Karen Tsutsumi

堤 佳蓮

ktsu223@gmail.com

Since I was a child, I loved looking at floor plans in apartment advertisements in newspapers and imagining my dream house. I would design layouts that ensured every family member could live comfortably with a smooth flow of daily activities.

Over time, this passion turned into my profession, focusing on interior design for workplace and high-rise residential projects.

While I enjoy the final result of a project, I particularly love and excel at the initial stages—developing strategies and concepts. Thinking through the vision and planning at the start is where I find the most excitement and fulfillment in my work.


Work

Jan 2020 - Present

Interior Designer

HLW International

New York, NY

Workplace Project for Media & Entertainment Client - 16K SF

Workplace Project for Finance Client - 300K SF

Confidential Hospitality Project for Developer Client

Multi-Family Residential Tower - 600K SF/53-stories

Multi-Family Residential Tower - 420K SF/18-stories

Responsibilities are…

Concept Design; Look & Feel, Material Selection, Space Planning, Workplace Test-fit, Marketing Research, Massing Study

Design Development; Visualizations, 3D Modeling, Presentation Making, Presenting to Clients, Finish Sample Coordination

Construction Document; Finish Plans, Interior Details, Millwork Details, Coordination w/ Consultants


Jan - May 2019

Interior Design Intern

Tihany Design

New York, NY

Hospitality Interiors

Physical Finish Sample Package Making

FF&E Spec Chart Making


Jun - Aug 2018

Interior Design Intern

Woods Bagot

New York, NY

Multi-Family Residential Project

Furniture Package for Communal Area

Floor Plan Photoshop Renderings for Presentation and Marketing


May - Jun 2017

Design Intern

Blank Design

New York, NY

Japanese Restaurant Projects in US

Kitchen Equipment Test-fit

Logo Design Assistance

Restroom Design: Look & Feel, Elevation Representation


Jan - Sept 2014

Design Intern

IKG INC.

Tokyo, JAPAN

Large-scaled Commercial & Book Store - 7000 m2+

CD Documentation: Millwork Details Revisions

Physical Model Making


Education

2016-2019

Pratt Institute

MFA School of Design, Interior Design

New York, USA

2011-2015

Japan Women’s University

BS Housing and Architecture

Tokyo, Japan

2008-2011

Denenchofu Futaba Highschool

High School

Tokyo, Japan


Bluebeam

Miro

Revit

AutoCAD

Rhinoceros

Microsoft Suites

Figma

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

Skills

Vectorworks

Maya

Enscape

V-Ray

SketchUp

Language

English - Fluent

Japanese - Native

Korean - Basic

Let’s have a chat ?