Chaletmomma

This week I want to introduce you to my friend Cher Guminey and her delightful home located in the suburbs outside of Cleveland which she shares with her husband Michael and son Cullen Michael.

Her aesthetic is vintage with a clean edge.

I asked Cher where her love of vintage stems from.: “My parents loved flea markets, we would go every weekend. They really had such great style.
My biggest influence came from my Aunt Karen, she was an antiques dealer and had a store which was a big deal back in the early 80's. Her entire house was magnificent with a gallery wall in every room. She was actually published several times in magazines - back when you had to mail in your photographs - I would spend hours at her house mesmerized by every detail.”

This is the first space you see upon entering Cher’s home. Her Parlor - which she admits is her favorite space in the home - it’s her space to sit, read and relax.

Cher and her family have been in their current home 6 years. Over this time she has taken on many projects to turn what was contractor grade into a brilliantly personalized space full of character and beautiful materials.

“Oh boy I have been busy in this house everything was contractor grade except the floor on the main level. I’ll share what I’ve taken on each year.

Year one: I tiled the master bath and added quartz countertop, we also added a bathroom with a shower in the basement. I also updated all the lighting in the house with custom fixtures.
Year two: I tiled my son’s bathroom and added quartz countertop. I pulled out the dark granite countertops in my kitchen and put quartz countertops and a tile backsplash.
Year three: I added marble to our fireplace hearth.
Year four: I decided I hated the tone of my wooden kitchen cabinets so I painted them. I also added ship-lap to my living room wall and the back entry hall.
Year five: I had the carpeting on the stairs, upstairs hall and master bedroom replaced with hardwood floors to match the downstairs. I also added picture molding trim to a wall in the master bedroom.
Year six: We just had hardwood flooring laid in the remaining 3 bedrooms and picture molding trim added to wall in our downstairs hall.

Below are two of the three bedrooms Cher recently completed. She refinished the Jenny Lind bed frame - working on it for the better part of a week stripping it’s white paint. Many of the furnishings are Facebook Marketplace finds. Cher loves to source antique and vintages items for clients too! Both rooms are stunning!

“I grew up watching all of my aunts refinishing furniture to sell in the store so I came by it naturally.”

Even though Cher studied Visual Merchandising her love of home has been with her always. Cher recalled how her childhood bedroom was decked out with a canopy bed and a matching hutch it was all very shabby chic and of course she had rock posters. “I went to school for visual merchandising, my love of fashion and being around it out-weighed my love for interiors at the time. Although the two majors were close in regards to classes Art History, Textiles and Photography.”

Cher told me how satisfying it is to create just the right vignette. Cher really lets objects sing because you can truly appreciate them - her design sense is not about excess.

“I think a room should create a mood and a feeling when you walk into it.”

— Cher Guuminey

On the heels of completing the bedroom redesigns she just finished painting all the interior doors in the home. “I just painted all the doors in the house - I used Sherwin Williams and colored matched a shade from a friend. I couldn’t be happier with the result. Each thing I do brings another layer - another bit of me into the house.”

Cher’s home was featured on Apartment Therapy in March. “My feature in Apartment Therapy was surreal. I submitted photos 2 years earlier and was politely declined. I know it was my gallery walls that landed me the feature. Both these walls came at such a profound time in my life with the loss of not only my beloved Mother but, two Uncles and my Grandmother within such a short period of time.”

Parlor

Powder Room

Cher went into more detail: “My mother died suddenly on her birthday two years ago, and 48 hours later my uncle died. Six weeks later my other uncle died and then I lost my grandmother the following month. The grief of these four losses consumed me - so I set out to create a place I could go to heal.”

Cher added “It means so much to me to see my son Cullen’s appreciation for antiques and collectibles. It runs so deep on my moms side of the family and to see him enjoy it brings joy to my life. I have found some of my greatest treasures with him by my side.”

I asked about Goals for 2020. “I was planning on adding shiplap to the master bath but, that’s on hold until 2021. I will continue to work on things here and there… like the doors - smaller projects.”

