Ok. You guys remember this epic Palm Springs birthday party, yes? That’s where we first fell in love with the styling skills of Sarah Sherman Samuel of Smitten Studio. So much so that we had to make her our bff after realizing she also lived in LA. Fast forward to today, we couldn’t be more excited to announce her new online pop-up shop and product line, A Sunny Afternoon.
Every piece is designed by Sarah, and lovingly made in small batches by either herself, her father, Lee, or by other local artisans. The handmade nature of the collection means that each product is unique, showcasing the human touch behind it. To showcase some of the new goods, she styled a little shoot at Lake Michigan by their cabin with Woodnote Photography and husband Rupert. Let’s take a peek!
Sarah spends a lot of time thinking about aesthetics, design, & beauty and how those things enrich and affect our lives. She pens the blog Smitten Studio where she shares her stories & stylings for living with design.
A Sunny Afternoon came about with Sarah wanting to create a line that married her aesthetic with her love for the outdoors, gathering around a meal, and the handmade. The idea of making picnic-ware that is useful, beautiful, and long lasting is what has driven her to create its first collection.
Sarah is based in LA, but it’s in her father’s workshop in Michigan where the serving boards are made. During the creation time you will most likely find Sarah and Lee working along side each other cutting, plaining, sanding and finishing pieces. Lee is a retired computer networking engineer that has also been a skilled woodworker since before Sarah was born. His workshop is where Sarah learned to appreciate the beauty and imperfections in wood and the smell of fresh saw dust. Most of the wood used for a sunny afternoon products have been collected locally over the years by Lee from downed trees and reclaimed sources.
So good, right? Hop over to A Sunny Afternoon and see all these cuties + more.
And if you’re like us and love a dose of renovation inspiration, you’ve gotta check out Sarah’s Michigan cabin renovation series on her blog. The place is straight out of a dream and it’s so easy to see where she got all the inspiration for her new line.
