DESIGN

well planned , WELL EXECUTED

DESIGN KIMBERLY BACON INTERIORS | STORY TERRI GLAZER PHOTOGRAPHY ROSS GROUP CREATIVE

most homeowners have an idea of what they want when they undertake a home renovation, but few have as clear a plan as Hal Beckham. His careful thought, aided by the expertise of a creative designer and a trusted builder, resulted in a new kitchen, dining room and family room that fit the Beckham family’s needs like a glove.

“I thought about what I wanted for five or six years,” says Hal. Then, about a year before he and his wife Lori gave the go-ahead for construction to begin, he made a cardboard diorama version of the new kitchen to help Lori visualize his concept.

“We had done a few previous additions and in one of them, things didn’t quite fit like we thought, so I wanted to make sure everything was to scale and would fit,” he adds. The primary cook in the family, Hal knew he wanted his new kitchen to have uncluttered counters, so he inventoried every piece of culinary equipment they owned and mapped out a spot for it, down to which drawer or cabinet it would occupy. The plan included specialty cabinets outfitted for utensils and spices, and a pair of appliance garages that cleverly hide the couple’s most often used small electrics. In the modified galley-style kitchen, space was at a premium, and his inventive setup made the most of every square inch.

Once Hal had a place for everything, he and Lori turned to professionals to implement the arrangement. The Beckhams had worked with Greg Mitchell of Heritage Builders on an earlier renovation—they’ve done five on their Germantown home in the 29 years they’ve lived there—and they reenlisted him without hesitation. They also called on Kimberly Bacon, owner of Kimberly Bacon Interiors, to steer the design and decor choices.

the couple chose a beautiful dolomite stone from Italy for the countertops in the kitchen and the wet bar area in the living room. Interesting without busyness, it includes both warm and cool tones, enabling limitless color choices for surrounding design elements.

Bacon opted for white wall and base cabinets with a light coat of glaze to soften the finish, allowing it to pick up the beautiful whites and creams of the countertops. For the island and bar area cabinets she selected a soft taupe. Oil-rubbed bronze hardware throughout unifies the look and plays perfectly off the custom copper and brass vent hood from CopperSmith.

Neutral subway tile gives the kitchen backsplash a timeless feel that Bacon continued in the bar, but with another classic material, antique brick. Ever attentive to detail, Hal hand selected the placement of each brick to achieve the perfect blend of light and dark tones.

Hal’s ingenious kitchen plan included a tower that serves several purposes: it provides a spot for a wall oven, a combination convection oven/microwave and a warming drawer, as well as storage and display space for the Beckhams’ large collection of McCarty pottery. The structure also acts as a visual barrier separating the public part of the home from the family’s more private rooms down the hall.

While the new kitchen is a show stopper, the rest of the renovated area also deserves accolades. The project changed the entire layout of the front of the house, removing a wall, raising the ceiling and adding a 12-foot long extension to fully accommodate the new living room and pantry. The new dining room, which occupies roughly the area of the original living room, is light filled and right sized. Bacon selected a trestle table in distressed pine, surrounded by linen-upholstered chairs, to give the space casual elegance.

the reimagined living room is anchored by a stunning cast concrete fireplace. A wall of solid limestone blocks rises from it, extending to the vaulted ceiling to create an impressive focal point. Bacon filled the space with comfortable seating in neutral and blue hues, set off by a light-toned Oushak rug from Oriental Rug House.

Pantry doors don’t often make the list of most remarkable design elements in a home, but the Beckhams’ is a definite exception to that rule. Sourced from Front Street Antiques, the vintage glass-andwood piece once hung in the Memphis College of Art’s original home in Victorian Village. Lori recalls that the initial plan was to strip the door and paint it white to match the rest of the millwork in the room. Once Hal started the process, though, the plan changed. “All the beautiful layers of patina that it has…we just left it and the colors are perfect with our other choices.”

Bacon agrees, “All those colors represent the years, the history behind the door.”

From the homeowner’s meticulous preparation to the designer’s creative choices to the contractor’s quality workmanship, this renovation defines the importance of thoughtful planning.