Feng Shui

Introduction: Feng Shui in the Home

Use feng shui to optimize your kitchen layout.

Feng shui (pronounced fung shway) concerns the art of placement—arranging your home in a way that enhances its good energy, or, Ch’i (pronounced chee). Translating to “wind and water,” feng shui is a Chinese discipline first used by royals some 15 centuries ago to harness the land’s positive energy and bring wealth to the kingdom.

A city constructed on ground that carried positive Ch’i would find its people nourished, while burying an emperor in a place of negative Ch’i would cause catastrophe. From this tradition, feng shui later found its way into the general population as a guide for selecting home plots.

Today, feng shui has entered the homes of the Western world. Have you ever rearranged your couch or moved a vase of flowers from your table to the counter and felt like you were in a new, refreshed room? That change in mood, energy, sensation—all components of Ch’i—owes itself to placement, the basis of feng shui.

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the home for generating good Ch’i. Food nourishes us, leading to improved health, which allows us to work harder and achieve greater prosperity. Because food preparation occurs in the kitchen, the room’s Ch’i affects your food and, in turn, your overall well-being.

Small changes, such as freeing your space of distracting clutter and using a round dining table (to best circulate mealtime Ch’i), can improve your happiness and functionality within your culinary corner, which, according to feng shui, will bring wealth and health to you and your family.

With those kinds of promises, why not give it a try? At the very least, you’ll have experimented with a creative alternative to more traditional design solutions.