Conversations with Suzanne Shumaker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Shumaker

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m from Oakwood, Ohio.
I learned at an early age about food service. My father owned and operated a fine dining restaurant for over 30 years, Neil’s Heritage House. At a very young age, he had me on his clock supporting the business from vacuuming banquet rooms, to hostessing.
My work ethic is strong today, because he ultimately demonstrated the joy of his work, creating a beautiful dining experience.
On to college with design and architecture as my path. I graduated with Bachelor of Architecture degree, with a minor in Interior Design.
My college sweetheart, Garry and I drove to N.Y.C. the day after graduating from the University of Kentucky.
That same Summer we married, and I started working for talented architects and interior designers on the Upper East Side,
remodeling timeless and elegant pre-war apartments and town homes around Central Park.
New to the professional world, and newly wed, I learned to adapt to living and working in one of the greatest cities in the world. Even after 911 I was back at work three days later, to navigate the challenges of finishing projects with different protocols of security the city instrumented.
Several years later, we moved to Chicago, looking for new design partnerships and hoping to find more space to start a family.
Garry and I worked for a few prominent North Shore architects, before opening our own practice, in 2009. The same year our first child was born, Nick.
Now Nick and Greta observe my husband and I as hardworking professional enjoying our work in our studio and our partnership at home with them.
Photography is part of my daily work as well. I document the design work for my practice, and can often be found volunteering with my camera at hand, from photographing a typical day in her kids Montessori classroom. I served on the 2020 and 2021 planning committee for Thrive, a benefit for Connections for the Homeless. I am a True 100 Ambassador, and committee member for the Evanston North Shore, YWCA. And a board of trustees, and Chair of the Development Committee at Chiaravalle Montessori School, Evanston, IL.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The more success I experience the more challenges I find myself having to navigate.
If my design path was smooth, I would not be building my talent and skills.
Yes, challenges come, and every challenge has made me a better a designer.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Shumaker Design Associates: Architecture and interior design firm (shumakerdesignassociates.com)
We take clients from concept to construction and beyond: Shumaker Curated (Shumakercurated.com) offers custom furniture, fittings and fine art.
I have launched Shumaker Curated online this year. And this Fall i’m unveiling a brick-and-mortar showroom, “the garden room.” It only furthers my full service approach. And honors my parents, both who demonstrated a love for the arts. And even more, their “garden room”. A room the built off their existing home. They named it “the Garden room”, it carefully was sited on the back of their existing home, so one could enjoy beautiful views of their rose gardens. Lots of glazing, allowed views to their sculpture water features. And at the same time it created a courtyard for outdoor living.
I strive to create spaces that give life to the environments and those with them, spaces that celebrate the family and community who use them.
Beautiful design should create an environment that is responsive to the needs of the client. I honor the details of historic homes, and work closely from the onset to identify challenges so I can create solutions that give way to new forms of expression.

What were you like growing up?
I was very shy, and I spoke softly. My Father encouraged me to work in his restaurant. There I quickly learned how use my voice. I learned about curating a dining experience from cuisine to atmosphere. My Mom gave me my first interior design book when I was nine, Laura Ashley’s Book of Decorating. I would spend hours moving furniture around in my bedroom, and thinking through ways to create an in-suite bath in my existing closet, and adding french doors to the exterior to enjoy views of my Dad’s rose garden.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shumakerdesignassociates.com and www.shumakercurated.com
• Instagram: @shumakerdesign_architecture and @shumakercurated