Sarah Sherman Samuel’s First Solo Furniture Collection Takes a Cue From Her Kitchen

For her past endeavors, Sarah Sherman Samuel has pulled plenty of creative inspiration from desert oases, chic European lodges, and the quiet of nature, but her first self-made SSS Atelier collection hits way closer to home. As a nod to the landscape that shaped some of her favorite childhood memories growing up outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Samuel just launched 15 pieces reminiscent of the dunes she once played on and the tumbled rocks she’d spot along the beach. Exhibit A: the Movement table. It’s made up of 37 tiered layers of curved wood and represents Samuel’s interpretation of the rippled sand left over from Lake Michigan’s lapping waves. The line also includes side, coffee, and dining tables and a solid wood, 8-foot-long (!) credenza—and, naturally, everything is designed, sourced, and manufactured in her native state. 

The designer’s favorite pieces might be the Skimming Stone tables, all of which shine on their own but were made to seamlessly cluster together. In her show house, Samuel nested varying sizes and paired them up with a sectional she created for Lulu and Georgia. The Ledge dining table is a close second, and it’s all about the legs (each one is rotated at a different angle to look like a tree trunk). Samuel suggests pairing it with slim chairs (she’s opted for vintage wrought iron) that won’t compete for attention. All the tables are available in walnut, ebonized, and white-oak finishes and can be topped with marble and quartzite in earthy red, sage green, violet, or cream.

Given Grand Rapids is often referred to as Furniture City, USA, it didn’t take Samuel long to find and handpick each of the craftspeople who contributed to this assortment. (Psst: The fabricator who worked on all the stone surfaces is the same person who did the countertops and backsplash in Samuel’s personal kitchen.) Playing with marble was also a big part of her motivation for producing pieces from start to finish. “My favorite part of every interior project is going to the slab yard,” she shares. The designer acknowledges that all the natural stone makes the price point a bit higher than some of the furniture she’s created for other brands in the past (this collection starts at $2,700), but she envisions these items becoming heirlooms. They’ll feel like home to generations to come, wherever they land.