How to Design a Chic Kosher Kitchen, According to Designers

In the first season of the Netflix series Nobody wants that, Joanne Williams (Kristin Bell) hopes to impress the parents of her new rabbi boyfriend Noah Roklov (Adam Brody) and brings a charcuterie board for lunch at Noah's parents' house. As it turned out, she had unknowingly brought a plate full of ham into the family's kosher kitchen.

The Roklovs' spacious Italian kitchen is bright, colorful, and as early as a blueberry Pop-Tart. But the world of kosher kitchens has become even more modern than the charming one we see in the series. With the show's second season hitting Netflix today, we take a closer look at kosher kitchen design and speak to the frontrunners.

What exactly is a kosher kitchen? In a kosher kitchen, meat and dairy products are separated. They are stored separately, cooked separately and the plates on which they are eaten are cleaned separately. Utensils also need to be blessed and made kosher. This type of cuisine is used by many kosher-keeping Jews, whether they are Orthodox or Reform. (And all non-kosher foods — ham, shellfish, a certain charcuterie board — are not allowed in the space.) In general, kosher kitchens look like any other kitchen, only with dual features: two sinks, dishwashers, ovens and cutlery sets, and clear systems for organization and preparation.

A room in a kosher home with two kitchens designed by eggersmann USA in Dallas.

Evan Soltoff, VP of operations at eggersmann USA—a custom furniture company that works on both kosher and non-kosher kitchens—says that creating a kosher kitchen “starts with understanding how a family really lives. Each kitchen is completely custom, allowing us to make the most of every inch by optimizing storage, counter space, and separate areas for meat and Add dairy without it feeling overwhelming or complicated.”

What every family needs, however, says Rivky Ungar of the Toronto-based company Make it kosherhe says, is durability. For her customers, she notes, “We say that Shabbat (Friday evening dinner) is like Thanksgiving every week.” The meals are delicious, large and often complicated. Also: “Many of these families are large. The largest have twelve children.” Things are subject to a lot of wear and tear.

Ungar has been in the kosher kitchen business for nearly two decades and has seen many styles come and go. She points out that when stainless steel was trendy, the duplicates could seem overwhelming, transforming a kitchen into something resembling a spaceship.

“It can be a lot of stainless steel,” she says, “Integrated panels definitely help. If you need two ovens, two dishwashers, two burners, hiding everything you can helps.”

A room in a two-kitchen kosher home in Del Rey Beach designed by eggersmann USA

Soloff feels similarly about hiding devices. “We can design refrigerator drawers or discrete fridge-freezer combinations that keep food separate without doubling the use of appliances,” he says. “Even our custom pantries can be outfitted with jars, shelves, and hooks, making it easier to stay organized while keeping everything visually clean.”

But the most important thing is to maintain space for family and tradition. Says Dana McManus, Director of Marketing at Eggersmann USA“Kosher cuisine has always been about more than just cooking.”