Designer Spotlight | Sarah Sherman Samuel + Zephyr Tornado III Insert

Modern Elegance Meets 1920s Tudor Charm

Sarah Sherman Samuel’s recently restored 1920s Tudor-style home in East Grand Rapids, Michigan blends whimsical design with rich textures, layered elements, and beautifully preserved original features.

The kitchen features the Zephyr Tornado III Insert range hood in a custom plaster hood, Semihandmade cabinetry, and Calacatta Rosa countertops.

Sarah Sherman Samuel is deeply inspired by the natural world and looks to nature’s juxtaposition of materiality, pattern, texture, and patina to inspire a grounded yet organic feeling in the spaces she designs. She believes that a home should be a true reflection of its inhabitants, a sanctuary whose story will unfold alongside its owners. Keep reading to learn more about her design process and the inspiration behind her Tudor remodel.

Q1: Why do you prefer Zephyr for your design projects?

A1: Zephyr is my go-to brand for range hoods because of their wide range of options. They offer adjustable-depth liners, which are so important when designing a custom range hood surround.

Q2: What were some of the challenges you faced during the renovation?

A2: Renovating an older home you have to expect some challenges will come. We started our remodel in the kitchen. The kitchen floor was considerably higher than the rest of the house and upon demo, they removed 6 layers of different flooring one laid on top of the next.

We also found out they added a drop ceiling with their 70s kitchen remodel. Thankfully, the original ceiling was still up there! Drop ceiling was quickly removed.

That and the rogue raccoon trespassing through the chimney!

Q3: Tell us about the design inspiration for the space.

A3: It’s always right to pay homage to a home’s history. Many of the original fixtures and finishes in this project were still intact. We restored and reused what we could throughout the house.

Our mission was to bring personality back into the spaces where the house’s original character was stripped away. I’ll always tread the line of contemporary and classic, where there’s a little tension between the two. I mixed lots of texture and subtle patterns throughout to make the design feel just as rich and layered as the house itself. In the dining room, we mixed woods to add layers and make the home feel more storied and less like everything was bought in the same decade.

Q4: What were some “must have” products/appliances for the space?

A4: Some of my recent releases for Lulu and Georgia I originally designed with the house in mind. Specifically, the Janna grasscloth in the powder bath, and my Pome Floral and Painterly Stripe wallpaper used in a bedroom.

My dad built a custom walnut island, big enough for a serious chef, and on the same note, we used a range hood from Zephyr, and built a custom plaster surround.

Explore Sarah Sherman Samuel’s Kitchen

To see images of Sarah Sherman Samuel’s kitchen as well as other kitchen designs featuring Zephyr products, visit our Design Inspiration Gallery. To see this project featured in Architectural Digest, visit Zephyr In the News.