KITCHEN KARMA

Domestic squabbles can start over the most trivial of things. But forget the bedroom, or bickering about what to watch on TV - it’s actually the kitchen that’s the true war zone in most homes!
 
A new survey by kitchen giant Magnet reveals that two in three rows in the home start in the kitchen – and interfering with your partner’s cooking tops the list as the UK’s most annoying kitchen habit. (Or pinching the ingredients as you’re cooking…)

Even making an innocent cup of tea can get you into hot water - dripping teabags on the floor on the way to the bin came second in the irritation list.

But now these endless gripes could be avoided with some simple Feng Shui – to create the ultimate ‘Kitchen Karma’.

Magnet has teamed up with Feng Shui Doctor Paul Darby to launch a new interactive website, www.kitchenkarma.net, to provide helpful hints towards creating perfect equilibrium in owners’ kitchens.

‘Kitchen Karma’ involves the arrangement of appliances, materials of the kitchen range, colours used in the room and specific design elements, all of which help prevent overcooked tempers.  Simple tips such as keeping knives and objects with sharp angles out of eyesight can help reduce negative chi. Similarly, the introduction of rounded objects such as pots and pans can help promote positive chi, and the use of reflective materials can help magnify the effect of any positive chi present in the kitchen.

The most common kitchen arguments as revealed in the Magnet poll of 2,000 adults are as follows (most annoying first)*:

· Interfering with a partner’s cooking (42%)
· Dripping teabags on the floor on the way to the bin (14.5%)
· Telling a partner how to stack the dishwasher (13%)
· Leaving junk on kitchen worktops i.e. post/keys etc (10.5%)
· Leaving muddy footprints on freshly mopped floor (7%)
· Leaving cupboard doors open (5%)
· Not putting the milk away (4%)
· Not cleaning the oven or microwave after cooking food (2%)
· Not taking the rubbish out (1%)
· Leaving wet dishcloth on the work surface (1%)

 
DO
· Hang crystals in your windows to increase yang energy and provide protection
· Create the best possible light in your kitchen as dark and dingy kitchens generate negative chi
· Introduce curves – via your kitchen units or extractor fan or through the inclusion of cylindrical objects
· Stick to two main colours when it comes to the interior design – any more than that will slow down the positive chi energy
· Simplicity – keep your kitchen clutter free, it is not a dumping ground for post, keys, toys or work – only have out the appliances that you need to have out such as toasters and kettles.

DON’T
· Keep fish tanks in your kitchen – in feng shui terms the kitchen is a dead meat room
· Have your pet food bowls on display and definitely don’t have your cat litter tray in your kitchen – it’s bad hygiene
· Have plants or flowers – symbols of life and growth in the dead room. Herbs are ok as they’re food
· Have sharp knives on display as their sharp lines literally put people ‘on edge’
· Position your cooker directly below your bed – it leads to increased coughs