui. We do not like to see the back of the stove exposed as the chi will not be able to effectively support health.


{photo via Country Living}

One more thing to consider is the sink in relation to the stove. The stove represents fire element while the sink is the water element. Remember the cycle of the five elements? Water controls fire. This is not a productive relationship in the cycle of the elements therefore the sink and the stove should not be side by side. The least recommended distance between the two is at least 1 foot.

If you are living in the home that you plan to spend the rest of your life in then it is advisable to consider that the stove has been properly placed with in the kitchen. Short term living (less that 5 years) will have less impact, and when you do move to a new place you will be armed with the feng shui guidelines for good health.

Please visit Elke Zoe over at International Feng Shui if you are interested in finding out more about this ancient Chinese practice.

Design Tip of the Week (11.30.09): Feng SHUI MonDAY

Elke of International Feng Shui shares more feng shui tips with P4D readers!

In feng shui the main entrance is very important and is known as the "chi mouth" which translates as the entrance of chi (energy) into the property. The main door is like the mouth of the structure and is generally defined as the door that is most frequently used to enter the home or building. Here are some tips in the form of feng shui no-no's to help the flow of good chi into your home.

No-no #1- Steep straight stairs to/from the main door.

I can imagine in the property developers mind that this was a good idea based on maximizing living square footage based on limited land availability, but from a feng shui perspective this is known as "Pulling Nose Sha Chi". The effects of the steep decline from the main door created by the stairs are that all the chi inside the home will eventually drain out. Additionally the garage is located under the living quarters. This is also to be avoided if you seek good feng shui as unstable energy is generated from the in and out entrance right under the home.

No-no #2- Having a drain directly outside the main door.
is known as a "chi puncture" problem. In this situation chi will not be able to accumulate in front of the door. Chi accumulation is associated to prosperity. In feng shui it is believed that a feature like this drains wealth from the house.

No-no #3 - A pole, tree or lamp post directly across from the main door.
Now standing in the main entrance to your home look out from the inside and in from the outside. For good feng shui you want to see a clear open path in both directions. Nothing should create an obstacle to the entrance of your home. The worst example is if there is a light post or telephone pole directly opposite your main door. Likewise, if there is a column inside the home that is visible directly across from the main door looking in. This feature is always avoided as it is detrimental to any occupants of the building. This photo from Istock Photo perfectly demonstrates a blocked main door with a tree.

Design Tip of the Week (10.5.09) ~ The elements of Feng Shui

Feng Shui, a Chinese metaphysical science, is used to enhance positive chi (energy) within a home and neutralize negative chi in order to create an environment that is harmonious and conducive to success, health and prosperity.

The foundation to understanding feng shui is understanding the relationships between the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each element has different characteristics including shape, color, direction and material.

Here are the distinguishing features of each element:

WOOD - (Shape) tall, rectangular; (Color) green; (Direction) East; (Material) bamboo, trees

FIRE - (Shape) triangular, sharp, pointed; (Color) red, orange, purple, pink; (Direction) South; (Materials) candles, lamps, lighting

EARTH - (Shape) square, flat, broad; (Color) brown, beige, yellow; (Direction) Southwest and Northeast; (Materials) rocks, bricks, stones

METAL - (Shape) spherical, rounded; (Color) white, gold, silver; (Direction) West and Northwest; (Materials) iron, gold, silver, copper

WATER - (Shape) wavy, indefinite; (Color) blue and black; (Direction) North; (Materials) ponds, pools, fountains, lakes, aquariums

Before analyzing the chi within a home. Classical feng shui first looks at the external environment as this is what determines what kind of chi will enter your home. Each building shape has an elemental value and an impact on the surrounding buildings.

Below is an example of a building with metal chi. The metal element can be identified by rounded or dome shapes. Take a look at this impressive structure with beaming metal chi! This building is the manifestation of the inherent chi of the land in this area. Metal chi, among other things, relates to banking and finance. It is quite interesting to see that there is a bank located within this building as well as a plethora of banks located in the general area.



Here is an example of a building that belongs to the fire element. It can be easily identified by its dramatic triangular structure. This building exemplifies fire chi. Triangular, sharp and pointy structures belong to the fire element. Usually you will see these as church steeples and bell towers. Fire, in the study of the five elements, represents spirituality. Interestingly, most places of worship will have a steeple or other sharp pointed features:


Now, using your new feng shui eyes, take a step outside. What elements do the buildings around your home represent? Can you identify the element your home belongs to? How does it relate to your home?

Elke Zoe of International Feng Shui is our resident Feng Shui expert and guest blogger today. P4D is excited to have Elke share with our readers the interesting elements of this practice. For more information about Feng Shui please visit her website.