A spacious kitchen houses three sinks, three ovens, two dishwashers, two cook-tops, and two refrigerators. The multiple appliances and generous counter space help facilitate food prep and cleanup for a big gathering. They also make it easier for the family to eat according to Jewish dietary laws, which prohibit the mixing of dairy and meat at any point in the cooking or dining process. Keeping kosher entails two different sets of plates, utensils, pot and pans, and cooking implements. To store both sets of equipment, the kitchen contains floor-to-ceiling cabinetry as well as a pantry. The family’s observant lifestyle requires them to avoid physically turning on lights on the Sabbath, so the refrigerator and oven are both equipped with “Sabbath mode.” This programmable feature stops the lights in each appliance from coming on when the door is opened.
The kitchen’s full-size dishwashers each sit 8 inches above the floor, eliminating the need to bend down when loading or emptying them. In fact, the home possesses many universal design or age-in-place features. The clients plan to live in the house for the rest of their lives, and they want to be just as comfortable decades down the line as they are now. “The question is, how does the house suit you today, when the kids are in college, when they’re coming back, when you have grandkids,” says Rosenthal Homes’ Josh Rosenthal. All of the first-floor and lower-level door openings and hallways are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, if anyone in the family ever needs one. And the lower level’s two guest rooms eventually could house elderly relatives.
Also located on the basement level is a small secondary kitchen that comes in handy when the family hosts large parties or events. But it primarily serves as a Passover kitchen. Making a kitchen kosher for Passover requires that the countertops, oven, dishwasher, and sinks be cleaned in a specific way, and that another separate set of serving dishes and plates be used. Rather than overhauling the main kitchen every spring, the family simply heads downstairs to cook in the smaller one, where they keep all of their Passover equipment.
Levinas created a dining room sink and sideboard especially for the Jewish pre-meal handwashing ritual, using wood that matches the clients’ dining table. Like the rest of the house, this design element smoothly integrates the family’s customs into their everyday lives—exactly the idea behind a true custom house. “It’s perfect for them,” says Rosenthal. “You can see them in every detail and every corner. To us, that is the essence of a custom home.”
Project Credits:
Builder: Rosenthal Homes, Rockville, Md.; Architect: Shinberg Levinas, Bethesda, Md.; Interior designer: Roy Lykes Interior Design, Bethesda; Landscape architect: DCA Landscape Architects, Washington, D.C.; Living space: 10,000 square feet (includes finished lower level); Site: .7 acre; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Bob Narod (except where noted).
Resources:
Bathroom cabinets: Cabico and Rosenthal Homes; Bathroom plumbing fixtures: Grohe, Kohler, and Toto; Dishwasher: Kitchen Aid; Entry door/interior doors: The Artisan Door Co. of Montana; Exterior siding: James Hardie; Garbage disposer: In-Sink-Erator; Insulation: Icynene, Circle 409; Kitchen cabinets: Nolte Kitchens; Kitchen plumbing fixtures: Hansgrohe; Lighting fixtures: Maurice Electric Lighting; Oven/refrigerator: Kitchen Aid; Paint: Benjamin Moore; Patio doors/windows: Weather Shield; Range: Dacor; Roofing: GAF.
