23 // Interior designer for
Antunovich Associates *
From: Kenilworth
Lives in: River North
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Already a veteran model and actress by the time she finished high school, Boneham followed destiny to Hollywood. She soon discovered L.A. wasn’t where her heart was, but the city’s high-glamour hotels inspired her true calling: interior design. She honed her design chops through internships back in Chicago while nailing a degree in sociology from Northwestern University in three years.

Three years? That’s fast. What sank in? “One thing I learned from studying sociology is that people are really quirky. If you’re looking for someone who’s perfect or trying to be perfect, you’re just going to wear yourself out.”

Your planner is packed—whom could you make time for? “Someone with similar interests and similar values who treats me really well—but being hunky won’t hurt anyone’s chances.”

On leaving show biz: “I pursued [acting and modeling], but I realized I’m just not passionate about it. You really have to love doing the work to make the things that aren’t perfect worth it. Everything’s a mixed bag, but if you love something enough, the other things are minor.”

On her typical day: “The other day, I spent the morning on the South Side, working on the Salvation Army community center for Antunovich Associates. I spent the afternoon on the phone with the guys from TisBest [the Seattle-based philanthropic organization where Boneham volunteers as a Midwest rep], meeting about marketing. Then in the evening, I went to the Hermès store for a cocktail party because [Antunovich] had done the architecture. It makes picking my outfit a little bit difficult in the morning, but it keeps me on my toes.”

On knowing it all: “Whether it’s my career or my love life, I realized I’m very weary of people who have all the answers. We’re all winging it. I’m just taking things as they come. I fully expect that happiness will come when I least expect it and that it won’t look the way I expected it to look.” —L.S.