MEET SAM

What is Mercantile and Merchant?

Mercantile and Merchant is grounded in my belief that people want to buy and create new homes with old souls. People want thoughtful and carefully-curated homes. Ones built with the utmost care, craftsmanship, and quality materials. Over here at Mercantile and Merchant, we firmly believe that just because a home is a new build, that doesn't mean it has to be bland and boring. Every part of a Mercantile and Merchant home is created by thoughtful and purposeful design, coupled with plenty of modern English flair.  

How did it get started?

There was never a time I wasn’t obsessed with my environment and where I lived. I was one of those little girls who was forever rearranging her room, begging my mom to paint the walls a different color, and creating the artwork to proudly display on our walls. Even though my adult journey led me to a career in television production, creating beautiful homes was a dream that I was never able to let go.

Mercantile and Merchant grew organically, beginning in my early twenties in the UK when my budget dictated every decision I made. Which meant I ended up buying the worst house on any street—the ones that no sane person would look at twice. But not me. Those were the ones I wanted, and even as my budget grew, I still found myself drawn to the black sheep houses on the block. There was nothing I liked better than turning the most unloved, dirtiest, and ugliest home into something stunning and beautiful, brimming with love and light.

I moved to California in my thirties and that’s when my passion for designing homes, really took off. There’s something magical that happens when you move to Los Angeles that makes you feel like anything is possible. Maybe it's all the sunlight. Maybe it's being away from your roots. Or maybe it’s the promise of the American Dream beckoning from the Hollywood sign. Whatever it is, my lifelong passion and dream for design took off, culminating in the development of Mercantile and Merchant.  

Would you say you had a design calling card?

In terms of interiors, I favor houses that feel curated and charming. Where spaces are put together with tasteful casualness. I incorporate plenty of characterful touches and quirky moments that bring meaning and life to interiors such as… Being British, I tend towards what I call Modern English design. I’m naturally drawn to a contemporary take on traditional English design, which means plenty of millwork, paneling, and wallpaper throughout. You might also notice my devotion to the pantry as a design element that no one will ever persuade me is not integral to every kitchen! Just take a peek at my pictures and you’ll see what I mean.

Mixing old and new materials is also a key go-to for me, especially when it comes to furnishing a new construction home. There’s nothing I love more than bringing the power of vintage furniture into a new home. Vintage furniture brings warmth and age to a space whilst not being precious. You feel instantly “at home,” and that’s exactly how I want everyone to feel when they step foot in a Mercantile and Merchant Home.  

All Mercantile and Merchant homes come with the option to purchase the interior furnishings.

Do you have a Go to Inspiration?

Above and beyond my English roots, I am inspired by the unique environment of each project. For me, it always begins with the house, with careful attention paid to the street as well as the neighborhood. For too long now, the proliferation of a one-size fits-all approach has plagued new construction. Houses being bought and plonked down in a neighborhood as quickly as possible without any regard to its impact. My aim is for every Mercantile and Merchant home to be additive to the street scene, to be a house that you would be proud to own, and that is celebrated for its aesthetic and livability.

I adore travelling, and after each trip, my photo reel is filled with equal parts standard vacation pictures and random tiled floors. Materials are an endless source of inspiration as is travel. Just keeping my eyes open to the special little details is an endless source of joy and inspiration to me. And it’s these unique details that I bring into each home.