- We all understand the significance of a kitchen. A kitchen is a place where nutritious food is cooked which in turn provides us with energy to do work and live healthy. Vastu Shastra considers a house without a kitchen to be incomplete. An Indian housewife spends most of her time in the kitchen, in fact, her day starts in the kitchen and ends in the kitchen. Also, the entire family gets their basic life energy from food prepared in the kitchen. We can even say that the kitchen is the backbone of the house.

In earlier times, the kitchen was situated in an open space. This helped the kitchen access as much light as possible and made it easier to dispel smoke rising from the stove. Today, most of the households have closed kitchens and as a Vastu expert in India, I suggest it is essential to create a Vastu-friendly kitchen that fulfills the requirement for a place that takes care of our physical, emotional and biological needs.

1    The kitchen should ideally be located between the southern and eastern directions, ie, in the south-east direction of the plot. Kitchens situated in the north-eastern direction may result in heavy losses for the family. Similarly, kitchens in the south-west could give rise to clashes within the family, whereas a kitchen in the north-west may result in an increase in expenditure.

2    Good lighting is an essential prerequisite for a kitchen. To ensure proper ventilation and a positive Vastu environment, the kitchen’s windows should be positioned in the eastern direction. Artificial lighting should also be sufficient.

3    The best place for the kitchen door is the north. Take care that while preparing food, the cook does not have his/her back towards the door.

4    The kitchen is an important place in the house. It should be painted with fiery colors like red, orange, yellow, brown etc; blue and black shades are a strict taboo to be used here. Avoid using blue as it is identified with water. Shades of green can be used as a remedy for improving the Vastu of wrongly-placed kitchens.

5    Avoid placing the cooking stove on the north-eastern corner. It should be on the eastern wall of the kitchen or in the south-east corner of the kitchen area. This direction is called the AgneyaDisha, named after Agni, the Hindu God of fire who resides here. This disha (direction) has a natural source of fire as solar heat is at its maximum when the sun is in the southern direction. When the sun reaches the south-east, it releases vitamins D and F in the atmosphere. The value of these vitamins in the kitchen is immeasurable.

6    All heat-generating kitchen equipments, such as microwaves, hot cases, hotplates, geysers, mixer grinders, etc, should also be placed in the south-east direction of the kitchen.

7    While preparing the food, the cook should face the east or the south. Facing the north or the west while cooking is not favorable. The cook or the housewife, whoever is cooking, should not have his/her back towards the kitchen door while cooking.