A Mid-Week Weekend with BSH Group



Thermador Chef's Kitchen With
New 48" Pro Grand Oven
 with Steam oven built-in.

 There are many Appliance Brands out there that are a househould name, for instance Hoover...When I hear that name, I immediately think of vacuum cleaners, to the point I don't even know if they make anything else.There are a few major appliance brands  that have that same impact, I call it the the "Kleenex Effect". 

When I say "BSH Group" or Bosch Siemens Home Appliance Group I don't "household name". But in fact they are the parent company behind the brands: Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau , household names around the globe and leaders in appliance technology.  My guess would be that a large percentage of people who have remodeled a kitchen in the last ten years will recognize the Bosch and Thermador brands very popular respectively for dishwashers and oven/cooktop technology and a host of other kitchen and laundry appliances. Gaggenau perhaps less known but a leader in elite cooking technology and a brand to explore if you are planning a luxury kitchen renovation.

Arizona Sunset



While the company is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, it has operated a training facility in Scottsdale Arizona for several years. I was fortunate to be invited out last week for an extensive tour and immersion in brand training, it is the last tour they were doing before closing the facility and constructing a new one near the company headquarters. It was a treat to be in Scottsdale and and opportunity to appreciate the landscape and the beautiful giant cactus which can live up to 200 years.





The Frank Lloyd School of Architecture and Private
 resdience at Taliesin West, Scottsdale, Arizona.



Even though the visit was brief it was packed with activity and information, and I was fortunate to be included in a diverse group of some of the most talented and innovative kitchen designers you will find all brought to Scottsdale from around the country for two days of learning and sharing. There is so much to tell that I am planning a separate post on each brand and wanted to begin today by sharing a bit about the Team Build they offered us upon arrival that impressed me beyond my expectations and is a must see for anyone visiting Scottsdale with an ounce of interest in design, Taliesin West, the Winter home and architecture school of Frank Lloyd Wright, now owned by his foundation.





Construction began in the late 1930's, and rests in the Arizona desert foothills, positioned to overlook what Frank Lloyd Wright called his desert ocean, a vast see of varied species of Cacti resembling sea coral, the principle theme behind all of the structures is that they have a roof slope of 30 degrees resembling the gentle slope of the desert mountains . Building went on here for many years, and his streamlined contemporary design belies the fact that he was born in 1867.

Arizona Cactus Landscape



There are several water features on the campus, where the school of architecture still operates here half of the year. And on the tour we were able to visit the personal living spaces he and his wife shared and entertained in, as well as the two theaters, and his private screening room. I now say he invented the original Man Cave in addition to the carport, theater aisle lighting, and THE OPEN FLOORPLAN.

Frank Lloyd Wrights "boardwalk"
to his favorite vista.

When Frank Lloyd Wright died at nearly 92 years old he had authored 20 books, and of the 1100+ project he has designed over 500 were completed. It's a rich history and something I would definitely repeat given the chance also noting it was a fitting filed trip considering the breadth and contributions to technology made by the Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau appliance brands. Over the next week I will look forward to sharing some of the history and innovation that these brands are famous for as well as share some of the results of the brand comparison testing we were able to perform at the training facility.

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