Kitchen Remodeling: Bad layout and bad vibes get a positive rebirth

When we first saw the kitchen before we purchased our home, we were so mesmerized by the spacious breakfast area facing the view and the abundance of storage, that we never noticed its greatest drawbacks. The work triangle created by the sink-stove-fridge configuration was appalling and a stingy 4' by 4' floor area that had us bumping into each other constantly.

Don't Mix Food With Waste
The kitchen is considered the heart of the family's wealth. The view from our kitchen stove on one side was straight through the kitchen door and across a hallway to the toilet in the powder room. Talk about bad feng shui, this attribute was one of the worst!


AFTER: Remodeled work areas make the kitchen function better.


BEFORE: Poorly lighted with a bad floor plan, the kitchen begged for a redesign.

The very first change we made was to seal off the opening, replacing it with a solid wall with cabinets and countertops. This blocked off the negative sha coming into the kitchen from the bathroom, which is believed to cause bad health.

The bad work triangle was created by a peninsula-with-a-stove configuration, the sink to the right under a window and the refrigerator behind the cook. Because the stove was not against a wall, there was no support for the family's wealth. In addition, the peninsula trapped the chi in the small triangle of space.

Facilitating Movement and Energy
We moved the wall 18" into the dining room, almost a counter depth of space, the stove against the wall where the refrigerator had been, the refrigerator to the hallway wall, and lastly, installed a 3' by 5' island to facilitate energy and movement around the work area.

The location of the new stove is in the northeast (earth, knowledge, self-development) so that the fire of the burners and oven can create more earth element.

Because the kitchen faces northwest (gray, metal, fatherhood, trade and travel and helpful people), the colors and elements were chosen to match this compass direction.

The cabinets are white (metal), the major appliances and sinks/hardware stainless steel (gray for northwest) and the countertops are blue pearl granite (earth element which generates metal element). This dark and light combination is a good balance of yin (dark) and yang (light), as are the angles (yang) and curves (yin). The corners of the island and its counter are all rounded so there are no sharp corners sticking out.


DURING: The island loses a cooktop but gains a sink.

The microwave was repositioned into the cabinet adjacent to the breakfast nook. This area is located in the southwest (earth.) Because fire created earth, locating the microwave here is wise from both a practical as well as a feng shui standpoint. Food can be cooked and served close to the table and the fire element supports the aspects of the southwest: love, marriage, motherhood and relationships.

Enhanced Lighting
The lighting in the kitchen was dim. Originally, it had brown floral wallpaper, cheap, dark oak cabinets and fluorescent lighting. The entire room was depressing and unpleasant to work in.

All of the lighting was changed to a combination of fluorescent (for energy savings) and recessed. Task lighting over the island brings in lots of yang energy into this important area.

Finally, to add more "life" to the kitchen, houseplants are tucked into the appropriate east and southeast corners (wood). No aquariums, fish tanks or water features, including tabletop fountains, are permitted in the kitchen.