Check Out Bryce Barry’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryce Barry.

Hi Bryce, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Prior to working for Interior Define, I managed a few different kinds of retail concepts majority of them revolving around the home furnishings industry. This industry has always been a passion of mine since I was a little kid.

However, prior to Interior Define, I was running retail stores in the Nashville airport. It was certainly an experience, to say the least, however, I felt that something was missing from my work life. After some very much-needed soul searching, I realized that it was the ability to be creative and work with individuals who also share those common passions. One night I was online deciding if it was time to start pursuing other opportunities and the next thing you know I found my position on LinkedIn. Within a week I had a job offer to be the General Manager of the new Nashville Interior Define studio.

What lead me here though was something that I think sets Interior Define apart from other retailers and that is we truly strive to uphold the company’s core beliefs and values in everything that we do. The exact moment that defined this for me and made me want to be a part of this journey was during the interview process when I was first asked.

“So tell me about Bryce the human?” It was the first time I ever felt that someone wanted to know who I was as a human being and not what kind of employee I could be. From that moment on I was invested in this company because it is truly about the people that are a part of it. We have this philosophy that not one sofa fits all and we really believe that statement also applies to the teams that support our organization. It is that statement right there that keeps me engaged in my role and striving to put forth my very best effort! It also does help that our studios are some of the most beautiful locations I have ever seen. I can not wait for our permanent studio to open after the first year!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As we are all aware, the world has had its hardships and challenges over the past few years. Our Nashville studio specifically has been affected by that due to a delay in our permanent studio being built.

Over the past few weeks though our new studio has started going through the construction process! We can not be more excited as the new year will bring our brand-new studio to life truly!!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have personally lived many lives in this world. Furniture and home accessories have always been an interest and a passion of mine. My first career though was working in zoos with animals! In my last zookeeper position I had, I worked with chimpanzees and gorillas. During my time there I was able to see a gorilla family come full circle having two babies born within 10 days of each other. These memories will stay with me for a lifetime. It was one of the most challenging and fulfilling jobs I have ever had. By the end of my time as a zookeeper, I probably worked with 150 different species of mammals alone. My goal though and the reason I started working in zoos is I had always wanted to work with killer whales. Since I was a little boy they have always been my favorite animal. As we all know, killer whales are being phased out in captivity so by the time I would have gotten to that point in my career(those are the hardest jobs to get), who to say killer whales would be there?

I was working part-time for a retailer while being a zookeeper (being a zookeeper does not pay a lot) and next thing you know I was offered a full-time job that I could not turn down. As my career has progressed I have enjoyed and thrived the most working with furniture and home accents. It allows me to be creative and allows me to bring a client’s vision to life. My favorite clients to work with are ones who I am pushing to think outside of the box and do something that they would not normally do. Every time a space comes together and is it not at all the space we started with the client’s reactions are incredible. By doing this they get to enjoy being themselves and also not doing what is expected of them. That is a part of why it keeps me coming back to my job each and every day! I love inspiring people and encouraging them to be their authentic selves. I look at furniture and home accents as so much more than just items in our homes. I look at it as the snap shoot of different parts of who we are. Here at Interior Define, we truly bring that to life by having so many beautiful fabrics, legs, and sofa collections to pick from. People get the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and try something new!

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
A lot of people do not know about my past life as a zookeeper. I do not always share it because many people have different viewpoints on animals in captivity. I will say that I am one of those people whose viewpoint is very different than when I started, however, my time working with so many incredible animals changed my life for the better. I took my primate zoo-keeping position so I could work with gorillas. Chimps were a part of that and I was dreading working with them. I had worked with people in the past who were not a fan so I was low-key terrified, but I wanted the challenge and wanted to work with gorillas more than anything so I accepted my new position.

They had always been a bucket list animal for me to work with. I worked with chimpanzees and the group that I took care of was very complex. Think of a dysfunctional family group and that almost describes my chimps to a t! I had one chimp named Lou who changed my life on so many levels. He changed how I saw the world and truly taught me that by making assumptions you can miss out on making incredible life-changing connections. He will always be an incredible part of my history and how I see the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: Interiordefine.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/interiordefine/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/interiordefine/

Image Credits
Kelsey Peterson and Meagan Richardson