Israeli Countertops Blend Ancient History & Sleek Design

While my three-week trip to Israel this summer with my wife and sons was incredible, I have to admit that the kitchen/bath industry is never far from my mind. I had to check out the countertops, the cabinets, and the kitchen and bath showrooms everywhere we went.

We arrived at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv where the ultramodern Terminal Three opened last November. This billion-dollar international terminal was efficient, comfortable and very attractive. A special treat was the discovery of well-fabricated DuPont Corian vanity tops in the public restrooms, featuring coved splashes and undermounted vanity bowls.

A fascinating stop was the splendid ancient Roman port city of Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast, originally built by King Herod more than 2,000 years ago. At the site there’s an impressive Crusader citadel built about 1250 A.D.

Immediately adjacent are the modern production facilities of CaesarStone, which is owned by Kibbutz Sdot-Yam, a communal settlement established in 1940 whose name means “Fields of the Sea.” CaesarStone, a pioneer in the manufacturing and marketing of quartz-based engineered stone products, produces the dominant countertop material for upper-end kitchen and bath remodeling in Israel.

A few days later, we visited Safed, a mountain town in Galilee considered one of the four holy cities of Judaism, and renowned as a center of Kabbalistic mysticism. In Safed we visited the Joseph Caro synagogue, founded by a famous scholar almost 500 years ago. I was amused to see an ultra-modern kitchenette and engineered stone countertop installed in a niche in the old synagogue stonework.

The installer had scribed the trim strips carefully to follow the irregularities of the ancient stone work. It was a striking contrast. The cabinetry had high-tech Italian door and drawer pulls, white melamine interiors, concealed European hinges and epoxy-coated, full-extension drawer slides.

Showroom Insights

I also had the chance to visit three kitchen/bath showrooms in Jerusalem and one in Tel Aviv. Because business has improved in the past year, all four establishments were quite busy. I considered myself lucky that two English-speaking managers were willing to meet with me to discuss the current state of kitchen and bath remodeling in Israel. I give my thanks to Hanan Fridel of Ziv Kitchens and David Miller of Mobalpa Kitchens, both in Jerusalem, for being so generous with their time.

Overall, Fridel and Miller confirmed my strongest impression gained from touring these showrooms: sleek, modern, European design influences prevail in Israel. Solid wood, raised-panel cabinet doors just aren’t seen, nor are face-frame cabinets. Veneered, flat-panel doors and drawer fronts covering frameless cabinet boxes are almost universal. Decorative hardware is contemporary. Large storage drawers are common, and upper cabinets often feature top-hinged, tilt-up doors rather than side-hinged ones. Drawer boxes are almost always made of metal or plastic, rather than wood. Innovative ideas using functional hardware, such as Blum’s Dynamic Space concept, are displayed prominently. Many kitchen displays show base cabinets perched on short metal legs instead recessed toe kicks.

Common appliances tend to be significantly smaller than in the U.S. For example, four-burner gas cooktops are often 60cm or just 24" wide, and five-burner units are often just 70cm or 27-1/2" wide. Most of the appliances are made in Italy.

Since Israel does not have natural gas service supplied by utility pipelines, gas appliances operate from propane tanks installed outside of houses and apartment buildings. The gas is produced locally as a refinery by-product.

Countertop Preferences

Beyond that, both men provided even more insights on current kitchen/bath design trends in Israel. For instance, they report CaesarStone’s engineered stone is the number one countertop material in Israel, with a market share estimated as high as 95%.