The winning kitchen: The couple who built a multi-million empire

Tamar (27) and Asher (32) Shayo, a couple in both business and life, have become well-known names in Israel’s design scene over the past five years. They own "Nano Kitchens," which boasts an impressive and innovative showroom on Lihi Street in Bnei Brak and an advanced manufacturing plant in Emanuel, spanning no less than 2,600 square meters. Their bold decision a few years ago to invest all their energy and resources has proven accurate and correct. Today, their company is at the forefront of the local design scene.

The two have been married for about a decade. At the start of their journey together, Asher managed the small but successful carpentry workshop he had built from scratch in Elishama, while Tamar studied interior design. “The world of carpentry flows in my veins from a very young age,” says Asher. “My extended family specializes in the wood industry, and my closest relatives own companies that specialize in different aspects of the field, such as bedrooms and children's rooms. I remember being drawn into this world as a child, especially during holidays. I started from the bottom, with the most labor-intensive tasks, and over the years, I became skilled in all aspects of the field—from installations in customers' homes to designing furniture details and sales.”

“At 24, I decided to take the plunge and opened my own workshop, specializing at the time in artisan carpentry. The aspiration from the beginning was to make meticulously planned and high-quality products accessible to designers and end customers, using advanced technologies and implementing innovative solutions. These are exactly the reasons the business thrived from a very early stage.”

“Four years later, Tamar and I decided it was time for another leap forward, driven by the desire to provide products of even higher quality, from the best raw materials in the field, and with the most precise finish—things the small workshop was already struggling to accommodate due to the high demand. We made many sacrifices, used our savings, and opened an innovative and advanced kitchen manufacturing plant that operates with advanced technologies and combines computerized machines imported especially from Germany, which are operated without human intervention, allowing us to achieve perfect precision and produce amazing details.”

As you might have guessed, they didn’t stop there. Alongside opening the plant, they began a complex process of developing an extraordinary new showroom of about 300 square meters, a one-stop-shop that provides a comprehensive solution for kitchen buyers—from planning, designing, and manufacturing the furniture to supplying countertops and electrical appliances, all under one roof.

“The decision to transform the existing workshop into a much larger and advanced complex was inevitable. To create a different kind of showroom, we worked for a whole year closely with the esteemed interior designer, Nitzan Horowitz (responsible for the planning), branding and advertising experts, and a professional consultant with extensive experience in the kitchen field. Everyone was committed to the task, and it’s very noticeable in the final result,” recalls Tamar.

“The process was complex, required preparation and thought, and raised many questions along the way, such as what we want to be, how the production system will handle the increased order volume, and how we want to look. Therefore, despite the large area, the showroom includes the display of only five kitchens, no more—this way, we give prominence to the luxury of the products, the finishing levels, the materials, and the special technologies, showcasing endless possibilities without overwhelming the layers,” adds Tamar. “We went through a shared journey during which we refined and distilled the company’s DNA, and although it included many hurdles and difficulties, we didn’t give up. We both believe our passion for the field is very evident in the final product. We think that the personal attention, almost around-the-clock availability, and our genuine desire to provide customers with a comprehensive response from start to finish are very much reflected in the place we created.”

“I attribute the business’s success also to the absolute synergy between us, and we always make and implement major decisions together,” adds Asher. “The best time for us to advance processes is actually not during the workday but afterwards, at the most unexpected hours, after we’ve already closed the laptops and the kids are asleep or early in the morning when one of us wakes the other with a big idea that came to mind. We go to sleep and wake up with the passion to create, develop, and innovate. It’s truly in our souls, with each of us bringing our added value and areas of expertise: I from the product development side and Tamar in everything related to marketing and working with customers, designers, and architects. We connect the worlds to execute every decision in the best and most informed way possible.”

“When it comes to the business, we are both passionate and do not rest on our laurels,” says Tamar. “We have a clear vision to open a kitchen chain in the coming years that will provide a comprehensive response to the public in different parts of the country—from north to south—so they won’t have to travel far. In the chain we envision, customers across the country will enjoy the ability to design kitchens that precisely meet their very specific needs as a family and integrate the most advanced developments and patents, long before they become standard. We are aware of the evolution of the modern kitchen and act accordingly—that’s how we’ve always worked and always will.”