Where to Position Your Kitchen in a Floor Plan for the Best Feng Shui

When it comes to feng shui, there are some layouts that are more desirable than others. This includes where certain rooms, including the kitchen, are located. If you’re shopping for a new home or designing your home, then you may want to look out for the more optimal kitchen locations. 

That being said, feng shui is often remedial, so we'll also review how to work with what you have. You might not be in a position where you have the flexibility to decide the location of your kitchen (few people are). This isn’t something to be worried about, because there are also methods to adjust a kitchen that is placed in a less than ideal location.

The Commanding Position

One of the simplest and most important things to do, no matter where the kitchen is located, is to put the stove in the commanding position. This means that you are able to see the main entrance to your kitchen while you are cooking at the stove. 

Why do you want your stove to be in command? In feng shui, the stove is all about resources, and it’s a center for wealth in the home. Having your stove set up in a supportive way can mean that you have more opportunities and resources flowing your way. 

Also, when you are cooking, you want to feel at ease. Being able to see what is coming at you while you are preparing a meal brings a sense of calm. It may be subtle, because your conscious mind isn’t usually aware of this effect, but it’s important! Your energy, also known as qi, while you are preparing food affects the quality of the food itself. 

If you can’t see the main entrance to your kitchen while you’re at the stove, don’t worry! You can put the stove in the commanding position without moving it by using a mirror. You’ll want to place a small mirror that allows you to see what is behind you while standing at the stove. A small, round rear-view mirror works well. 

Ideal Kitchen Locations

If you do have the flexibility to choose where your kitchen is located, there are a few areas that are especially supportive. First, it can be helpful to have a kitchen in the gua, or area of the bagua that is associated with fire. This area is called Li, and it’s often referred to as Fame and Reputation. Kitchens generally have a lot of fire energy because of the stove, so having the kitchen in Li position can help to activate that fire and support you in being seen and recognized.

It can also be beneficial to have the kitchen in one of the earth guas, because fire supports earth in the five element system. The Knowledge (Gen) and Partnership (Kun) areas of the bagua are associated with the earth element, so these are both appropriate areas for a kitchen. (The center of the bagua, called the Tai Qi, is also connected to earth, but this isn’t the best location for a kitchen—more on that later.) 

Overall, it is also ideal to have the kitchen towards the back of the home. Having the kitchen deeper inside the home means that the wealth qi of the kitchen will be more protected, and the kitchen is more likely to be in the commanding position of the house as a whole.

Less Than Ideal Kitchen Locations

The center of the home, called the Tai Qi, is not the best spot for the kitchen and stove, because the kitchen can create too much fire qi for this area. The center influences all other guas (areas) of the home, so anything in the center impacts the energy throughout.  Fire is dynamic energy, heat, and passion, but it’s also volatility and anger. If you have a stove in the center of the home and you feel that things are heating up at home or tempers are flaring, you may want to balance out the excessive fire energy. The best way to do this is by intentionally adding the water element through color, shape, or material. You can incorporate water into your home with the color black, undulating or wavy shapes, or actual water (for example, a vase of fresh flowers in water). Mirrors are another way to introduce the water element. 

It’s also not ideal to have the kitchen very close to the front door. As mentioned previously, it’s best for the kitchen and stove to be deeper into the home. If you can see the stove and kitchen from the front door, you can hang a feng shui crystal ball halfway between the front door and the stove. You can also energetically pull the kitchen further into the home by hanging a mirror on a wall that is toward the back of the home. The mirror should be in line with the kitchen, and it’s OK for there to be other walls and things between the mirror and the kitchen. This is an energetic action that will still work through walls.