In particular, the one cast by Bern Laxer, who founded the nationally known restaurant and whose distinctive, if not over-the-top, tastes made the decor famous.

Many of the furnishings, including the marble busts in the Cameo room, the frieze on the wall in the lounge and the dark paneling in the dessert room, were selected by Laxer during his world travels.

But Laxer, now 78, turned the restaurant over to his son David in 1993. Where the father was hands-on, the son delegates.

Enter Bucklew, a 57-year-old interior designer recommended to David Laxer by executive chef Jeannie Pierola. At first, Bucklew felt intimidated.

"It's like, 'I'm going to redo Bern's Steak House,' " he said. "Now that's frightening."

Bucklew grew up in Tampa and first dined in the restaurant at age 13. He began his company, Bucklew Design, in 1980 and has helped decorate the now-defunct Boca restaurant in Ybor City, legal offices, and homes in Hyde Park and Palma Ceia.

Working on Bern's, he said, has become his most challenging project. He doesn't have a free rein by any means, he said, "but (David Laxer) left me to do my thing as an artist. We don't want it to be so different that people . . . feel that they are not in Bern's."

* * *

His personal style is best described as minimalist, a contrast to the mix-and-match look that makes Bern's so distinctive.

"I like good clean architecture," Bucklew said. "I like a few nice really important pieces and not a lot of clutter."

When Bern's opened in 1956, it was a hamburger joint with red checkered tablecloths and dripping candles stuck in wine bottles. Bern Laxer was out front. His wife, Gert, waited tables. The restaurant grew into a high-end steakhouse, taking over an entire S Howard Avenue shopping center in the process.

Today it has a seating capacity of 350 and averages 700 to 1,000 diners on the weekends. It offers 6,500 varieties of wine from its 178-page list, one of the largest in the world.

It was host to President Bush in June and frequently snags the prestigious Golden Spoon Award for the overall dining experience, and the Wine Spectator's Grand Award for best wine list in the country.

So why tinker with success?

David Laxer, 35, said it's not competition from other steakhouses -- Ruth's Chris, Shula's, Fleming's, Charley's -- "although that is always in the back of your mind," he said.

He calls the changes a natural evolution. Not much had changed on the menu or on the walls in 20 years. But during the past three years, David Laxer's imprint has emerged. The exterior was changed from brick to white stucco in 1998. Foie gras, crab cakes, oysters and lobster caviar cocktail have been added to the appetizer menu.

The interior changes started in 1999. One room at a time is being completed so the restaurant can remain open. Work is being done mostly during the summer, the slowest time.

There are nine rooms in all. So far, three have been finished.

The Andre Tchelischeff room (named for a famed California winemaker) was completely redecorated. It used to have red carpet on the walls. Over time, the carpet had turned brown. Bucklew thought the room needed "refinement." Mahogany paneling was placed on the walls and poster-sized photos of Tchelischeff and Bern Laxer, some digitally enhanced from old negatives, were hung. It was in this room that Bush dined during his visit.

The lounge, once dark and laden with gold friezes and furniture, has also been completed. Bucklew decided to "tone down" the room. It was gutted. Only a long frieze along the back wall remains, and that was muted with blackish, antique gold.

The ceiling was painted to look like a blue sky with puffy clouds, blue being a new color for the room. Chairs and sofas resembling White House furnishings were picked from a Tampa showroom. A contemporary painting of men on horseback also stands out. It is by a local artist and is unlike any other painting at Bern's. Its background is white, not pitch black.

The mahogany bar also was moved to the side of the room to make room for five more tables. Increasing capacity is another aim of the redesign.

Another completed room is the upstairs dessert room. Bucklew left the 48 dark, rounded booths, adding chandeliers to brighten them and taking out the small televisions above each table.

"This is fine dining," he said.

The Florentine dining room is next. "We're going to salvage as much as possible," he said, peering into the room -- a long, rectangular space that is very red, with dingy carpeting and a dark feel. "For example, the mirror work, the busts and the chandeliers are nice. But everything else is going to go."

Reaction to the changes so far has been "nothing ugly, at least not to my face," Bucklew said.

But he said a few patrons have asked, "Gee, where's my TV?"

Ray Calafell, a Tampa attorney and 32-year Bern's patron, welcomes the change.

"It always bothered those of us who enjoy Bern's frequently that its decor is often described as bordello in reviews," Calafell said. "Now, with the changes, they won't be able to say that anymore."

And Bern Laxer himself?

David Laxer said his father and mother have seen the renovations. They liked the lounge but didn't comment much. Another sign that they have let go.

"In the history that is Bern's," David Laxer said, "the (interior) renovations are really a small blip."

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