Sam Steinberg's Portfolio by samsteinbergportfolio

I am an interior designer with a passion for creating environments that feel intentional, expressive, and deeply human. My work is shaped by my travels, love of art, and commitment to thoughtful, research-driven design.

Each project begins with a cover page featuring its moodboard as the background. For me, a moodboard isn't decoration - it's the thesis statement everything else has to answer to.

JAZZ IN THE GARDEN JAZZ IN THE GARDEN

AMAN LUXURY HOSPITALITY DESIGN

PRINTS OF HARMONY

Prints of Harmony defines Aman Atlanta, reflecting the brand’s ethos of peace, beauty, and intentional design. Inspired by Atlanta’s artistic culture and jazz legacy, the design language draws from repetition and layering reinterpreted through Aman’s refined minimalism. Textures, colors, and materials carry the spirit of music without overwhelming the space. A recurring motif, the human fingerprint, appears in textiles, wall treatments, and furnishings, symbolizing individuality within community and honoring the makers who shape culture through craft. Within this vision and taking inspiration from Nina Simone, the hotel lobby is expressed as Jazz in the Garden a tranquil retreat of earthy palettes, tactile materials, and layered moments. It is a space of balance stillness and movement, self and shared experience—ever-growing and ever-evolving with its guests.

PROJECT TYPE: Luxury Hotel Lobby & Restaurant (Group Work, 2025 Quarter 2)

LOCATION: Buckhead, Atlanta, GA

CONTEXT

This project, completed with my peers Anna, Jethro, and Isabella in Studio IV: Hospitality at SCAD, focuses on designing the main public spaces of Aman Atlanta a luxury hotel featur a Michelin-star restaurant, a casual bistro, specialty retail, and entry across 6,100 SF at street level and 8,130 SF on the second floor (hotel lobby as featured). As team lead, I ensured each space maintained its own identity while speaking the same design language. I also took on the space planning and renderings for the second level. Guided by shared design drivers, every detail, from food to service, embodies harmony and purpose. The restaurant on level one, Simone’s, is in partnership with Chef Christopher Grossman, infusing Southern flavors with Aman’s elegance, ensuring luxury is not only seen but deeply felt.

Blocking Diagram:

We knew early on that water

Concierge

SENSE OF PLACE THEORY

Subtle cultural references and indoor outdoor views envoke curiousity in the space that blends with the surroundings

RHYTHMIC RESONANCE THEORY

Repetitive patterns across floors, ceilings, walls, and furniture to complement the live music

Barstool

THE AZALEA’S RESILIENCE

Azalea’s Market is more than a grocery store it is a symbol of resilience and renewal. Designed to bloom in the very place it is needed most, Azalea’s responds directly to the challenges of food accessibility in downtown Atlanta. Much like the rose that grew from concrete, it thrives in its environment, rooted at 25 Peachtree Street NW, to provide neighbors with fresh food, convenience, and a sense of belonging. The brand identity draws inspiration from the natural world, reflecting strength, stability, and growth. Earthy browns ground the brand in warmth and tradition, while vivid greens represent freshness and vitality. These tones create a palette that translates seamlessly across signage, interiors, and packaging to form a cohesive, welcoming experience. More than just a market, Azalea’s is a lasting symbol of hope and progress one that nourishes both body and community while helping shape the future of downtown Atlanta.

PROJECT TYPE: Grocery store design

(Group Work, 2024 Quarter 4)

LOCATION: Downtown, Atlanta, GA

Opened August 2025.

SCAD, in partnership with SAVI Provisions and guided by the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA), has joined forces with the City of Atlanta to place a grocery store in the historic building. Sparked by the closure of a Walgreens and the growing food desert Downtown, this collaboration seeks to transform the Olympia Building into a community-centered grocery store. This project combines branding, advertising, and interior design to establish a welcoming, community-centered environment that addresses local needs, providing fresh, high-quality food at accessible and affordable prices. The initial concepts were derived from branding ideas developed by the branding designers. The initial interior design concepts integrated elements of brand identity into the spatial experience to create a cohesive brand presence. Design drivers for each team included accessibility, inclusivity, efficiency, locality, community-centric, and sustainability. This formed into two branding concepts supported by differing floor plans to provide the client with two options. The team I worked with, Azalea’s, is what is ultimately chosen by Mayor Dickens and SAVI Provisions owner, Paul, for opening day.

