Extract from The Feng Shui Doctor by Paul Darby (£9.99, Duncan Baird Publishers)

Bitter rivals, angry neighbours

Kitchens are necessary rooms, but it can take a lot of work to produce the right blend of energies for them. The kitchen will always be a 'yang' room, with lots of activity, but the sharp corners and electrical items in it may make the chi move too quickly. Another major problem is the clash of fire and water elements, such as the oven and the sink.

In ancient feng shui, these conflicting elements were referred to as 'bitter rivals, angry neighbours'. The clash between them tends to divide and splinter the flow of chi. The 'alchemy' (lien chin shu) of feng shui will help you to control these potential problems. Generally, you need to balance the energy carefully to promote active, beneficial chi.

This process involves using both the Constructive and Destructive Cycles of elements. In addition, avoid disagreements in the kitchen, limit the number of sharp edges and try not to spend too much time there. Prepare the food and then go into your dining room or dining area to enjoy it.

The layout of your kitchen
The most important task is to assess the location of 'fire' and 'water' items in your kitchen. The oven, stove top (hob), microwave and toaster belong to the fire element, but the sink, fridge, freezer, washing machine and dishwasher belong to the water element. Water puts out fire.

The most auspicious layout is a triangle comprising the oven and stove top, sink and work surface; this layout prevents any clash of energies between the main fire and water items, and is practical because it will allow you to move easily between the three areas.

Another good layout is an oven and sink located on the same wall but separated by a work surface. If you're planning a new kitchen, avoid placing fire and water appliances beside or opposite each other because their energies will clash; for example, don't have an oven opposite a fridge or beside a dishwasher.

Separating fire and water
Even if you can't redesign your kitchen, there are still various ways to separate fire and water energies. One method is by symbolically 'pushing them apart' using light. If you have spotlights in the kitchen, point one at the water item and one at the fire item. In addition, you could direct a third spotlight at the kitchen door, to push the kitchen away from the rest of the house, or, if your kitchen has a dining area, point the light at this area to separate it from the rest of the room.

If your oven is opposite your sink, and your kitchen is large enough, you could separate the two items with an island unit, but choose one with a plain work surface; don't add a stove top to the unit, because the gas or electric rings form another fire symbol.

Another way to separate fire and water is to hide water items, such as a fridge-freezer, behind the doors of your kitchen cabinets. ('Hide it and it disappears' is a handy basic rule in feng shui.) Simplest of all, you can lay a thin, non-slip rug or runner, in a plain colour that suits the pa kua location, between the conflicting items.

Areas for eating
If possible, eat in a separate dining room, where the energy will nurture feelings of calm and 'richness of life'. Try to avoid having meals in the kitchen, where the chi is too strong and fast-moving to encourage good digestion. However, if you don't have a dining room, you can still create a separate dining area in the kitchen by marking the space off with kitchen cabinets or furniture, and using colours and materials that promote calming energy.

Choosing colours
Clever use of colours is the easiest way to blend energies in a kitchen. Use just two or three main colours so you don't over-stimulate the chi. Light colours on the walls are enlivening without being too powerful. If you wish, you can add a few stronger touches with equipment and utensils that suit the pa kua location.

Lighting and reflections
To freshen the chi and help it to circulate, you need plenty of natural and artificial light. Halogen lights set into the ceiling are ideal because they cast almost no shadow. Racks of three or five spotlights are also excellent. However, avoid neon lights; their energy is too harsh and the flickering can cause headaches. If you have neon lights that you can't remove, include lots of rounded shapes to soften the energy.

Never use mirrors in kitchens, because they will reflect the energy of the 'dead' food and double it. If you need reflective surfaces for your pa kua location, you could use shiny, rounded stainless steel or chrome utensils. These items reflect their surroundings, but because they distort the image, they don't cause the problems that mirrors would do.

Surfaces and corners
Help the chi to flow freely by keeping work surfaces clear. Don't leave dirty plates or clutter around - the mess will attract stagnant chi that can enter food. If you need to keep items such as kettles, toasters or coffee machines on the work surface, push them toward the back.

The sharp edges in a kitchen stimulate yang chi, but too many can cause tension and arguments between people (or, as I once heard it described, 'bitchin' in the kitchen'). Balance them with rounded corners on kitchen cabinets and work surfaces, and round, shiny utensils, to help the chi curve and meander. If your cabinets have sharp corners, fit lights under and inside the top ones and keep the lights on while you work.

Storing equipment
Store equipment in kitchen cabinets, or stack it neatly, when you're not using it. However, if you have an oven in a bad pa kua location you can hang metal saucepans above or near it to deflect the fire energy. Keep knives in a knife block and scissors in a drawer. If possible, don't have these sharp implements on display because they give out harmful chi.

Electrical appliances
The electromagnetic energy from objects such as blenders, kettles and toasters contributes to yang chi. However, as with the TV and stereo in the living room, you can actually use these pieces of electrical equipment to increase beneficial yang chi. Keep the items in good condition so they work safely and efficiently, and make sure they work quietly so they give out good chi.

Positioning microwave ovens
Microwave ovens emit electromagnetic energy, which is seen as harmful in feng shui. Don't use a microwave if you can avoid it, or else use it as little as possible. To control its energy, put it in a corner ruled by fire. (Microwaves are usually made of shiny metal, which symbolizes water and 'puts out' fire.)

