5 Questions with Interior Designer Trish Bonney

Trish Bonney, Principal Designer/Owner of TAB Interior Designs, is an interior designer with an incredible background. She was an active duty member in the United States Air Force. She is also an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) with a degree in Interior Design from The Art Institute of Colorado. She has worked in many different design firms as an intern and as an employee before she founded TAB Interior Designs in 2016. Her focus is serving her clients and creating designs that are beautiful, functional and comfortable for the client.

She took the time to answer five questions for us about her work as an interior designer and her passion for design.

How would you describe your personal interior design style?
We have been asked this often and the first thing we like to preface is that our personal design styles, unless our clients are mini-me's, is never a style that we never push or suggest for our clients as we only do what our clients desire. TAB's belief is that a true and trained Interior Designer can produce any design style according to the clients’ needs. That being said, my personal design style is extremely eclectic. I love to mix colors, patterns, and all different styles. It makes my heart happy when it looks like there is an explosion of colors, textures, patterns, and styles but it all works in a beautiful harmony.

What might our readers be surprised to learn inspires you in your design process?
Honestly, we find inspiration in any and everything...artwork, architecture, fashion, nature, our travels, etc. One aspect though that may be a surprising place to find inspiration at is the airport. You have such an amazing array of different people, cultures, fashion, and colors! This is also a good way to see what is truly trending in the general populous...people watching is also just fun!

How often should a homeowner redecorate (not necessarily renovate) his or her most used living spaces like the living room, bathroom, bedroom and kitchen?
We don't feel like there is a timeline or limit as to when one should redecorate, it is more about what makes the individual and all involved want to return to that space, feel comfortable, relaxed, energized, happy...basically whatever emotion the space is intended to evoke should still exist. Once the space becomes dull and lifeless, then it is time to shake things up and breathe life back into the area.

Tell us about your biggest interior design challenge and how you overcame it.
Interior Design in general has so many challenges. One consistent challenge is that clients don't know or don't want to share their budget so then we waste time and our clients’ money in presenting an amazing option that is not tangible which they in turn fall in love with and become extremely upset after the sticker shock. If clients would understand that we have their best interests at heart as we want to exceed expectations, the best and only way to overcome disappointment and wasting of time and money is to be honest and upfront with your designers. Another is with technology in general. Everyone has the world at a push of a button and more times than not, our clients are constantly surfing the web for spaces that appeal to them, new furnishings, lighting, etc. We understand that it is exciting to do this, but it all becomes very overwhelming and again, wastes a ton of time and their money because they then turn around and change their mind frequently. It all comes down to the reason why you hired an Interior Designer, to utilize their expertise to save you time and research what is best for the space, the individuals involved, the surrounding architecture, etc. to get the job done not only in a wonderfully pleasing esthetic, but to also source items that are of great quality, pricing, and hold a unique value. What is easiest to find on the internet and in retail stores is everywhere. Why not trust in your designer to make your space special and individual to your wants and desires? The only way that we have been able to overcome this is to sit down and have a real heart to heart discussion with our clients. We can do the job we have been hired to do and do it well or you can pay us more while you search the internet daily and have us price 20 different sofas, order 10 different samples of quartz, produce 10 different renderings for you to visualize the latest and greatest light fixture. We are just as excited (if not more) to see a finished product, we want you to tell your friends about us and refer us to new clientele, we want you to brag about how much you love your space, how quick and painless the process was...but if it goes on forever because it becomes overwhelming due to the daily searches, it just becomes way over your intended budget and desired timeline.

What is the one thing you always try to incorporate into your interior design projects?
At our very first consultation, when our clients are interviewing us just as much as we are interviewing them, we give them a list of homework to be done prior to the next meeting. My all-time favorite request is that they return with no more than three items that are near and dear to their heart and truly bring joy, happiness, and inspiration to them. These items are intended to be utilized as motivation for the design. This brings a true personal, unique quality to the space. Items that we have been shown have ranged from jewelry, articles of clothing, quilts made by a parent, and my most favorite was what I first viewed as just a rock. This 'rock' though had so much meaning to my client! It was found a few years prior when she and her mom were on a walk. It had gorgeous amethyst crystallization on one side of it which ended up being a focal color for the woman’s master bedroom. But this particular rock was so special because it for some reason provoked a very special conversation between the mother and daughter just weeks before the mother passed away. We were allowed to take this rock and had a custom glass box made to hold this piece for our client and made sure to put it in a special place when the design was finished. Moments like this is what we strive to incorporate as much as possible in as many areas as possible.

If you want to learn more about Trish Bonney or some of the design work she has done, we have provided the links to her website and social media pages (below).

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