AMC Design’s creative team has expanded, with new designer Karen Lilleyman. A Yorkshire native, Karen has an unmatched creative passion, and like AMC Design founder Ann Marie Cousins, she began her career practicing law.
She originally studied French at Nottingham University, followed by a law conversion at The College of Law, London, before pursuing a career as a commercial litigator in London. In 2013, she left the legal profession and moved to the USA in 2014 to explore new opportunities. Whilst there, she retrained as an interior designer with the New York Institute of Art and Design, graduating in 2021.
Karen tells us a bit about her move from law to interior design:
“I have always been creative. Whilst a career in law can be intellectually stimulating and exciting, it is also stressful and demands a lot of long hours. After 13 years, I was burned out and looking for a way to channel my creativity and work ethic into a more creative outlet. I was looking for a new role where I could have more autonomy and flexibility, whilst maintaining the same passion.
“When I moved to the USA, I actually first explored a career as a yoga instructor. I qualified and began my journey, teaching and learning from some fantastic, talented people. But I always felt the call of interior design. I would sit and sketch ideas, combining colour and texture, and always look out for the next exciting piece.
“I am a huge fan of upcycling pieces I find. I love to create unique, eclectic features, adding my own flair to a space. I am a big believer in finding hero pieces, such as a beautiful sofa or bed, which is both aesthetically pleasing and extremely comfortable, then looking for distinctive vintage pieces to further dress the space.
“When I made the leap to interior design, I was filled with excitement. I trained in New York, and then, having graduated in 2021, I felt the pull of my UK roots, more specifically my home county, Yorkshire. I believed this was where my creativity could shine, so I packed my bags, bought a flight, and began exploring new opportunities. When looking for a new career back in Yorkshire, AMC Design was Karen’s first point of call. Having met Ann Marie on the law circuit, she understood the agency’s creative drive to focus on exploring a client’s personality and felt a lot of affinity to its ethos.
“I am 100% a people person, and love to hear client’s dreams, ambitions and what drives their creativity. I also love taking a client’s initial idea and expanding on it, encouraging them to be brave and to trust me to produce something beautiful for them.
“Interior design is the opportunity for clients to be ambitious, to experiment and express themselves through design, within the safety of their own home. I am extremely sensitive to the atmosphere of a space. I love working with layered lighting, textures, patterns and colours to create a space that feels right and reflects its inhabitants – whether that is cosy, informal, fresh, energising, intimate or traditional.
“For me, the limitless opportunities of interior design are inspiring, and that is exactly what I want our clients to feel as well.”
Why not take a look at some of Karen’s work here:
If you are interested in exploring interior design for your home, please click here to contact us now.