Kande Blair Iken, Principal Designer and Founder of Designed Interiors LLC
About Kande.
1982, St. Louis, MO: Inspired by the estates I coveted in the real estate section of my mom’s Sunday New York Times, I was destined for a career in residential design and construction. 1986, Bloomington, IN: Graduated Indiana University – Bloomington with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design. 1987, Chicago, IL: Began my design career with a leading Interior Merchandising firm in Chicago. Although I may have developed shin splints running through The Mart, my lake shore view from the top floor of the then Playboy building was worthwhile compensation. 1989: Hired as a Construction Project Manager with a high-end residential development firm, with an in-house stone fabrication and cabinet shop. This role was critical in my understanding of construction practices while working alongside much admired Chicago architects. Ask me to name drop, please! 1993, Boulder, CO: Fulfilled a dream to live in Colorado and began a sales career with a building specialty company in Boulder. This experience offered insight into the builder/supplier relationship, as well as supplier/vendor relationships. With a focus on woodwork, cabinetry, hardware and other finish materials, I was inspired daily. And, then the internet happened. 1999: Accepted an inside sales position at a 20,0000 square foot decorative plumbing and tile showroom in Denver. Yes, twenty thousand whole square feet. More than 500 faucets. 100’s of tile displays. I felt like I was attending the University of Plumbing and Tile. 2005, Steamboat Springs, CO: Joined the team at Habitat Construction. Working with and for speculative and custom clients provided great experience in the process of creating warm and easy vacation homes. 2010: Joined the Gerber Berend Design Build team – in the early years. 2015: Started my current business Designed Interiors LLC. 2016 & 2020: Awarded Best of Houzz Service based upon client satisfaction. 2023: Earned two NKBA Specialty Badges for Remodeling, and Floor Plans & Specifications. 2024: Earned NKBA Color Specialty Badge 2025: Continuing to do my best to service the socks off my clients.
That’s me, in 2017, Kande – pronounced “Candy”, just spelled funny. And, yes, if you ask me to climb onto your roof, I will.
+ Super Random Info
My first design inspiration was mined from the Sunday New York Times – local edition, not national even though we lived in St. Louis, Missour. My family devoured the NY Times as other families ate brunch.
After reading every detail of the estates I coveted in the weekly Real Estate section I would turn to the puzzles. One favorite was the “What’s’ The Diff?” where you compare 2 images. My other favorite puzzle is a Word Find. I’ve yet to meet one I did not want to tackle. Look out children’s menus, I’m ready for you. So, in the (very rare) case that you share my amusement of Word Finds….here is a fun Design Word Find, friend!