Hi there, My name is Samantha. I come from a fashion design and production background and have always been drawn to art, design, music, and architecture. I love trying new things, and I’ve slowly realised that making has always been at the centre of who I am. Hard rubbish collection is genuinely one of my favourite times of the year as I can’t resist salvaging unloved furniture and giving it a second life. Restoring old pieces eventually led me into woodworking, and this has opened up a whole new direction for me. Moving from restoration to designing and building my own work feels like the natural next step.

Some of my earliest influences come from my teenage years, when my family spent summers at my uncle’s 1960s beach house on Phillip Island. The decor had never changed: seagrass matting, shag-pile carpets, wood panelling, moulded plastic bathroom fittings, cork tiles. It was warm, textural, and nostalgic. Those materials and shapes left a strong imprint on me. They’re still present in the kinds of forms I’m drawn to now: blocky, geometric, brutalist silhouettes softened by natural textures and a sense of playfulness.

I’m particularly excited by the potential of sustainable materials like cork and reclaimed timber. I’d love to explore using moulded or sculpted recycled cork as an alternative to traditional upholstery, and to experiment with how these materials can be shaped and combined in unexpected ways.

I’m drawn to the work of Studio AHEAD, Melbourne interior architect Dion Hall, mid century American painter Milton Avery, Midcentury Modern design and 20th century Bauhaus movement.