Karen Arakelian

Karen Arakelian

Karen Arakelian is the owner of White House Designs for Life, a complete home furnishings and interior design company based in Fairfield, New Jersey. The store has been in existence since 1982 and continues to furnish great rooms in the Tri-State area! White House Design Resource is a one-stop shopping experience for designers, architects, and other industry professionals. The company is celebrated for their selection, convenience and reliability.

Karen is well-known for her charitable efforts. She founded the Gloria Foundation, a 501 (C) 3, in memory of her mother Gloria who had been a victim of domestic violence. She opened a home furnishings consignment shop, Design Consign, where clients can donate quality pieces that no longer work in their homes. Profits from the shop go to the foundation and are used to help domestic violence organizations support victims and to bring awareness to this serious issue.

Karen also recently started a new division called ''Designers against Domestic Violence'' since most designers are in homes, working closely with women, and may notice some of the signs of domestic violence. They seek to educate designers about what to look for and how to approach the subject. With their new movement #itsnolovetap, they hope to bring awareness nationwide. To help raise money and to learn more about the organization go to thegloriafoundation.org.

We recently had the opportunity to ask Karen about her favorite John-Richard new introductions first seen at High Point Market this April.