I feel blessed to have met Cher through Instagram and call her a true friend! Her home is a tribute to the history of her family and a love of treasure hunting. Go give her a follow and while your there - message her a birthday greeting. This Saturday the 27th is the Big Day!

Cher thanks so much for sharing yourself with my readers! Big Hugs and a very Happy Birthday!!! xoxoxo

Til next time my friends be well and continue to stay safe!

All Images Courtesy: Cher Guminey

This year as we approach Mother’s Day I wanted to share a bit about my journey to Motherhood. I’ve never been shy about sharing that it took 7-1/2 years to welcome Liam - in this piece I’m just sharing some of the highlights.

A few years after we married we were trying to start a family and nothing was happening, so I visited my doctor and was given the name of two Infertility practices.

Not having an idea about either - we chose the practice at the Hospital. There were tests, shots, procedures and many visits some every other day some daily. After almost 2 years feeling frustrated I went back to my doctor and shared what was happening and this time my doctor said: “Oh you need to see my doctor! I worked with him during my residency and he helped me have my twins.” That day I walked to the end of the hall to what I hoped would be our new Infertility practice. The receptionist gave me all the necessary paperwork and set up an appointment. It was September 2008. The practice is RMA and the doctor we were to meet - Dr. Michael R. Drews FACOG.

I believe in seeing things in your minds eye - I saw myself with a baby - I never doubted I would be a Mother - I had the determination - I needed the right doctor to get me there.

I love this image of us. So relaxed at Chatham Bars Inn October 2008. WE have this framed in our bedroom.

Our first meeting with Dr. Drews has become the stuff of family lore… we shared our experience and after listening intently Dr. Drews responded “You want to get up at bat and hit that home run!” Steven and I looked at each other and started laughing and then the doctor apologized for the baseball analogy and we immediately put him at ease telling him that we were huge baseball fans and that he was definitely our doctor!

We started treatments in November 2008. Again there were every other day or daily visits for blood draws, many shots and procedures. We experienced a miscarriage in Spring 2009, this proved I could get pregnant and carry a baby! I choose to look at this event with thankfulness.

I can never thank Dr. Drews and the team at RMA enough for their unwavering support. When at times you can feel like one of the many - this was never the case at RMA. You are an individual and this is why their success rate is so high. I’ll never forget the delivery of additional medication on Christmas Eve 2009 during a snowstorm. I had my final IVF in October 2010. Liam arrived June 30th.

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After going through images from that time… it came down to these. A few days before, the day after he was born - look at that perfect face and with both of my boys.

Liam and Fred

the Metropolitan Museum of Art June 2016

My sweet boy… doing all the things he enjoys!

I realized when speaking with a dear friend this morning once this article went live - a mother of three who has traveled her own Infertility road - I needed to add a bit more of my story -

While I was going through this process I didn’t talk about it. I kept my head down and did what I needed to do. Up at 5am for years to get to the Drs. office by 7am to get blood drawn and then go to my office. There were a few who knew - of course - my Sister, my Niece, Steven’s Mom and Brother, a few girlfriends - but, they did not know the details and no one at my office knew anything - every appointment for a procedure was held early in the am or on a weekend. There were some friends who thought Liam was adopted because they hadn’t known I was expecting. I went through the pregnancy with tremendous trepidation - I had a horrible scare 7 weeks before Liam was born he was not moving around - after laying on my side and drinking orange juice - still nothing - in a controlled melt-down I called my doctor who sent me to the Hospital for a PET Scan - unfortunately, no one was able to accompany me… at first the technician could not locate a heartbeat - finally Liam started bouncing around. What a day!!!

Once Liam arrived I talked openly - to this day we know 10 families who have also been patients of Dr. Drews. In addition I gained a beloved lifelong friend there!

And as an aside to anyone going through this: I cut out all caffeine and after my final IVF I laid around all weekend on the couch - I think being still helped it work!