Our Home Featured in Cleveland Magazine's March 2015 Issue...

Just recently, we were honored to be included in Cleveland Magazine's March 2015 issue, featuring photos of various homes in Northeast Ohio.  Our friend and Howard Hanna real estate agent, Kim Crane graciously coordinated the arrangement. The March issue discusses the turnaround in the local real estate market, as Howard Hanna agent Greg Willis "points to the synergy in Cleveland today as a key driver of luxury home sales. There's a lot going on in town, he notes, from the upcoming Republican National Convention to the growth downtown."

I met briefly with warm and friendly writer Laura Adiletta to discuss a few details about our background and features of our home.  Photographer, Scott Pease, captured some beautiful shots (even avoiding the stray Lego shrapnel), which is no small feat!  I am so thankful that he was here to lend his sharp eye and creative talent for this feature.  He certainly captured it in 'cleaned-up-mode' (as opposed to messy) from the inevitable day-to-day craziness of raising three small children!

The article with photos and captions from Cleveland Magazine's March 2015 issue are below...

"A wrought-iron chandelier hangs over the foyer where a staircase wraps around to the second-floor hallway and branches off into four bedrooms."

"The kitchen boasts an industrial-sized fridge with an inset window that's built into the cabinet setting."

"The owners paired down decorations in the dining room to keep the focal point on the exterior views. Lake Erie can be seen through a set of large French doors that lead out onto a limestone terrace overlooking the backyard."

"Connected to the dining room, this lounge area is made cozy with a 9-by-6-foot limestone fireplace."

"With a coffered ceiling and built-in bookcases, the owners turned this former office into a living room and decorated it with deep blue hues to add extra depth to the space."

"A cowhide rug decorates the floor of this 20-by-20-foot master bedroom."

"The designers maximized the view of Lake Erie by making sure you could see the lake at all times through an arched opening in the divider between the shower and the bathtub. The wall separating the two carries an iridescent sheet reminiscent of seashells and stained glass."

"To maintain flexibility for their three children, the homeowners kept neutral tones throughout their bedrooms so they would be able to switch at will."

"Located above the four-car garage, this once in-law suite was converted to a double bedroom and decorated with textiles that the kids could grow up with."

(The in-laws of) "Former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager, Danny Ferry, built this in-home basketball court complete with a regulation hoop."

"This room was an addition to the house once it was complete, with exposed brick from the original structure surrounded by floor-to-ceiling cedar wood and five sets of windows overlooking the backyard."

"A green stained-glass window etched with grapes looks in on the wine cellar from a billiard room, where the dark oak wood and wrought-iron torchlike sconces give an old earthy feel to the space."

"A private beach sits at the bottom of an elegant, grassy walkway nearly 50 yards from the house and contains two sets of patios for entertaining guests with Adirondack chairs and fire pits."

Seventh Heaven

Laura Adiletta

After living in seven cities in less than a decade, one family decides to call Rocky River home for good.

The pattern was worn like an old entryway carpet — a new city every few years.

Despite their Midwestern roots, the couple had lived and worked in more than half a dozen cities in the U.S.

They'd finally settled down in Atlanta, in a neighborhood they loved with plenty of friends. But then he landed a job as chief financial officer with a major manufacturer in Lorain County.

"I'll be honest, we moved here and I was just kicking and screaming," she says. "I was not thrilled."

She reminisces briefly about life in Georgia, then looks out on the view of Lake Erie from her kitchen table. "I think for raising a family, honestly, we've grown to love this even more."

It's been six years since the couple moved to Northeast Ohio, and it seems they've grown just as attached to their Rocky River neighborhood. In fact, their first home was just a mile down the street from where the family lives now.

"It was a very charming old Tudor-style home," she says. But they had always wanted to live on the water, so last year they packed up and made the short move to the 6,842-square-foot home overlooking the water.

Built in 1998, the four-bedroom, seven-bathroom house still offers plenty of character thanks to a few carefully chosen Old World touches, including two antique cast-iron porthole windows, an interior leaded glass art window and a huge pair of 5-by-6-foot gray stone fireplace mantels.

Though she's an avid hobby decorator with her own design blog called Kensington Bliss, very little design has changed since this house has become home. A second-floor in-law suite was converted into two bedrooms, but otherwise even paint colors have stayed the same.

"We inherited this room," she says, gesturing to the indigo-painted family room now lined with paintings of boats, coastal towns and marinas that bring the water indoors. "It all just worked out."

Yet it's what's outside that drew her to this home. Situated in a ravine on an old creek bed, the house seems almost nestled into its surroundings.

Unlike their immediate neighbors, whose foundation is situated at eye level to their first floor, this is one of the few West Side properties that enjoy easy beach access. A gently sloping path winds down to the sandy beach below, where an old pier stands tall among the patio railings and bonfire circles the family enjoys during warmer months.

Today, the water is frozen as if in midwave, with choppy ice caps holding on to the powdery snow that blows across its surface. Even in winter it's beautiful. "Every day it'll melt and then refreeze," she says. "Every day it's a different scene out there."

It's the perfect setting for this young family, which includes three towheaded children ages 5, 7 and 8, who love to play by the water. A basement entrance prevents them from tracking sand throughout the house, with a foot-washing station just beyond the large French doors leading out back and down to the beach.

Even with a private beach, indoor activities are a must between the family's three energetic kids and the Cleveland weather. Originally built by the in-laws of former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry, an indoor basketball court complete with NBA decals and a regulation hoop keeps everyone running. "My kids spend half their time down here; they love it," she says.

And it's not just for kids. "We put up a volleyball net and have adult parties, where we play this Wallyball game that is so much fun," she laughs. "Basically a bunch of adults who haven't played a sport in like 20 years."

Welcome Home

A squat, arched door stands conspicuously out from its surroundings in the basement billiards room. It leads the way into a dark and cozy wine cellar lined with oak and stone. Sconces designed to look like old-fashioned torches provide soft lighting, and a large bottle of red wine rests alone on a shelf at eye level. A gift from the home's previous owners, the bottle is scrawled with a message in gold: "Here's to many years of health and happiness in your beautiful new home."

Link to article below...

http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=E73ABD6180B44874871A91F6BA5C249C&nm=Article+Archives&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=1578600D80804596A222593669321019&tier=4&id=1A405E31DFED49DD89D20B7BC0767724