14 Mar Making the Refrigerator Cool with a Feng Shui Approach

The kitchen is typically considered the “hub” of a home.  In times past it was where the food was prepared and cooked.  In modern times, it is not only where the food originates but it also became the central meeting place for visitors and family—-it’s a place where people gather.  The most critical feature of the kitchen was the fire—–today we have stoves.  There are a lot of Feng Shui considerations for the stove that are part of every Feng Shui book, class, and training.

Yet, I believe we have overlooked another appliance that is crucial to the kitchen—and that is the refrigerator.  It’s important because it is a necessary part of the food process and storage; food can be kept cold or frozen and therefore preserved.  It’s also important because, unlike future generations when it was truly an “ice box,” the refrigerator has become large in scale.  It takes up a lot of room and consideration when planning the layout of the kitchen.

However, like every item in a space that commands a lot of presence, there are some factors that come into play so that it doesn’t overtake the room.  Plus, because of the connection to food and nourishment, the kitchen holds the potential for positively or negatively affecting the health of those who live there.  It is doubly important this space maintain a balanced and serene appearance.

Here are some ideas for letting your refrigerator be cool. . . .

1. Keep the front of the refrigerator clear of extraneous items.  This is not a billboard, a photo album, nor a game surface.  All these knick-knacks create kitchen “noise” which disrupts the intention of creating healthy and wholesome food.  My suggestion is to remove every single last magnet, photo, and reminder for 9 days and see how it feels to you.  At the end of the 9 days, reflect carefully as to whether you even want to put anything back on the front door.

2. Don’t burden the refrigerator with unnecessary clutter on top.  Unless the items on top of the ‘fridge are decorative or beautifying, enhancing the experience of being in the kitchen, the top is not intended to be an open storage area.  Find places to store those items or remove them entirely.

3. Keep the inside of the refrigerator current.  To assure that you get a healthy and enticing message every time you open the refrigerator door, keep the shelves clean and the food fresh.  If you don’t have time to take this project on, wipe off and sort through one shelf or one drawer a day.  It won’t take long before the refrigerator is a reminder of wholesome health.