Given the huge number of home appliances that are already available in all global markets, wanting to create an unprecedented appliance innovation, is quite a challenge. A challenge, which BSH’s Business Development Team mastered by thinking outside the box and thereby transforming the classic kitchen area. Learn more about the unique BSH innovation and find out how it came about!

Everybody knows at least one person who is hard to buy gifts for, especially when they seem to have everything. That's more or less how BSH’s Business Development Team felt when they got together for a joint brainstorming session several years ago. The task? Create nothing less than the next big innovation for the home appliance market. “Given the fact that existing BSH product categories already seemed to cover all areas of the kitchen, taking on this task promised to be a huge challenge”, underlines Christoph Hepp, initiator of the project. Fortunately, the project team identified one area in the kitchen that had not been part of BSH’s portfolio, so far. The kitchen sink. After a first look into potential ideas, a new and agile project team, suitably known as “Sink Tank”, was set up in 2016 to take over. 

Working in the Sink Tank

Annette Hollemann, Marketing Lead, and Ingo Abels, Technical Lead, took on the challenge of transforming the kitchen into an attractive living space by redefining the sink area. “Our consumer target group often associated the sink area with tedious tasks and little finesse, a pure working area that is far away from a fun space”, explains Annette. Thus, BSH wanted to come up with a solution: An innovation that allowed this area to perfectly integrate and match the look and feel of the living room while keeping the functionality of the sink. Being consumer centric from the start, the team not only yielded important insights from consumers, but also continuously involved them in the design process of the new appliance. “We wanted to offer a highly innovative product that is both well designed and useful, to serve our company’s purpose of improving quality of life at home”, clarifies Ingo. “In the beginning, we only knew that we were going to focus on the sink area and maybe also include water solutions. Other than that, it was a blank canvas,” adds Annette. Thus, the team started with lots of research, brainstorming, brooding, discarding, rethinking and refining until it came up with a strong vision for the future product solution. 

Implementing this vision, though, required a different set of strengths: a great deal of agility, pragmatism, and organization, especially since the team ended up developing a completely new built-in category. The small team of 20 people worked like a startup: The team members covered roles and tasks that are normally spread across various departments. They included consumer research, design, user experience, research and development, communication, and quality management, amongst others. “We kept shifting our capacities to where they were needed most, always adapting and learning until we could finally present our unique innovation in autumn 2022, under BSH’s Solitaire brand”, says Ingo. 

Innovation at its best

The Waterbase is a completely new appliance category made for open, multifunctional living environments. It is a highly aesthetic design object with versatile water preparation options and a sophisticated interior. “The Waterbase blends into any living area without being perceived as a workspace by our consumer target group”, says Annette. The Infinity Cover makes the sink invisible, providing a closed surface and uniform aesthetics, while all key sink functionalities remain – water simply drains away from the Infinity Cover into the sink below and, when needed, the cover slides down to reveal the basin. The Infinity Cover can be lowered as required. From a quick hand wash to cleaning a large pot, consumers can easily adjust the depth of the sink. 

Six Hydronic water types from one tap

The Waterbase offers versatile water preparation choices. With Hydronic Select it offers up to six different types of water – from boiling to hot water around 80°C, sparkling in classic or medium to still water, chilled or at room temperature. An integrated water filter ensures that each type of water is filtered for the highest quality. Regardless of whether you want to wash food or offer your guests a steaming cup of tea, the right water is immediately available with a simple touch of a button. 

Reducing the appliance in every aspect

“Needless to say, our quest for reduction goes beyond the surface”, describes Ingo. The touch display integrated beside the basin allows control of all functions digitally, making even the tap’s single lever disappear. When not in use, it becomes invisible. To go even a step further, the Waterbase integrates the function of small kitchen appliances such as a kettle or a carbonizer, to create order on the worktop, allowing those appliances to vanish.

Smart Body: Creating more order

Washing up utensils or tea towels are items that create disorder and constantly remind consumers of work and chores. The Waterbase makes them all disappear. Storage space for dishwashing detergents, and even more importantly a drying compartment where cleaning utensils such as cloths or sponges can be stored safely and neatly, creating nothing but structure, order, ultimate perfection. Not to mention the two waste bins that find their place in the Smart Body too. “To top it all off, the Waterbase is integrated into the Home Connect ecosystem for easy maintenance or software updates via app”, adds Ingo. 

What’s next?

The presentation at the IFA in Berlin at the beginning of September marked the start of BSH’s unique innovation. “The rush was overwhelming. Every day, large crowds of people gathered around the Solitaire booth,” remarked Annette. “And of course, the crowds then attracted even more interest from consumers, partners and media. We also received very positive feedback by kitchen retailers at the Küchenmeile in Löhne, mid of September. All in all, we reached out to more than nine million people within a very short space of time.” Now that the trade fairs in Germany are over, people can check out Solitaire’s website or the permanent showroom at Schüller’s house4kitchen in Löhne. 

The Waterbase will be available as of January 2023 in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands via kitchen retail. A dealer locator will be available soon on the Solitaire website.