Meet Trish Bonney | Principal Designer & Owner, TAB Interior Designs.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trish Bonney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trish, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am originally from a tiny town in Vermont, one mile from the Canadian Border. Growing up, when asked what I wanted to be I always said “an artist”. Unfortunately, when I was in high school I realized college was financially not a possibility for me, I decided to join the Air Force. I did my 20 years in the military, but all while still dreaming of artistic and creative outlets. When I retired, I decided to go back to school again (I have degrees from while I was in the military) for interior design. Growing up in the military has definitely been a positive impact for my career today…I am well aware of how to multitask, I have a huge respect for timelines, my ethical values are important as I am very upfront with clients in tough situations, and my ability to wear many hats for the many roles involved in our industry has for sure been beneficial. Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I figured out that going straight into college from high school was not in my cards, I saw the military as my only way to get out of the small town I grew up in. With that being said, I felt like any dream I had of doing something creative was just that…a dream that I needed to let go of. When I finally got to a point that I was able to take college courses while in the military, I spent several years just taking one or two classes at a time attempting knocking out my general requirements. Eventually I came across a professor that made us write down our short term and long term goals. It was then that I realized that I stuffed dreams and goals so far back that it actually upset me. I decided that day, that I knew life would be a struggle but if I could muster up that determination that I had to make it thru basic, with patience I would make my path happen. I may not be a painter in Paris like I used to say when I was little, but I was going to put myself in a position where I could be creative and use my imagination. My path was not a clean straight shot, but I feel that all of my past experiences have all been instrumental in positioning me to where I am today. For my brand and business, I don’t hold back, I don’t pretend like everything is easy, perfect, and pretty. In our industry, there is so much that many try to make it look like interior design is so glamorous. I prefer a realistic path and to educate along the way so that all are aware, it may not be a pretty process but the end result will be worth it…similar to my own personal adventures.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
So I currently live in Colorado and if my best friend was to come to visit over a weekend I would love to show them my favorite spots! I appreciate antiques shopping, taking long walks on the thousands of trails all around the state, and then I love going into the small towns where it feels like time has stood still. Central City and Cripple Creek are both towns with beautiful, historical architecture that I love to take time to appreciate. Breckenridge is a favorite area of mine as well, there are amazing restaurants and shops to peruse as well as the gorgeous surrounding nature that is so inspiring. If I was to stay here in Denver, there are way too many wonderful restaurants to check out just over a weekend, but because I like to go shopping, a great spot to pop into that allows for mouthwatering finger foods to grab as you check out antique shops is Maria Empanada’s…so yummy!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When I went to school for interior design, I was introduced to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) chapter of Colorado. Because I know that there is a need and benefits in being as involved and immersed as much as possible in ones industry and to do so as early on as you can, I jumped in and filled a position for my school chapter. After school I remained a very active member and with that I have gained so many wonderful relationships as well as more knowledge and my favorite is that I have been able to be a part of some amazing volunteer projects. Being able to volunteer and help to care for my local community is very near and dear to my heart. When covid ramped up, unfortunately that put a damper on my love for projects like this with ASID, but due to the connections I have made I was still able to find one of my own where I was able to help design and donate beautiful bedding to a new group that is opening a home for women saved from trafficking rings. So ASID has been instrumental to me and a group that I plan to continue to support for many years to come.

Website: https://tabinteriordesigns.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tabinteriordesigns/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tabinteriordesigns/

Other: https://www.houzz.com/pro/t-a_b_designs/tab-interior-designs-llc

Image Credits
Rebecca Todd from TruBlu Images https://trubluimages.com/