Karen Hartmann is the principal of Back Bay Designs operating in Boston and Italy. She has worked in the field of interior design for over twenty years doing both commercial and residential projects. A former partner in the Connecticut design firm Clinton/Olcott, she is also former Vice-President of the May Co. and past president of  the Boston chapter of The Fashion Group International. She is also a long-standing member of The American Society of Interior Designers and, for many years, a practicing certified kitchen designer.

Karen began working with John Phillips on the interiors of Borgo Finocchieto in 2002. She is responsible for selecting all the finishes, furniture, fixtures, rugs and decorative accessories for the nearly 7,000 square feet of the Borgo’s living areas including 22 bedrooms, 28 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, 5 living rooms plus the elegant libraries, dining rooms, bar, tasting room, conference facility and more. To accomplish this huge feat, she spent countless hours seeking out antique pieces from dealers and markets in all corners of Tuscany. She also personally designed all built-ins and case work to make the spaces functionally modern, yet traditional in style. Her ability to express elegance through simplicity gives the Borgo’s interiors a comfortable and very livable feel, while at the same time highlighting a sense of luxury and attention to details. In addition, her dedication to local traditions are reflected in the many reproductions that she commissioned local artisans to make in wood, iron and local stone.

Karen and her husband Frank divide their time between Cambridge, MA and Buonconvento, Tuscany.