Little did Cheryl Humphrey know when she purchased her centennial Warren home 10 years ago, she was stepping into a new career in interior design.
While refinishing the home, Humphrey discovered the walls were uneven, making wallpapering impossible.
So Humphrey improvised.
With her natural artistic talent, she taught herself the craft of faux finishing and painted those uneven walls to look like the wallpaper she wanted.
Family and friends were so impressed they requested Humphrey’s handiwork for their own home.
“And it hasn’t quit from there,” she said, of her business which continues to spread through referrals.
Humphrey’s talents have been utilized in homes and businesses throughout upper Michigan including Gaylord, Petosky, Alpena, Harbor Springs and Traverse City. She has also done work out of state including in Indiana, Texas and will be doing a home in California the last two weeks of June.
But the majority of her work is in lower Michigan. In fact, 80 percent of her clients are from Oakland and Macomb counties.
And even though she currently lives in Gaylord, Humphrey, who grew up in Rochester Hills, is down in these parts at least half the year for her business and hopes to purchase another residence here within the next two years, now that her two children are grown.
“People don’t give it a thought I’m from out of town,” Humphrey said. Clients have even noted her dependability in meeting appointment times and returning phone calls promptly.
“Faux finishing has been around, but what differentiates me from other decorators is that I’m really good with color and have unique designs.” Humphrey, who specializes in ceilings, said her rooms look rich when complete.
“I believe in customer service and satisfaction. That’s a big thing with me.”
Don’t expect a pushy designer, either. Humphrey won’t come into a home and demand decorating a certain way, disregarding a client’s personal tastes.
She may swap a piece of furniture from another room, or repaint a piece of furniture, but Humphrey said clients have always displayed complete trust in her skills and have been pleased with the outcome.
“In 10 years, no one has ever been dissatisfied with my work or asked to redo anything.”
When it comes to faux finishing, Humphrey uses a variety of painting techniques including ragging, glazing, color washing, smooshing, marbleizing, and sponging.
Humphrey’s work includes a painted football field on the walls of a little boy’s bedroom and a pink and purple polka dot ceiling in a little girl’s bedroom. In Humphrey’s bathroom in her Gaylord home, she wanted the walls to look like a birch tree to go along with her outdoorsy, rustic home decor, and she painted it that way.
Humphrey said the quality of the faux finish is “excellent,” and is nearly impossible to tell it isn’t wallpaper. The edges are crisp, and since wallpaper isn’t used, no one has to worry about seams or peeling.
“People can’t believe it’s not wallpaper.”
She joked clients could put a jar on their kitchen table and every time someone commented they couldn’t believe it wasn’t wallpaper, they’d have to put a quarter in the jar. A client could quickly get their money back from the cost of decorating, she laughed.
Joking aside, Humphrey said, “The advantage of faux finishing is that it usually ends up costing less than the cost of wallpapering that same room if you factor in the cost of the wallpaper and installation.”
And when it’s time to redecorate again, people don’t have to worry about the hassle of peeling off wallpaper.
Her talents, however, aren’t limited to painting. Humphrey not only does the faux finishing, but completes the design of a room from beginning to end including window treatments which encompasses cornices, valances, draperies, swags, vertical blinds and pleated shades. She also does bedspreads, pillows and chair pads as well as paints furniture and accessories.
“I’m the only person people need to call.”
Working with just one person can save a client $500 to $1,000 on their complete package, which Humphrey says is a substantial savings.
Humphrey said she will gladly spend one to two hours during a design consultation with a possible client. And if hired, the reasonable fee for the consultation is fully deductible.
She is in the process of making a video of her work, but currently has a full color portfolio filled with pages of her rooms.
For a design consultation, or for a free video, call Cheryl Humphrey at (248) 224-6357.