An interior designer explains why the kitchen in Aaron Rodgers' $9.5 million home is a 'nightmare'

• Insider spoke to Bilal Rehman, a luxury interior designer, about Aaron Rodgers' $9.5 million home.
• Rehman said the kitchen was one of the worst parts of the New Jersey mansion.

When Aaron Rodgers joined the New York Jets ahead of the 2023 season, the quarterback sought out a pad worthy of a four-time NFL MVP.

He shelled out $9.5 million for a New Jersey mansion just a 20-minute drive from MetLife Stadium — the Jets' home turf — and 15 miles from Manhattan. The ultra-modern home boasts eight bedrooms, 9 ½ bathrooms, a sauna room, a wine cellar, and stunning views of the New York City skyline.

But even with its hefty price tag and famous owner, the suburban residence has some questionable design choices.

Insider spoke to Bilal Rehman, a luxury interior designer who owns Bilal Rehman Studio, about the best and worst parts of the home.

While he loved the exterior and large windows, he said the home had some drawbacks — and the kitchen was arguably the biggest.

Rehman said the kitchen wouldn't function well

The kitchen sits on the open-concept main floor alongside a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.

It has a large countertop in an L-shape as well as an island, all of which feature drawer storage underneath them.

Like the flooring in Rodgers' home, the gray counters are reflective, giving it a sleek feel.

The kitchen also has all the trappings of a luxury space, such as a wine fridge and multiple sinks, but Rehman told Insider the space wasn't up to par for a luxury home.

Specifically, Rehman said the kitchen wasn't designed for actual use.

"I think that the kitchen, in terms of functionality, is probably one of the worst kitchens I've ever seen," he said. "You have to go from one end of it to use the sink to the other end to use the stove, then flip around the island to go to the wine fridge."

The oven and stove are on opposite ends of the room, and the three sinks are spread out on the counters with no apparent rhyme or reason.

Likewise, there's limited counter space next to the refrigerator, so getting meat or produce to a prep area would require walking back and forth across the huge space multiple times.

"Somebody who's buying a $10 million house is probably not cooking, let's be honest, but the chef who is cooking in this kitchen probably hates his life because he can't figure out how to navigate it," Rehman added.

Rehman went on to say he thought the house would need to be renovated for the kitchen to be functional.

"This house has the room," he said. "It just needs to be reconfigured big time."

Rehman said there wasn't enough storage space

The kitchen has limited cabinet space, as there's only one wall in the open-concept room. Much of that wall is also taken up by the refrigerator, which is designed to blend in with the limited cabinetry.

Given how big the mansion is, it could easily fit a walk-in pantry or even an additional kitchen, which has become a big trend in luxury homes.

"It almost feels like a bad flip," Rehman said of the kitchen's layout when discussing the lack of cabinet space. "You know when people who are not designers buy a house and think they can flip it because they've watched an episode of HGTV? It feels like that."

Rehman told Insider he did like the kitchen's Wolf appliances, as well as the aesthetic of the refrigerator that blends into the space. But he was surprised the kitchen didn't have a higher-end stove that made a statement.

"I would expect to see a huge Viking range or something that has crazy burners," Rehman said. "But the electric stove feels a little bit like an afterthought."

Overall, Rehman said he just didn't think the kitchen made sense for the nearly $10 million Rodgers spent on his home.

"I think that the kitchen is going to be a nightmare to use, which makes no sense," Rehman told Insider. "If you're spending this much money on a space, you want it to be something that is so easy, and it has all the appliances and all the amenities and so much storage that you don't even know what to do with it."

"That is what you expect from this kind of caliber, and it's not giving," he added.