Why You Should Avoid Putting Mirrors In The Kitchen, According To Feng Shui
The kitchen is said to be the heart of any home, so it should come as no surprise that it plays a vital role in creating a positive energy flow within a space. This can be achieved by using feng shui. Incorporating these guidelines into your kitchen can help bring peace and harmony into your home while also promoting health and prosperity in other areas of your life. That requires being mindful of your kitchen design and the items stored and used within — their placement and ability to function properly — as well as what things should be kept out of the room altogether.
A kitchen is a vital and natural balancing act between yin and yang — the opposite forces of fire and water. To promote balance, you'll need to address the placement of the items that represent these two elements (don't put a sink next to the stove) while also incorporating the other elements of feng shui: wood, metal, and earth. For wood energy, try using wooden cabinets or counters; metal can be represented in kitchen appliances or hardware, while earth energies are best summoned through natural materials such as marble countertops and tiles. So, what else should you know about the dos and don'ts of kitchen feng shui? And why are mirrors a bad idea in this setting?
Understanding kitchen chi
The basics of good chi in a kitchen revolve around cleanliness and order. Where there's food preparation, there's also trash and dirty dishes. Plus, heat and flame used for cooking (stove, oven, microwave, electric pan, etc) bring the element fire. Additionally, grease smoke produced from cooking contributes to kitchen feng shui — and not in a positive way. As these elements accumulate, they create an unhealthy energy that can affect both people and their homes negatively over time. It's important to note that fire by itself is not a "bad energy" per se; however, it possesses the power to negate positive chi, upsetting the ying yang, or balance, required for a peaceful home.
To prevent negative energies from building up in your kitchen space, it's important to keep it clean and organized at all times –- this will help ensure that no unwanted energies linger around for too long. Strategically placing suitable objects, such as plants or wind chimes, can help absorb any negative vibrations coming from activities related to cooking. On the flip side, some items — like mirrors– multiply the negative chi already in the kitchen.
Why mirrors are particularly troublesome in kitchens
While mirrors are an invaluable part of the feng shui philosophy (they bring the element water to your home and its surroundings), it is believed that they should not be placed in the kitchen due to so much of the element fire present in the room. In feng shui, a mirror is anything reflective — actual mirrors, décor, dishes, cutlery, and utensils, which means that some mirror-like objects will already be housed in the kitchen. With their reflective properties, these objects have the potential to double or even quadruple chi — good or bad — in any space, allowing for that multiplied energy to flow throughout the home. Therefore, steps must be taken to reduce the number of mirror objects and their effects in order to restore balance.
So, what can you do to keep mirrors to a minimum in your kitchen? Start with not placing an actual mirror in the space, especially one facing the stove, which is a tremendous source of the element fire. Keeping reflective items stored away in drawers and cabinets can also help. Following these simple principles can help incorporate the positive effects of feng shui on your life while reducing the harmful impact of negative chi naturally produced in a kitchen environment.