Grace Bonney
Grace Bonney is an author, blogger and entrepreneur. She is most well known for founding the interior design blog "Design*Sponge", which she ran for 15 years. Bonney wrote "The New York Times" bestseller, "In The Company of Women", a book featuring more than 100 stories about women entrepreneurs who overcame adversity. She also wrote the DIY interior design book "Design*Sponge at Home". Career. Section::::"Design*Sponge". In 2004, she founded the interior design blog Design*Sponge, which is dedicated to intersectional and inclusive conversations about design and cultural issues. The site posted content daily and was dedicated to fostering a creative  community. The popular website reached nearly 2 million readers per day for 15 years and was called "one of the internet's most popular design blogs" by Adobe. The last article on "Design*Sponge" was posted in August 2019 and the entire blog now officially archived in the Library of Congress. The blog started out as a side project which Bonney ran alongside full-time jobs, first at a design PR firm and later as a freelance writer for multiple interior and design-related publications including "House and Garden", "Domino", and "Craft". As "Design*Sponge" gained large loyal following (and therefore interest  from advertisers), it became the type of job that Bonney had hoped to find at a magazine and by 2009 was making enough revenue for her to work on it full-time. Becoming popular during this time period of 2004-2009, Bonney has said that she benefitted from being an "early era blogger" and being one of the first on the scene. She described the situation then, "When you went on the internet and looked for furniture or interior design, there was only going to be a few of us that popped up. We grew in a way that is  nearly impossible to do today, organically." The focus of the blog evolved over time, reflecting Bonney's own personal evolution and new interests. It moved "away from products to center on people" including addressing "topics such as how gender, classism, and racism, social issues, and diversity connect to and influence design." Bonney's decision to close the blog was based on the shifting advertising industry, the role of social media and the proliferation of design sites. The changes in the design media landscape meant that advertisers were requesting cheaper ads and it was not enough to sustain the website. Instead  of trying to shift the content strategy or "chase clicks", Bonney decided to end the blog after its 15th year. Section::::"Good Company". In 2018, she began publishing the print magazine "Good Company: Where Creativity Meets Business". The magazine was inspired by Bonney's book, "In the Company of Women". The magazine was created to provide "motivation, inspiration, practical advice, and a vital sense of connection and community for women and non-binary creatives at every stage of life." Intended to be bi-annual, the magazine ran for three issues. Personal life. Bonney was raised in Virginia Beach and attended the  College of William & Mary, subsequently moving to New York. She was bullied in middle school and high school for her sexuality; because of this, she struggled with accepting her sexuality until age 30. In October 2003, she met Aaron Coles, whom she married in 2009 and divorced in 2011. Following her divorce, she publicly came out as lesbian. In 2013, Bonney married chef Julia Turshen. On the "LGBTQ&A" podcast, Bonney said, "I mean, it's a super stereotypical lesbian story of email, date, moved in three days later, married four months later, dog, house, all the cliches." She identifies as  queer. She has Type 1 diabetes. Bonney has spoken out about how women have unrealistic expectations about work and life balance, and believes it is important for women to learn about successful role models. She was noted for her entrepreneurial work in the Frederick Douglass 200 project, which honors the impact of 200 living people who embody the spirit and work of Frederick Douglass.