Experience

Design & Experience Consultant -Independent Practice

Advising businesses across hospitality, retail, and product-led sectors on how to elevate their offering through design, space, and customer experience.

• Transforming environments to improve customer engagement, flow, and emotional impact

• Aligning product, space, and service to create cohesive brand experiences

• Supporting clients to differentiate, increase repeat business, and strengthen brand loyalty

• Developing strategic narratives that clearly communicate value and positioning

• Delivering consultancy across:

   Product design & development

   Space planning & utilisation

   Customer experience, perception, and expectation

 

Mulberry – Home Division & Retail Environments

A senior creative role within a globally recognised heritage brand, contributing to the development of Mulberry Home and retail environments worldwide.

• Designed and developed ‘Mulberry Home’ collections including furniture, fabrics, wallpapers, and accessories

• Led and collaborted on creative direction for:

   Photoshoots and marketing materials

   Shop refits and retail environments

   Customer-facing technical brand assets

• Worked closely with manufacturers across Europe and the US from concept to production

• Managed supplier relationships, sampling, and product refinement

• Designed retail spaces, concessions, and exhibitions globally

• Established cohesive visual identity across stores, ensuring a “total look and feel”

• Defined brand language rooted in “Quintessential English Country House” style

 

Hospitality & International Projects

• Developed a “turnkey hotel” concept integrating residences with flexible ownership (buy/stay/rent model)

• Created fully styled interior packages for residential and hospitality settings

• Collaborated with leading figures in hospitality to deliver high-end hotel environments

• Worked on projects including:

   Boutique hotel redesigns (spa, bedrooms, orangery concepts)

   Luxury hospitality experiences in the UK, Europe, and Mexico

   Exposure to Napa Valley vineyard investment and hospitality concepts

 

Highgrove (Design, Buying & Retail Experience)

• Responsible for gift acquisition and buying aligned to a discerning customer base

• Curated product ranges reflecting the Highgrove brand and visitor expectations

• Contributed to enhancing the retail experience for Highgrove Gardens visitors

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Charity Work – Shine Mummies (Cotswolds)

• Supported mothers experiencing postnatal depression by transforming home environments

• Designed interiors to improve wellbeing, comfort, and emotional stability

• Focused on the relationship between space, behaviour, and mental health

 

Karen Buswell Designs (Founder)

• Designed and produced handcrafted luxury products including:

   Hand-stitched leather handbags

   Silk print scarves and textiles

   Porcelain pieces

• Managed full lifecycle from design to production and sales

• Sold through retail, online, wholesale, and international trade fairs