Meet Cheryl | Underwood of Chèr House

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl (Cher) Underwood.

Hi Cheryl (Cher), so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My love for aesthetics started at a very young age. My father was a design engineer who was also a jack of all trades – he could literally fix or make anything… I used to watch him do things… I’d rearrange things in my parent’s house and style their rooms like the home was a boutique hotel… In college, I studied Marketing and later got an MBA in Business not realizing I could have studied design; it was almost like it was this side talent but not anything that could be a real-life job. I gathered inspiration for everything, especially nature, travel, and hospitality. When I was married, I started working on the homes we bought, and from there, things just rolled into the business I have today, which has been all from word of mouth. Most projects are from the ground up – they include architectural floor planning (a favorite of mine) all the way to the finishing touches of furnishings…

We have projects in California, Texas, New York, Florida, Washington D.C and Tennessee. Projects range from Private Residential to Commercial and TV for HGTV. When asked if I had any schooling, I refer to something I was told by an established designer with over 40 years of experience in high-end residential and commercial, who was also my mentor – “You have something that can not be taught and comes organically and without limitations of a structured way of thinking….” For me, design is self-expression and an instinctual feeling that is created when making decisions and playing with your surroundings and the elements. As a company, we run about ten -projects a year since I like to oversee each project personally. We also opened an online shop called Shop Chèr House since we get so many requests for furnishings and holiday decor outside of our regular design business.

 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road unfortunately. I started the company after a major loss on a historic property renovation in Nashville, TN. It was devastating. The loss is one that is not recoverable…and after the sale of three properties landed us back in California, I was crushed and lost all motivation and hope. I think my healing process came about when Chèr House was started as my way of repaying the huge loss to my husband at the time and to myself. With all the pain emotional stress, and fear the loss had caused I was determined that if Chèr House was going to work, it would half to be on its own, like a rolling stone, because there wasn’t going to be any start-up money – it was going to just be me and the computer and a camera, that’s it. I signed up for drafting classes and learned everything as quickly. All the photos I took in the beginning were either taken by myself or traded for design work – and all the little money I made, I used to pay the first employee and get the next computer and finally my first location…I never paid myself in the beginning; I couldn’t afford to and grow the business quickly. I had the business build on itself to where it is today putting everything I had into it. With the hardships I learned to become selective with who we do business with and who I hire after the experiences, it’s really key to keeping things moving smoothly. My intuition has become my best friend. I’ve learned to listen to it and not set it on a shelf; it knows way more than I do!  Today, I run our company with the motto of Kindness and Trust to everyone we interact with… literally everyone. And I also like everyone to have a work-life balance, especially since a majority of my employees are mamas with young children – our schedules are flexible, and the work still gets done with passion and excitement for each project because we all love the work we do. It is fuling a part of ourselves as we provide for our families.

 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Chèr House LLC?
Chèr House is not just another interior furnishings company, as I feel like that’s the first thing most people think of when they think of interior designers (pillows and drapery). We have a strong background in construction from years of building ourselves and working closely with many Architects, individual trades, and Builders. I have a team of skilled designers that help carry and communicate ideas to other teams in the field. We also work on exterior landscape plans, which to me is an important aspect in connectivity and the flow of a home or space. We prefer to come in on a job when the initial ideas and drawings are started although we oftentimes end up revising architectural plans to include new ways of living and fresh design ideas and concepts. Whole ground up projects turn out the best because you can really see our aesthetic come through…  We have our hand in every step of the process to make sure the design and execution are done seamlessly and the home or business have a cohesive or on Brand feel from start to finish. We also put together design packages for out-of-state projects that may have smaller budgets but want the look and feel of Chèr House. Our clients come to us by word of mouth, whether through past clients themselves or builder and architect referrals. The key for me is to be a source of all the latest information for builders to make it easy for them to execute the job smoothly. Timelines are also key and quick design turnaround helps keep the job moving on along their critical path. Our relationships are strong with the trades as well, from appliance and plumbing companies to finishers on stone and cabinetry, and flooring.

I’m most proud of our team – and the knowledge base we have collectively to accomplish each job but to also do everything we do in a way that makes everyone we work with a part of our trusted family. We listen to the needs of our clients and builders and we produce something far more than they anticipated. I like to hear people say that it’s a pleasure to work with us because for me it’s a genuine pleasure to do the work for them. Most of our clients repeat our services as things in life change, and they change – some clients have been with us for years after their initial project, and we continue to work with them as they acquire new buildings and residences. Our designs are always evolving as new challenges are presented, and we get to dream up a whole new space. Our funnest projects this past year have been a Cigar Lounge with ten ten-person professional poker tables with a walk-in humidor. A greenhouse and Cottage she-shed with all European finishes and a Major Closet coming in 2024, A wellness room and guest house with the best in Helios red light therapy bed, Hyperbaric pro chamber, purewave Pemf Meditation bed…Hypermax Oxygen system and bike, and lastly a golf simulation room by HDgolf. We have a Napa project and a few complete ground-up home renovations coming up as plans are currently in the permitting process. Design for me is personal, and a piece of me goes with every job I do.

What’s next?
The challenges for me  along with social media has been starting an online shop. It’s a different animal altogether, and we designed something that offers the same finishes that we use in our homes and projects, but it’s different than designing; it’s a curated selection of the things I would select from to help someone find everything they need in one place. Our Holiday items took off this past year as we had a few holiday images from our past Christmas shoot hit record numbers on Pinterest and was also placed in reposts alongside other well-known designer’s holiday photos, which for me is a big win, although it’s such a small scale – it just tells me that people love what we are doing and its noticed! But it is also up there with other more established designers and tastemakers… so for me, that’s a big win! It’s a compliment to see it reposted, one image was made into a meme for a dad’s holiday joke, which is great because for me that says our design speaks to both Men and women, some of our biggest clients are male. I design from a place of learning about the client and their personality – often times you meet someone and their home is not a reflection of who they are, and I like to get them there. I pull from their best and create something that speaks to good design and function and also is an aesthetic fit that grounds them in their space. No two projects are alike to me, and it’s a challenge to help people find their homes and work spaces inspiring. WE ALL NEED THAT KIND OF ENERGY; it is what keeps us motivated.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cher-house.com
• Instagram: @cherhousedesign
• Facebook: facebook.com/cherhousedesign
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl-underwood-10a33412b/

Image Credits
Danielle Segovia @danielleaundreaphoto