Grace Bonney

Grace Bonney (born June 9, 1981) is an American author, blogger, and entrepreneur. Bonney is best known for founding the interior design blog Design*Sponge, which published 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. Bonney is also the author of the DIY interior design book Design*Sponge at Home.

Career

Design*Sponge In 2004, Bonney 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 two 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 is archived at the Library of Congress. Intended to be bi-annual, the magazine ultimately ran for three issues.

Personal life Bonney was raised in Virginia Beach and attended the College of William & Mary. Bonney moved to New York after college. Bonney was bullied in middle school and high school for being queer; because of this, Bonney struggled with internalized homophobia until age 30. In October 2003, Bonney met Aaron Coles. They married in 2009 and divorced in 2011. Following the divorce, Bonney publicly came out as queer.

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." Bonney is queer.

Bonney was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 35. Bonney's entrepreneurial work was noted in the Frederick Douglass 200 project, which honors the impact of 200 living people who embody the spirit and work of Frederick Douglass. Published work

Design*Sponge at Home (2014), Artisan; In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs (2016), Artisan; Collective Wisdom: Lessons, Inspiration, and Advice from Women over 50 (2021), Artisan;