ELEVATING THE KITCHEN EXPERIENCE

By Katie Baker

TERESA BECK

PHOTOS BY REED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

The kitchen of any home is a place to find nourishment — either literally from the food prepared by hand or figuratively from the kinship felt with others around a table. It’s the one room in a home guests naturally gravitate toward as the kitchen has become more functional, welcoming, and even luxurious over time. Early historic homes featured a detached kitchen due to the prevalence of fires. Modern kitchens in the mid-1900s treated the kitchen as a workstation focused solely on meal prep. But the kitchens of today have evolved into one of the most desirable rooms in the house to entertain in which requires the artful blend of beautiful finishes and culinary functionality best executed by dedicated interior designers.

PHOTOS BY REED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

Teresa Beck of TBEKTU Design + Development has made a career out of taking the basic use of a kitchen and elevating it into a “mindful concept for living” for her clients. As an Allied ASID designer with numerous awards over her 30+ years, Beck has made a name for herself in Middle Tennessee as a thoughtful designer with an eye for style and penchant for details. Her vision for a home’s kitchen originates by hand in her personal home office and incorporates the needs of her clients plus her own preferences as a cook. “Designers who cook have the added benefit of knowing exactly where you need a particular item to be to perform a certain task efficiently. In the homes I design, kitchens must provide easy maneuverability, adjacencies that makes sense for cooking and clean-up, access to every item, plenty of work surface and lots of storage.”

When creating or renovating a kitchen for a client, Beck begins by visualizing moving through the space as she designs the layout. A large kitchen may need the added luxury of multiple sinks or dedicated workstations for baking & food prep in addition to one or more islands for entertaining or seated dining. While the extras in a large kitchen are fun to incorporate, Beck remains focused on keeping what she calls “the main work triangle” (sink/fridge/cooktop) in sync with the needs of the primary cook. TBEKTU kitchens focus on a minimum of 42" of floor/aisle space between cabinets and even as much as 48" or more if there are two cooks.

Smaller kitchens are even more hyper-focused on organization as Beck points out, “Efficiency is the key word in my book. Although aesthetics are certainly important, function is by far the most important.” The kitchens in the TBEKTU portfolio come with unique features Beck has developed from her many years of personal experience and her dedication to staying on top of the latest in industry wide trends. Clients can expect the following options for their kitchen:

UNINTERRUPTED BACKSPLASHES

Beck installs under-mount power strips with light switches and USB ports beneath the cabinets so that the backsplash can remain free of any receptacle cutouts.

PHOTOS BY REED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

WARMING LIGHTS

After purchasing a commercial grade range for her own kitchen 26 years ago, Beck saw the benefit of warming lights at the cooktop/range instead of base cabinets with warming drawers. Beck recommends, “Whether you are dashing in the door with a burger that you want to keep warm while you grab a shower or are preparing a meal for a large group and want to keep some items warm while you prepare/cook other items— the warming light scenario is perfect!”

LIGHTING

Beck is a firm believer in proper lighting, “There must be lighting to illuminate the workspace of counter-tops, general ambient lighting that provides good overall lighting of the entire kitchen, and island lighting that illuminates the island surface for homework, food prep, food service and dining.” Beck also suggests accent lighting under upper cabinets, inside cabinets, in the toekick space under lower cabinets, on top of upper cabinets, and lighted drawers. “Multi-white lighting is now available, so different color temperatures can be had in the same space: from daylight white to warm white to all levels in-between — it’s a game changer, and can be controlled by app or voice” Beck says. She currently replaces the old 6" recessed lights with tiny 3" openings in the ceiling that provide superior light, but are most invisible in the ceiling.

PHOTOS BY REED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOS BY REED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

ORGANIZED STORAGE

Drawer and cabinet inserts are used to optimize available storage space in even the tightest of nooks. Her use of spice drawers, hidden pantries, and utensil organizers create assigned spaces for everyday items that will enhance even the most elite chef’s experience.

Beck keeps a pulse on the style trends that come and go in all kitchens, but ultimately advises a client to build out their kitchen to their own unique look. While Beck’s kitchen at home remains unchanged for 26 years because she knows and loves her personal style, she finds that most people will redo their kitchen every 15-20 years. White kitchens are a timeless look, but for the client that is interested in a more dramatic aesthetic Beck is known for her signature mix of materials and finishes and attention to unique details.

It seems every few years a new kitchen luxury comes into play — from the espresso machines of the early 90s to the wine fridges of the early 2000s. Current top of the line kitchens boast an array of luxury appliances. Clients wanting the latest and greatest will request instant hot water faucets, pot-fillers over cooktops, touch free faucets for their sinks (which in today’s world may help reduce the spread of contaminates), built-in wine dispensers and luxury larger appliances. However, to Beck, “luxury” isn’t about the most expensive product on the market, “It’s about choosing an item that will elevate a person’s day-to-day experience.”

Kitchens have come a long way since Beck began her career in 1975. Style trends will come and go and while Beck understands the nuances of what makes a great kitchen, she knows the best way to make a client’s kitchen dreams come to life is for the client to be true to themselves.

As Beck says, “Figure out what is most important in your life to live in a home that best supports you and your family’s functional and aesthetic needs and reflects who you are and what is important to you. Your kitchen and home should make it easy to live your life.”

PHOTOS BY REED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOS BY REED BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY

KATIE BAKER is a local Realtor and owner of the Katie Baker Group with RE/MAX Encore in downtown Columbia. Katie and her team of professional agents work to elevate the real estate experience while overseeing every aspect of a sale.