CEK DESIGN INC's blog

 It was 1993 and I was about to enter my final year in a prestigious master degree program in architecture at Cal Poly. I had spent two years criticizing Post-Modern while worshipping the Bauhaus movement.

For personal reasons I decided to take a hiatus, one or two years tops and I would be back arguing my thesis, I claimed.

I was very pleased and immensely grateful when I realized that 2300-plus people had selected this kitchen for their idea books on Houzz.com

Don't be alarmed. This is not an attempt to rewrite the book that promises a short and sweet journey from dating to chupah, or church - you choose.

What has become very clear to me is that we all sort of like Rules, or at least sonething tangible to follow.

Basic Rules can give us stability and a sense that we are doing it right.

For many years I was known as Ms. Reservations and was proud of my title - “Lean Cuisine Queen” - but somehow, after almost 25 years of marriage, like a mature street cat that found comfort in a home, I have become domesticated.My brisket is known as the dish that will make grown men cry, and Paul, my personal trainer, will drop anything for a chance to have dinner at my house. I think my proudest moment was when my Brazilian black beans tasted exactly like the black beans my mom used to make in my childhood.  (The secret is the garlic and the bacon).

A few weeks ago I read a wonderful book called Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. Loving Frank is a work of fiction based on events relating to the love affair of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney. It follows their lives from 1907 to 1914.

I am a Frank Lloyd Wright fan and have spent hours visiting his houses and taking the in-depth tour of his Arizona studio, Taliesin West. I have walked through Oak Park, Illinois in the rain, and was privileged to set foot at the famous Ennis-Brown House in Los Angeles. Falling Water is on my must-see list.

As a designer, I like the opportunity to orchestrate a complete transformation, and this master bedroom was a project I was happy to tackle.

Marcie and her husband Peter have been my clients for several years and I have helped them with transforming several rooms in their home, including a major kitchen remodel six years ago.

The task this time was transforming their master bedroom from dated and tired to a sleek, contemporary retreat.

The first challenge was creating a new floor plan.

Remodeling can be overwhelming but it does not have to be. As a designer, I walk the path with my clients on a daily basis, from the initial meetings when I try to decipher what their taste is, to every turn on the road as more and more decisions accumulate.

Here are a few tips and ideas I have learned along the way.