We're fans of feng shui. True feng shui practitioners facilitate function, rather than form in their kitchen—knowing that if you prioritize the former, the latter will fall into place. It's all about creating balance. In feng shui, this is done via elements: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth; we recommend doing the same because balancing materials and textures makes visual sense.
Did you know that, historically, fat was in and thin was out? That's because having access to enough food to gain extra weight was a sign of wealth and prosperity. The art of feng shui kitchen design also honors the idea that having food is a symbol of abundance. Try applying the principles of feng shui to attract and facilitate abundance in your kitchen.
Functional Feng Shui For Your Kitchen Remodel
Here are 7 ways you can focus on functional, feng shui principles while planning your new kitchen design.
1. Eliminate Clutter
Feng shui focuses on manifesting positive, evenly flowing chi (energy) in your life. Clutter is the enemy of chi. Modern medicine has proven that disorganization is the enemy of peace and relaxation on this side of the globe as well. If clutter is a norm in your kitchen, do the work of shedding unused items and then use smart storage options to neatly organize and store kitchen contents, freeing up visible countertop space.
2. Think about flow
Continuing the theme of energetic flow, you deserve to work in a kitchen that accommodates your personal and household habits. While taking design cues from magazines and websites is a good idea, ultimately - you and your kitchen designer need to come up with a layout specifically tailored to the ways your family uses the kitchen.
3. Design for the generations
Asian culture reveres their elders, and families often live with or very near parents and grandparents. This makes the kitchen - and home - a multigenerational space. Try to design a kitchen that is comfortable and accessible to every age and ability.
4. Use a variety of textures
We mentioned balancing the elements above. You can do this in your kitchen by ensuring there is a little something of each in your design. This keeps your design from looking boring. For example, sleek and streamlined is nice, but not if there aren't any textures to compare it with. Think about wood finished cabinets or reclaimed lumber accents. Stainless steel appliances take care of your metal while quartz countertops can lend the appearance of stone - as would a granite backsplash. Water is covered by the faucets and fire by your stove tops.
5. Design a beautiful lighting plan
Dark corners are a big no-no in feng shui and we agree. Kitchen lighting should be designed to facilitate both task and ambiance.
6. Be respectful of your budget
If the kitchen is the command center of your home's wealth and abundance, you don't want to blow your own budget to remodel it. DO be disciplined about creating a kitchen remodeling budget and sticking to it. If you can't have everything you want right now, that's okay. Find a kitchen design-build team that will take the phased approach and help you build it out over time.
7. Make it timeless
If clutter, chaos and upset are the enemies of feng shui, remodels should be kept to a minimum. Design a kitchen that is timeless, not trendy, so your remodel will last for at least another decade or two.
While we admit the Kitchen Magic designers aren't fung shui experts, we also believe our design principles run along exactly the same lines. Let us help you design a beautiful, functional kitchen that facilitates the flow of good energy and excellent meals for your household.
