Karen Malim, MA
With almost 20 moves, including twice across the Atlantic, 10 full-house renovations and numerous home stagings (‘fluffing’ for the North Americans among you!) under my belt, I love helping clients to confidently create beautiful and practical interior spaces, or to find their perfect new home.
I was a real estate agent in Canada for 10 years from 2002. More often than not I acted for the buyer rather than the seller (like search agents here in the UK). I thoroughly enjoyed the process of being a matchmaker between buyers and prospective properties. Knowing there is no such thing as the perfect home, I discovered I am good at gently encouraging buyers to assess their needs and wants and to come up with solutions they’re happy to live with.
Apart from real estate, my background is steeped in the arts. I was an opera singer and teacher for many years, and the voice - both singing and listening to great vocal music, from opera and song, to musical theatre and jazz - remains a passion.
My strengths include creativity, curiosity and a love of learning, especially when arts-related. I spent an especially happy year as a mature student studying for an MA in Arts Management, from which I graduated in 2013 with distinction. I have an optimistic outlook and find fulfilment in thinking of new and productive ways to conceptualise and to do things.
Most of all, I take great pleasure from working with my clients to turn perceived challenges into opportunities.
What’s in a name?
Myrtle: A flowering evergreen tree that encourages us to slow down and connect with the harmonious cycles of life
For many years Myrtle, a rather scruffy but utterly adorable little Jack Russell, was my family’s favourite dog. She was one of natures’ healers and a wonderfully calming presence in our noisy child and pet-filled home. Myrtle always knew if we were hurt or unwell, and had an uncanny knack of knowing exactly where the source of the pain or wound was.
It turns out Myrtle was perfectly named, as the eponymous plant is known for encouraging us to slow down and connect with the harmonious cycles of life. Indeed, because of these properties in some traditions, myrtle was included in wedding bouquets or given as a gift, as a symbol of union.
And so, the name Myrtleberry Studio was born. The perfect expression of both Myrtle’s calm and healing temperament and the plant’s properties of balance and harmony – qualities I strive for with my interiors, and which Myrtleberry Studio can help you achieve.
And talking about names, mine is pronounced KAR-rehn, as in the original Danish name. This is not because I am Danish (and after watching one too many Scandi series on TV, I say this somewhat wistfully...), but is instead the result of a happy gap year my mother spent on a dairy farm in Denmark! And just to complicate matters, Malim is pronounced MAY-lim…
Ethos
“Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful” (William Morris)
My projects have taught me that decorating does not need to cost the earth. Even small changes can have a big impact. A new paint colour or wallpaper, a furniture edit, some decluttering, or the rearrangement of pictures and precious items that mean a lot to you may be all that’s needed.
While of course sometimes new things will need to be brought into the space to make it function well, sustainability underpins my ethos: if something is useful as well as beautiful, more often than not it can be reused or given a new purpose. I love to be resourceful, repurposing what I already own by ‘shopping my house’, transforming objects with paint and découpage, or scouring auctions, online platforms and charity shops for beautiful vintage finds.
And I will help you do the same.
There are multiple benefits to this approach: you will almost certainly spend significantly less than you would if everything comes from the high street or big box brands; the quality is frequently higher; and vintage or antique pieces inject instant personality into a room
Cottage Transformation
A ‘before and after’ of the sitting room in Myrtle Cottage (which is now available to book as a holiday cottage) shows the transformation from a cold and unloved property into a warm and cosy space which is a pleasure to spend time in.