Karen M. Topjian, ASID, CID
Company: MCM Designs and Home Spaces
38 Regency Cir
Englewood, NJ 07631-5046 map
Phone: (201) 894-5381
Email: karen@mcmdesigns.com
Website: www.mcmdesigns.com
Designer Profile
Karen M. Topjian, ASID, NJCID, CAPS, CGP
President, NJ Chapter ASID 2008-09
Karen is a founding partner at MCM Designs, a professional design firm that undertakes interior residential projects for clients who demand design excellence, high quality materials and unquestionable workmanship.
She founded the firm in 1988 to provide a range of integrated services that includes space planning, furniture layouts, lighting plans, color pallets, fabric selection, drapery treatments, purchasing and on-site project oversight.
In 2009, Karen started Home Spaces, LLC ( http://www.myhomespaces.com ), an interior design specialty firm that offers 2-hour, in-home or in-office consultations aimed on helping people who are looking to working with an interior designer without a long-term commitment.
Karen's major accomplishments in the Tri-State Area have included the design and renovation of suburban homes, Manhattan apartments, townhouses, brownstones and luxury spaces such as carriage and pool houses. She has also designed doctors' offices, conference rooms, clubhouse spaces and corporate offices.
There are perhaps three factors that distinguish Karen Topjian’s success. First, she limits the number of major projects that she undertakes at any given time so that she can participate directly in every project. Second, her in-depth knowledge of construction trades permits her to communicate effectively with architects and contractors and thus avoid costly mistakes. Third, she has developed a special reputation for selecting paint colors and fabrics, and designing drapery treatments.
In all of MCM Designs’ work, the design process begins with a detailed definition of a client’s requirements, likes, dislikes and design preferences. This understanding leads to the development of design concepts for client approval. That approval permits the establishment of a preliminary budget and an overall project plan. Good design is a result of collaboration between client and designer and open communication among the building trades.
Upon approval of the project plan, the design phase of the work is initiated with the development of floor plans, elevation drawings and lighting plans that reflect how the client will live in the home. Each room needs to reflect daily lifestyles so that all members of the household can feel comfortable in their respective spaces. Since good design requires collaboration between client and designer, this phase needs to be open to the subtleties of a client’s preferences as work on fabrics and furnishings, window treatments, colors and finishes is completed.
Karen Topjian is a Professional Member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and was President of the NJ Chapter of ASID, 2008-1009. She is also a member of the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) and a NJ Certified Interior Designer (#058). She is certified by the National Association of Home Builders as a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) and a Certified Green Professional (CGP). She is a member of the Designers Lighting Forum.
She is the recipient of several awards including the ASID Gold Award of Excellence; the ASID Bronze Award for Design Excellence; and the NSPI Gold Design Award.
She has been featured in Small Room Decorating and published in Luxury Pools, Design NJ, New York Spaces, New Jersey House & Garden, 201 Magazine and the Bergen Record. She has served on the New Jersey Monthly Design Advisory Council.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science degree from the University of Maryland. She has attended specialized courses at the New York School of Interior Design and The Pratt Institute.
Please visit her at http://www.mcmdesigns.com.
