Internship Spotlight: Bonnie Mabry

Bonnie Mabry has been fascinated with floor plans, fabrics, home design, and custom wood working since childhood.  This desire was fueled and encouraged by a father who enjoyed all types of woodworking and furniture building, and a mother who enjoyed crafting and sewing for others as well as the family.  "There was always some type of project underway which brought a lot of excitement and enjoyment as a child," Bonnie says.  However, it wasn't until Bonnie had children of her own that she decided to pursue a degree and career in Interior Design.  She began her design career with drafting classes and has continued to expand her experience in that field for the past six years.

Currently, Bonnie is an intern with Lorna Milner-Brown Design of HIgh Point, North Carolina, assisting with showroom design in conjunction with the High Point Furniture Market.  Bonnie states that one of the most interesting and challenging aspects has been further developing her eye for color, along with choosing room accessories, draperies, bedding, and other accents based on the elements of design learned in the classroom. "There is so much to be said for actually transferring the book knowledge in hands on experience out in the field.  This practical exposure and insight is truly invaluable as far as developing a good design concept for a space."  Bonnie has quickly learned some of the differences that make showroom design stand apart from residential design.  One of first things she noticed is that showroom design is a very fast paced environment and things can change very quickly in this environment.  "It is very common for things to change drastically from one day to the next or even one hour to the next.  Many times a piece of furniture, or even an entire group can be pulled from the line and the designers must improvise to keep the room design cohesive."  Also, the focus of showroom design many times is more on aesthetics than function, whereas in residential design, the family's needs and habits must be taken into strong consideration.  "During my time with Lorna one of the highlights of working with the furniture collections was the showroom window design.  We worked countless hours on the planning and production and in the end it really paid off.  Our windows were a huge success with everyone attending our showroom this past furniture market."

Bonnie says that there have been a multitude of opportunities while working with Lorna Milner-Brown.  In addition to showroom design, Lorna also works as a photo stylist for several furniture collections.  Bonnie has had the privilege of assisting with these photo shoots and observing all of the details that goes into the making of a magazine or catalog.  "Lorna has been a true inspiration to me and has been amazing to work with.  She is always more than happy to share her knowledge and experience in the field of design.  She has involved me in all aspects of showroom design from the planning stages all the way through to the final execution."

Upon graduation, Bonnie aspires to continue her career in Interior Design in the High Point area.  Bonnie looks forward to finding a position that will allow her to implement her space planning skills, CAD experience, and most recent design experience.   ​