Sarah Sherman Samuel Returns to Her Roots: Inside the Nostalgic New SSS Atelier Fall Collection

The evocative landscapes of a Michigan childhood—fields for kite-flying, hidden woodland forts, and the winding paths of the dunes—have long lived in the memory of acclaimed interior designer Sarah Sherman Samuel. Now, those formative experiences have migrated from her personal history into her latest professional endeavor: the fall collection from SSS Atelier. This new range of furniture and home goods serves as a love letter to the Midwest, blending architectural rigor with the soft, playful nostalgia of a youth spent outdoors.

For Samuel, whose work has consistently defined the aesthetic landscape of modern interior design, this collection represents a shift toward the deeply personal. The pieces are not merely functional; they are narrative-driven, adorned with subtle, clever nods to the natural environment that shaped her creative vision. The “Kite Chair,” for instance, takes its name and form from the pastime that defined so many breezy afternoons, featuring a distinctive triangular back cushion that mimics the silhouette of a kite caught in flight.

Similarly, the “Fort Cabinet” translates the architectural memory of childhood structures into high-end design. With a slatted, rhythmic facade that recalls the texture of stacked wood, the cabinet offers a sophisticated interpretation of a forest shelter. The “Bivvy chair,” meanwhile, finds its moniker in the term for a temporary, minimalist camp shelter, and the “Au Sable dining table” draws its organic, rambling shape directly from the currents of the Michigan river of the same name. These releases are just one facet of a busy season for the designer, who has simultaneously been managing the launch of her own gallery and documenting the extensive renovation of a mid-century modern home.

The Most Challenging Design in the New Collection

In conversation with the design community, Samuel is often asked about the technical hurdles of bringing such distinct concepts to life. While the collection feels effortless, the path to production was filled with careful deliberation. She identifies the “Dune Chair” as the most demanding piece to develop. At first glance, the chair appears deceptively simple, but the process of perfecting its curves proved to be a test of precision.

Samuel explains that the prototyping stage required extensive iteration to capture the desired aesthetic. Her goal was to infuse the piece with a soft, sculptural quality that felt intentional without being “over-designed.” The result is a silhouette that feels as though it was shaped by the elements themselves, reflecting the same grace as the dunes that inspired its name. This pursuit of the “effortless” look, she notes, is often the most labor-intensive part of her creative process.

Patterns, Colors, and Materials for the Season

As the seasons change, so too does Samuel’s focus on the essential elements of interior styling. When asked what is currently capturing her attention, she points to a shift toward the wild and the hand-hewn. While she remains fond of botanical motifs, her current preference leans toward patterns that feel slightly abstracted or unruly, moving away from traditional, “sweet” floral prints toward something with more edge.

In terms of color, she is championing the return of oxblood. These deep, saturated wine and brown-red tones are, in her view, the perfect seasonal choice. They offer a sense of richness and warmth that avoids being overly precious, and she finds they pair exceptionally well with natural wood tones, grounding a space with a sophisticated, earthy palette.

Materiality remains a cornerstone of her work, and this season she is leaning heavily into ceramics. Having spent significant time working with clay herself, Samuel is fascinated by the hand-worked quality of the material. She advocates for placing these tactile, human-made ceramic objects next to more refined or industrial surfaces to create a necessary tension in a room.

The Piece That Feels Most Authentic

When reflecting on the collection, Samuel identifies the “Pier Side Table” as the piece that feels most aligned with her personal design identity. It encapsulates the elements she is constantly drawn to: a strong, minimalist silhouette combined with a touch of the unexpected. The table features ceramic eye inlays that she creates by hand, adding a layer of artistry that elevates the functional object into something singular and intimate.

Her inspiration for these creations is drawn from a diverse group of makers and artists who successfully blur the lines between disciplines. She cites creators such as Steven Haulenbeek, Misha Kahn, Jay Sae Jung Oh, John Torreano, Thaddeus Wolfe, Chris Schanck, and Krista Mezzadri—many of whom were featured in her recent gallery show—as vital influences. For Samuel, the most exciting work happens at the intersection of mediums, where creators invent their own language.

A Childhood Legacy in Architecture

The roots of Samuel’s design philosophy can be traced back to her time at Lake Hills Elementary in Michigan. Built in the early 1970s, the school’s architecture was a significant departure from the standard institutional layouts of the era. With its low, sprawling profile and organization into learning pods centered around communal spaces, it prioritized connection and volume over mere decoration.

Looking back, she recognizes that this early exposure to architecture integrated into a wooded landscape was formative. It taught her how space could be defined by its relationship to the natural world—a lesson that continues to inform her approach to residential design today.

Storage and the "Fort" Philosophy

When discussing the practical realities of home living, Samuel is a firm believer in the utility of closed storage. The “Fort Cabinet” is not just a stylistic piece; it is a solution for the visual clutter of daily life. She envisions it housing a variety of items—televisions, electronics, bar supplies, linens, or games—serving as a monolithic anchor for a room.

Her organizing philosophy is pragmatic: rather than adhering to rigid rules about where items “should” go, she focuses on where they are actually used. By providing ample, beautiful closed storage, she allows homeowners to tuck away the necessities of modern life, maintaining a serene environment without sacrificing function.

Looking Ahead: New Purchases and Projects

As she moves into the later part of the year, Samuel is focusing her attention on the role of art in the home. She describes art as the single most powerful tool for shifting the mood of a room without the need for structural changes. She is currently on the hunt for pieces that offer a perspective she couldn’t have designed herself—works that introduce a new voice into her living space. Additionally, she is incorporating her own "Calliope Linear Chandelier," a collaborative design for Lulu and Georgia, into her home, signaling a continuation of her exploration of form and light.

On the architectural front, her primary focus is the ongoing renovation of her recently purchased James R. Bronkema home. The residence, which underwent a 1990s-era renovation, is currently being carefully peeled back to reveal its original mid-century roots. Her goal is not to create a museum piece, but to restore the home’s integrity while ensuring it remains relevant to contemporary living.

Ultimately, Samuel is moving away from the pressure to follow specific trends. Her current design ethos favors the "tension of opposites": old sitting beside new, the refined next to the raw, and the strange next to the simple. By prioritizing these juxtapositions, she seeks to create spaces that feel curated, lived-in, and inherently human.