Otherwise, hide it inside a cabinet. If you're planning a new kitchen, build the microwave into the surrounding cabinets so only the face is showing.

Planning meals
The colours and tastes of foods can produce different blends of yin and yang chi. Brightly coloured foods are yang; green vegetables are a balance of yin and yang; and white foods, such as dairy products, are yin.

You can plan each course of a meal to have its own energy. For example, a starter is usually yang, a main course is often a mix and a dessert will be yin.

Relaxing, intimate meals need more yin chi, while parties and business lunches or dinners need more yang. For a children's party, you could start with activities, then offer calming yin food; try to avoid bright colours and cooked meats, which would be too yang.

Preparing food
The kitchen has very negative chi because of the meat, fruit and vegetables prepared there. Once the ingredients have been turned into food they become lucky, but food being prepared, and even the smell of it, is bad feng shui. Keep the kitchen door closed as much as possible, so strong food smells don't escape and pervade the whole house. In addition, make sure that people can't see into a kitchen from the front door or from other rooms.

Herbal remedies
Fresh herbs in little pots, for immediate use, stimulate beneficial chi, because herbs are nourishing foodstuffs. Buy them regularly from your local supermarket, and keep them on the window sill, until needed; the herbs will also absorb good chi through the window. If your kitchen is connected to your dining room, fragrant herbs are good for taking away smells and stagnant or even toxic energy from food preparation.

If you wish to grow herbs yourself, however, keep them outside. Never have auspicious items, such as potted plants (or lucky ornaments, or pets' beds) in a kitchen, because the good luck that they give out will be lost within the bad energy of the room.

Protecting beds above kitchens
If your kitchen is under a bedroom, check that you don't have any beds directly above the oven. The heat from the stove top will 'cook' or 'burn' the inner chi of anyone who has to sleep regularly in that bed, attacking the immune system and bringing on niggling infections, colds, coughs, sore throats and headaches.

The best solution is to move the bed or the oven. If you can't do this, lay a silver-painted or foil-covered board under the bed, with the shiny side facing downward. The board just needs to be long enough to protect the sleeper's head and chest. In the kitchen, you can use lots of shiny, rounded metal, such as stainless-steel and chrome pans, filled with water and left on the stove top overnight. If you have a stainless-steel hood above the stove top, this is also helpful. In each case, the shiny, reflective metal represents water and will 'put out the fire'.

Working with elemental energies
In ancient China, kitchens were located in the east sector (wood) or the southeast sector (wood, with touches of water and wind). The most favoured was the southeast, where the breezes were considered to 'help keep the charcoal stove alight'. The southeast also symbolizes 'richness of life': prosperity, health and satisfying family relationships.

The table overleaf shows how fire and water fit into each pa kua location. The east and southeast can support these energies, so they're ideal for a kitchen. However, the other locations support only fire, only water or neither, so you need to blend the energies more carefully.

If you have wooden cabinets in a pa kua location that doesn't suit wood, you can still benefit from the wood's energy by painting them to go with that sector or choosing a suitable colour of wood.

When you paint wood (or any surface) it takes on the elemental energy symbolized by that colour; the colour on the surface overcomes the energy of the wood beneath. For example, white-painted wood 'becomes' metal. The natural colour of the wood can also help. Pine and oak symbolize wood, but maple is so pale that it symbolizes metal, and cherry represents earth. With regard to flooring, you can use tiles, vinyl or wood, depending on the pa kua location.

Doctor's orders

Problem: A fire item is in a pa kua sector ruled by water, or vice versa, and you can't reposition it.

Remedy: Bring in other elements to stop the conflict. If you have an oven in the north, use shiny metals to destroy the water energy. If you have a sink in the south, surround it with earth colours or symbols, which 'soak up' the water;choose warm, earthy colours for the walls, granite or marble work surfaces, and stone or terracotta tiles above a sink.

Managing fire and water energies

Controlling energy in a utility room
If you have a utility room next to your kitchen, the water energy can drain energy from the rest of the house, as in a bathroom. To control the problem, use earth symbols, such as warm yellows, apricot or caramel colours for walls and terracotta or stone tiling.

Location, location, location

North: The most beneficial elements in a northern kitchen are wood and metal, because water supports both of them in the Constructive Cycle of elements. Metallic colours and white, Shaker-style kitchens, and wooden surfaces and flooring are good choices.

Northeast: A blend of earth and metal works well here. Good choices include warm, earthy colours such as oatmeal and caramel for walls; terracotta or stone flooring; granite or marble work surfaces; and shiny pans and utensils in stainless steel, chrome, copper or brass.

East: The east is governed by the wood element, so wooden surfaces, and 'wood' colours such as green, are best in eastern kitchens. Yellows and reds also promote helpful energy.

Southeast: The most auspicious location of all for a kitchen, the southeast is ruled by the wood element, so wooden surfaces and 'wood' colours (see East, above) work especially well here.

South: Wood and earth symbols are beneficial in a southern kitchen, because these elements support fire, the ruling element of the south. Wooden cupboards and floors, earthy colours, terracotta or stone flooring and wood or granite work surfaces all go well here.

Southwest, west, northwest: For kitchens in these sectors, shiny metal with warm earth will form a rich blend. Metal colours (white, cream, silver-grey) and/or rounded metal utensils bring in beneficial energies. Earthy colours such as caramel and oatmeal, terracotta or stone flooring and granite or marble work surfaces would also be good choices.

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