German Haus Fair Tour 2023
What an honor it was to have been chosen to go with the NKBA on a trip to Germany this September 2023 to tour the German Haus Fair. It was an unforgettable experience filled with loads of learning, the best food, endless inspiration, and meaningful relationship building.
Day 1. After three days of sight-seeing in Munich, I took the train to the Frankfurt Airport for a welcome brunch where we met our fellow NKBA group members that would be together on this trip for the next 6 days. It was a great way to kick off the week ahead. We then boarded the bus and travelled 4 hours to our first destination, a historic German castle which is now the Burg Hotel Trendelburg. Such a beautiful castle in a quaint little town where we were treated like Royalty. A knight from the middle ages gave us a tour, and they treated us well with a delicious dinner and royal accommodations.
Day 2. Breakfast at the Castle was amazing. We then left for the day to tour two showrooms, Bora and Nobilia. Bora was impressive with it’s brand new Flagship Store in Herford, which had only been open for 5 days. Bora manufactures and distributes innovative products such as downdrafts, ovens, refrigerators, lighting, and more. Check them out here More than cooking – system solutions for kitchen appliances | BORA. They are prominent in Europe and are working hard to expand their market to the USA and I for one am very much looking forward to that day! They spoiled us with culinary treats made right in front of us.
Next stop was Nobilia. Nobilia has a beautiful and enormous showroom and manufacturing facility which supports their role as the leading manufacturer of European cabinets. They build and sell beautiful cabinets, tables, countertops, and storage solutions. Check them out here: nobilia North America – European Kitchen Furniture (nobiliakitchenfurniture.com). After the tour of their impressive showroom and manufacturing plant, they treated us well with dinner and drinks. Then we were off to our home for the next three nights in Bielefeld.
Day 3. Our first stop was the Hettich Showroom in Kirchlengern, Germany. Hettich supplies the hardware for many cabinet and appliance companies. They are a leading manufacturer of all things hardware and we saw some new and amazing products.
Our next stop was Area 30, which was like a mini KBIS, or a convention of multiple kitchen companies showcasing their products, such as appliances, cabinets, countertops, sinks, faucets, etc. This was a great venue that provided a lot of education on new products and so much inspiration. What I loved most was the floating shelf vent hoods. So many cool new products – I walked around in awe the entire time.
Then off to Architekturwerkstatt – a large showroom center displaying premium kitchen products.
And lastly, House4Kitchen for more amazing kitchen design inspiration.
We were finally ready for dinner at the Glueck und Seligkeit in Bielefeld, an old church that was renovated into a beautiful restaurant.
Day 4. Visit to BauTeam Showroom. They treated us to the most amazing breakfast of caviar, oysters, charcuterie delights, and other breakfast treats. The showroom tour was simply amazing, with unique cabinet finishes, out-of-the box creative solutions, and state of the art technology. It was truly an impressive experience.
Next stop was at Kitchen Center Loehne, where there are many kitchen brands under one roof. Again, so much amazing inspiration with many new products, ideas, and technology.
We then had some free time to walk around the city of Bielefeld. We first toured the historic castle in town. One of our group members grew up in the city so she was our tour guide. After the castle, we walked around the city where there is a large shopping area. We then had dinner at Scarabea, a beautiful restaurant in Bielefeld.
Day 5. We had now completed the German Haus kitchen tour agenda, so we boarded the bus Saturday morning to head back toward Frankfurt where most people were flying out of to home the next day. On the way we stopped at a charming little town that served us the most beautiful and incredible lunch I’ve ever had. They had a beautiful garden in back and treated us so kindly. Everyone who hosted us in Germany was so spectacular and kind.
Day 6. Headed home! It was an unforgettable experience that I will forever be grateful to the NKBA for. I made many new friends and met so many amazing people. It’s always so interesting to see how things are done in different countries and cultures. It was an amazing opportunity to learn about new products from our friends across the pond. I look forward to incorporating many of the products I was introduced to into my design and product offerings.
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