Karen Myers Award for Excellence in Interior Design History
Karen Myers
Created through the generosity of alumni & friends in celebration of the retirement of Karen Myers, a long-time faculty member in the Department of Interior Architecture and Design, to support students who exhibit excellence in Interior Design History.
Karen Myers began teaching in FSU’s Department of Interior Design in 1979 while earning her Master’s degree. In the footsteps of her own professors, Karen stayed in Tallahassee to teach permanently with the Department, starting a legacy at FSU that spans almost four decades and 1,500 students.
Karen has taught Interior Design history classes for over 30 years, her stories and engaging lectures have been enjoyed by decades of students. Karen also introduced hundreds of students to Florence, Italy, through the department’s summer Study Abroad program.
Iconic Chair Honors Myers
In celebration of Karen Myers’ legacy, the department added the Hill House Chair by Mackintosh to their Library of Iconic Chairs. It is one of the most impressive pieces of furniture made at the turn of the 20th Century. Many alumni will remember Karen’s fondness for Charles Rennie Mackintosh and this chair. The chair is the newest piece in our Library of Iconic Chairs, which serves to honor long-time faculty and provide students with an important learning resource.
Hill House Chair by Mackintosh
In 2009, with the retirements of Tock Ohazama and Peter Koenig, the Department of Interior Design and Architecture began a tradition of purchasing a historic chair to honor each retiring faculty member. Housed within the Interior Architecture and Design office, the Library of Iconic Chairs provides the opportunity to touch, study, and experience the feel, scale, and craftsmanship of some of the most significant chair designs in history. Following Ohazama and Koenig’s retirements in 2009, Peter Munton and Eric Wiedegreen were honored with a chair in 2012 and David Butler with one in 2013. As Department’s historian, this tradition is particularly suiting to honor Karen Myers.
Scholarship Recipients
Karyn Israel
Karyn Israel is the first recipient of the Karen Myers Award for Excellence in Interior Design History. She began her interior design and collegiate NCAA Division I volleyball career at the University of Minnesota and continued with both upon transferring to Florida State University. Her interest in interiors originated from her family of designers. She was exposed from a young age to interior design mainly from her father, a lighting designer. He instilled a passion that she carries with her daily. For her, design is the harmonious combination of technical and creative attributes that support the well-being of its users. She follows this belief to create environments that are invigorating, uplifting, and rejuvenating, with the goal of inspiring others in mind. After graduating from Florida State University, she became a designer at Gensler in the Las Vegas, Nevada Area.
Make a Donation
To make a gift online to this fund, please click the Give button, choose “More College/Unit Designations” and type in the fund name. Please mail checks, made payable to “FSU Foundation” with the fund number (F08562) noted to the address below.
Please note that Professor Myers will be notified that you have made a gift in her honor (excludes donors who request to remain anonymous).
To discuss a gift to the College of Fine Arts at Florida State University, please contact:
Jessica Comas
Director of Development
FSU College of Fine Arts
236 Fine Arts Building
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1170
(850) 645-0701
jcomas@fsu.edu