Keeping it Fun and Functional at Tampa Bay Furnishings

Shawn and Sondra of Tampa Bay Furnishings have been a part of the St. Pete artist community for over 20 years and they’ve always had a passion to tinker. As a woodworker and a metal worker, Shawn has a true appreciation for the maker lifestyle. Sondra’s mother, Lydia, brings 15 years of design experience to the group to round out the maker duo. The team at Tampa Bay Furnishings brings a myriad of resources to the table…including the table. Unlike big box stores, they do an immense amount of personalization for each project to tailor the room, office foyer, or entire house to the individuals they work with. 

They’re a team committed to creating delightful spaces. Earlier this year, they worked with a St. Pete digital marketing firm that needed a special combo of TLC for their space. The crew was a small bunch that aimed to quickly grow out of their office space, but they still needed an affordably designed workspace that fit the creativity of the group and provided practical brainstorming spaces for them. Tampa Bay furnishings helped them transform an old daycare into a dream workspace complete with puzzle themed pillows, a dart board for a decompression station and a chalkboard wall for brainstorming. That’s the magic they offer. Since nothing gets past Lydia and she does her homework, she’s able to accurately pinpoint the style of the individual and the group…even if the client has difficulty articulating it!

In one of their resident projects, they even helped shape a new family. The clients were both previously divorced and needed help making space for each other in their new home. Tampa Bay Furnishings helped them find and design a style that complemented the couple. They listened and worked to understand what the needs of the couple really were. Who cared more about the living room? Who had strong feelings for or against certain colors and textures? In the end, the new home was a space that beautifully meshed them together, complete with a custom handmade wine rack built from repurposed materials as a housewarming gift from Shawn. 

Because the Tampa Bay Furnishings team has a robust rolodex of other local specialists they work with, they were able to collaborate on specialized pieces that their maker skills may not cover. This collaborative work highlights a key theme of the team: they believe in good quality, authenticity and truly connecting.

Another fun element the company provides is the option to think, plan, and create online. They know their clients’ time is valuable and so their online application is a popular element they bring to the table. In fact, they’ve helped quite a few second-home-snowbirds reimagine their space before they arrive in Florida. Clients can just upload the room specs and any photos or thoughts they have on the project and after an interview, the team gets to work with their software to provide a visual representation for the client to accomplish their goals. 

The business does more than transform spaces, however. In their spare time, they also work to transform lives. Sondra is a volunteer for Ready for Life, an organization that helps youth in foster care as they prepare to age out of the system. Sondra spends time as a mentor for foster kids ages 15-25 that are working on this transition. Shawn is the Pinellas county chairman of Real Men Wear Pink campaign, a division of the American Cancer Society that works to raise funds and awareness to fight breast cancer through leveraging local community leaders. Last year, Tampa Bay Furnishings held an auction of donated local artists’ work and gave 100% of the proceeds to the cause. 

Interested in reimagining your space or decorating a new one? Give Tampa Bay Furnishings a call at 727-821-4100 or visit TampaBayFurnishings.com.

Want to become a mentor with Ready for Life? Visit [email protected]

Want to contribute to Real Men Wear Pink?  You can donate at https://bit.ly/2ZviFGI.