b'Karen Walkerat work boxfabric scraps, ripped out pages from magazines, KarenWalkersinfluenceontheinternationalfashionobjectsanything that caught her eye. scene cannot be overestimated. With her strong senseI then laid them all out on a table and grouped them.ofpersonalstyle,herconfidence,herindisputableI built the colour palette using the same process I follow design talent, and her business and marketing acumen,when developing a clothing range. I look for the elements thefashiondesignerhasestablishedaninternationalthat go well together and work out where the gaps are.reputation for her clothing. She sent her ideas to Resene and received A4 drawdownNow in her mid-30s, Karen has proven yet again that answatches back. It took almost three weeks of tweaking theinterest and ability in one field of design can be readilycolours and sending samples backwards and transferred to others. Last year, she launched her newforwards from her studio to Resene before jewellery range at New Zealand Fashion Week, and her shepronouncedherselfhappywiththe colour sense is also influencing the world of interior design. results. The Karen Walker paint range has Four years ago, Karen was approached by Resene to create now been extended from the original 29a Karen Walker paint range exclusively for the company. colours to 42 shades, and the new chart I was asked to do something that expressed the Karenwas released onto the market in September Walker look, she says. So I created my own brief. Many2004.people lack confidence about colour and become easilyat homeoverwhelmed by too much choice. I wanted to removeWith a keen awareness of the brandsthis colour phobia. Thats why I initially developed a smallthat most closely reflect her personalchart of only 29 colours. preferences,KarenWalkerdescribesher The look I was aiming for was that of dusty, worn,interior design taste as being more aligned antique interiors. Colours that would appear muted andwith Casa Vogue, which she adores, than with Wallpaper. Get your copy ofthe Karen Walkerfaded; the way they get after theyve been around forShe likes mixing old and new. In her home, youre likelychart online from 20 years. Im not a minimalist or a fan of feature walls. tofindVictorianfurniturealongsidethesleekestofwww.resene.co.nzor any Resene-owned I like the walls in my own environment to recede into thecontemporary pieces. ColorShop.backgroundI dont want them to be the star. Its theKarenandherhusband,advertisingagencycreativeSee Karen Walker people in a room that count. fashion online at directorMikhailGherman,liveinWestAucklandswww.karenwalker.com.Overafour-monthperiod,KarencollectedsamplesSwanson, in a distinctive 1933 white stucco house perched ofcoloursthatseemedtohertoreflectthedusty, on top of a hill overlooking their 12 acres of bush. Its one muted qualities she was looking for and threw them into a of the few art deco houses in the Waitakeres.36 |'