Karen Allen was born in Salem, Oregon, and graduated from the Bassist Institute (now Art Institute of Portland) located in Portland, Oregon, in interior design. She worked at Henry Meyer Interiors and House of Design, and managed the interior design studio at Meier and Frank before owning her own company, Design Etc. located in Corvallis, Oregon, for 30 years and counting. She loves designing home interiors, photography, gardening, painting, flower arranging, reading from her library of 3,000 books, being with her grandchildren, shopping, cooking and traveling, and all things French.
