What Karen homes are like
The typical Karen property is a detached family house of four bedrooms or more, frequently single-storey and spread horizontally, with separate living, dining and family rooms and sometimes a separate guest wing or cottage on the same plot. Total indoor floor area is several times that of a city-centre apartment.
Interiors lean traditional: hardwood and tiled floors with large loose rugs rather than wall-to-wall carpet, substantial upholstered furniture, and generous window area facing the garden. Several bedrooms means several mattresses, which is a different proposition from a one-bedroom flat.
Karen also holds schools, churches, guesthouses and event venues among the residential plots, alongside a growing number of gated townhouse developments on subdivided land.