About ME & MY WORK

I am Karen Oriana Fellner. I grew up in South America, watching my dad - a TV producer and photographer, and my mom - a journalist and teacher, work really hard and loving their work. We moved from house to house, apartment to apartment; on each one I captured memories of neighborhoods, rooms and living rooms that I liked to explore - the stained glass at the staircase, the blue mosaic in the kitchen and a row of hanging ferns. The little things that made each place a special one.

My interest in architecture and design has been always there. My mom owned several encyclopedias, one of them on modern homes and furniture, and accent wallpaper, which I liked to read over and over.

I watched the construction of a school from my living room balcony. That sparked my interest in the construction field. I wanted to know how buildings became buildings. The balcony had an italianate balustrade, the roof had red clay tile and the fence was a wrought iron fence. In school, I excelled in math and physics, loved art - I was into Modigliani and Guayasamin.

I entered Architecture School at the State University in Guayaquil and after 2 years I moved to New York City for an opportunity to study Business Management. I lived in Brooklyn and attended The City College of New York/CUNY’s 5 year Architecture Program and had many countless sleepless nights in the studio. I am a registered architect in New York State; I studied for the architectural exams in various coffee shops, which played a broad selection of music.

Today, I love what I do - Residential and Workplace architecture and design. I have thirteen years of experience designing K-12 education buildings, high end corporate interiors, retail and private residences in NYC, NJ, LI & Westchester County, NY. I collaborate with owners, engineers, contractors, project managers, tenants, manufacturers and vendors to achieve all project goals. My work at Gensler & Design Republic have provided a solid foundation to the areas of Workplace interiors, interior design, and FF&E. My work at SBLM Architects helped me gain experience in K-12 NYC SCA, public and private school & university projects in NYS. My work at JWA Architects & Lind Design introduced me to the design & construction of single-family homes & commercial spaces in Westchester, NY and beyond.

I work closely with my clients, while I enjoy managing all phases of work. I like to start the conversation and engage the owner in the design process at an early stage, from their input in budget, schedule, and programming, to selecting finishes and reviewing contractors’ bids together. I conduct surveys myself to understand all existing conditions and provide accurate design advice, and I conduct construction visits to review the project progress and address field conditions. The end result is to create spaces that are beautiful, functional, and budget friendly.

• Karen Oriana Fellner, RA, AIA