Biography

In the past several years, Karen Eliza pursued a bachelor’s degree in interior design, while working as an intern for a commercial health and wellness interior designer. Her design aesthetic is influenced by her background in fine art, music and choreography which gave her an eye for composition.

She also holds a BFA in Contemporary Dance from the North Carolina School of the Arts. Upon graduation in 2004, she moved to NYC and worked as a freelance professional contemporary dancer for about a decade. Her own choreography has been presented throughout NYC, as well as internationally in Mexico, Japan and Vienna. In 2014, she moved abroad to teach dance in Berlin, Germany and to further her movement training in European approaches. In 2018, she moved back to the US after dealing with an injury to her left ankle and to be closer to her father who was sick.

As a dancer, Karen focused primarily on improvisation. A practice that influenced her connection to the present moment rooted in body awareness. She also has worked with musicians to compose new music for dance and has completed a meditation teacher training. She decided to go back to school for interior design after being inspired by the unique interior spaces she encountered while living in Berlin. As a designer she values sustainability, recycled materials, reusing furniture and materials, biophilia, eclectic aesthetics, controlling for the senses, and designing fluid yet efficient layouts.

Currently Karen lives in Raleigh, NC.