hi! i’m candy with a ‘k’ and an ‘e’.

Welcome to my blog. Or, let’s brand it K-log. Sounds like radio station call letters, right?

“Scroll over to 96point3 Kay elL Oh Gee where you gain insight into the obscure nature of home building and interior design. Gather expert tips and tasty tidbits for your home. Lookout for sprinkled in links to songs, to design and building sources, or down more rabbit holes simply for added screen time.  Some posts will be about me, Kande – with a K and an E.” [Imagine that was spoken in the voice of  Ginger from KBCO ]

Speaking of voices (*), it’s a fact that I was asked “not to sing out loud” when I was cast in our school plays. I was the only junior high student to try out for choir and not make it. My proven lack of singing talent has in no way impeded my need to belt out random song lyrics that pop into my head. Like right now…

In this ‘klog-blog’ there will be posts about home design, home building and remodeling, interiors, kitchens, bathrooms, furniture and decor, probably something about garlic, lots of music and fun !

I firmly believe that the residential design and construction process can be easy, seamless and fun!

Early in life I was drawn to the idea of home.

How homes feel, how they function and how they look. From my  suburban Midwest point of view, I took notice of the various finished stages of  all of those ranch home basements…. the unfinished and partially finished, or a whole new world!

I noticed that the bigger fancier homes had columns, curved stairs and curtains. I remember a rustic coziness of a simple cabin at the Lake of the Ozarks, or better yet the parked Airstream! I have a collection of homes, and camp songs, on my personal hard drive.

On the occasion my folks left us alone, I would reconfigure my trundle bed set into various formations. I felt compelled to change things up. In college there were times that I would decline the outing to stay home and move all the furniture around. Catching my roommates off guard with the new couch location always amused me. I never tire of wanting to change up a space.

With my BS in Interior Design from Indiana University and my first design job with an Interior Merchandising firm in Chicago under my belt, I pivoted to residential construction. I’ve stayed with this theme my entire career.  I continue to be excited by the new methods, trends and how far interior design has come from the secretive trade exclusive ways of the past.

My goal for this blog is to share information that causes you to pause. I hope to guide you to consider certain details and how they relate to the overall vibe you are striving to achieve. I endeavor to make you want to  sing a song …. out loud.

I appreciate your interest and your time. I hope that no matter where you are at in the home design and building process that you feel empowered and supported.

(*) More about voices. Lisa Fischer’s performance at Strings Music Festival was one of the top vocal moments I’ve ever experienced. It was other wordly and unforgettable. I felt like mentioning her in case she’s bringing her voice to a show near you.

by design:

I showed up early on a late September morning while my dad, a general contractor, was constructing a store. It was a furniture store.  Queue the foreshadowing music. Could this construction of a furniture store fortell my story? Construction ✔️ Furniture ✔️

My folks claimed that I was named after my dad’s aunt Blanche, yet instead I share my middle name with the construction company, Blair Construction. Coincidence? No such thing. In my case it’s only a realization that I’ve probably misnamed my firm.

Being influenced by our parents is not unique but fascinating nonetheless. 

Growing up, to make money I would work in my dad’s construction office. I typed, and re-typed lien waivers. Made a few bazillion copies of the ammonia laden blueprints. 3-hole punched everything. Held on the line while I tried to book the “most economical round trip fare” to and from wherever my dad was building a building. This time was filled with lessons that impact my projects and life today. Any fellow 3 hole punchers out there? Raise your hand! 🙋‍♀️

When I was not helping contract a new fast-food restaurant or day care center, I was rearranging my bedroom….seasonally.  I remember taking note of how different my house was compared to many of my friends’ more traditional style homes. We had hunter green carpet with wicker looking wallpaper. A kitchen with the brightest yellow formica countertops. My parents had a pair of original Milo Baughman chairs and a table. Yep, I still have these treasures today.

The other side of my bloodline flows from an antique collector in Maine. My maternal grandmother Marion. The sign from her store “Hobby House Antiques” hangs on the wall above my kitchen window. While I may not have know her when she had the shop in Maine, it is her Memphis home’s decor that’s impacted my soul. Zebra patterned plastic telephone protector covers, black wooden carved arm chairs that seemed other worldly to me, the large scale art above the sofa in deep blues and blacks, and the black and white plates that I’ve thought of more that one typically thinks of their grandma’s plates…. and not her food. 

Searching my way through Indiana University, I enrolled in numerous introduction classes within a few schools on the Bloomington campus. Junior year, I met a visiting professor (from Purdue 😳) in the Home Economics department teaching interior design. Oh how I cringed at the department name. Years later I realized that it was the perfect name. Home Economics is an ideal basis for a career in Residential Design and Construction.

Outside of the principals of drafting and design, our borrowed from Purdue professor asked us to look at the world in new ways and I was encouraged to take notice. I have not stopped taking notice. 

I have never wanted to “do” anything else. I am grateful for this knowing and proud of the path I’ve taken so far. 

I am sharing some of these personal details as a way to let you know how committed I am, and have always been, to understanding the realm of home design and building. I endeavor to share my talent, knowledge and experience with select clients that are looking for a teammate to collaborate with.

I invite you to check out my work and keep me in mind for your home team!

Kande Blair Iken