DESIGN CHALLENGE:

Researching two-level grocery stores is a key element of this process. The restrooms being located upstairs as soon as guests step off of the escalator was an eyesore we noticed during site visit. I proposed creating an accent wall for privacy and to address the structural column; my peer Delaney assisted with the sketch above. This transformed a challenge into a feature moment which remains in design development.

Material Pa ette for Grocery Shopping Areas

Preliminary Sketch for Accent Wal Upstairs

THE AZALEA’S RESILIENCE

ADJACENCY DIAGRAM

I created this preliminary bubble diagram when researching through precedent studies to nail down programming requirements. When we grouped into teams, each group referenced this to create individual prioritizations.

Branding Color Palette

LOWER LEVEL

The owner of SAVI Provisions suggested finishing out the basement (which was previously only a stockroom). At first, this seemed like an exciting challenge to provide more community space, as seen in the floor plan to the right, an exclusive supper club. We quickly realized how expensive and unrealistic it became to fit it into this project when consulting with the client and reviewing egress requirements.

LOWER LEVEL LIFE SAFETY PLAN

I worked closely with Professor Purvis to show the client the minimum code requirements to finish out the basement.

Mater al Palette for Proposed Restaurant

DENVER ADAPTIVE WELLNESS INSTITUTE

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INPATIENT UNIT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INPATIENT UNIT

ORGANIC HEALING

Life is a balance of visual order and chaos to create harmonious, healing spaces. Wood grain cut into consistent linear shapes, rugged stone carved to fit into a space, and use of natural materials connect us to nature while we still appreciate the craftsmanship required to bring such materials indoors. This design takes direct inspiration from a brain cactus. Warm lighting and warm furniture selections will bring patients a feeling of comfort. Enriching natural textures will create focal points on ceilings and other surfaces to keep users engaged. Views of the outdoors and indoor natural features are emphasized to help guide users through the space calmly and efficiently. There is a clear emphasis on curvilinear form in this behavioral health unit. A combination of orderly and organic forms will create an uplifting and secure environment for a healing transformation.

DENVER ADAPTIVE WELLNESS INSTITUTE

PROJECT TYPE: Inpatient Behavioral Health Facility (Individual Work, 2024 Quarter 4)

LOCATION: Denver, CO

CONTEXT: For this final Studio II project, I designed a behavioral health inpatient and outpatient facility in Denver based on the curving structure of a brain cactus. The design blends natural materials, warm lighting, and gentle, organic forms to create a calming and intuitive healing environment. Through detailed plans, elevations, ADA and wellness mapping, and fullcolor renderings, I developed a buildable design solution that prioritizes patient comfort, safety, and evidence based wellness I submitted a poster from

SALLYPORT

R’S ROOM WITH RESTROOM

BREAKROOM WITH RESTROOM THERAPY WITH NOURISHMENT STATION

TIENT BEDROOMS & BATHROOMS

L LOUNGE

DESK ING ROOM

ROOM

TYARD

ATION ROOM & COUNTER ROOM

ATTENTION RESTORATION THEORY

Every patient room has a window

Staff breakroom has a window to the courtyard, adding to safety

This sketch highlights the desire for natural focal points. In the final design, each hallway includes a built-in bench next to live plants contained in safe glass. This unexpected design moment allows a private moment for the patient or staff to have access to nature indoors

Ceiling & Wall Paint

Preliminary Plant Feature Sketch

Backlit Acrylic Panel

GOALS

Prioritizing individual patient privacy and staff

safety simultaneously

Incorporating nature indoors to assist in wayfinding

Creating a universally welcoming environment through attention to detail

NEEDS & WANTS

Multi-use spaces

Safety for staff, patients, and families

Assistive common staff areas

Multi-sensory design considerations

Areas for positive and healing activities

50% of selections from OFS or Carolina

Accent

CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS

WORKPLACE DESIGN WORKPLACE DESIGN

WORKPLACE EQUILIBRIUM

I worked in a group with five peers to complete a full set of construction documents in Studio III. The documents feature my peer ’ s project, and I created the selected sheets. The concept and schematic design elements are from my personal Studio III project, also designed for Metropolis. The original Japanese art of stone-balancing, ishi-hana, translates to the work ethic in The Metropolis Atlanta Office. Directly translating as “stone flower”, the motif reflects creativity flourishing in unexpected environments. The juxtaposition of strength and delicacy ties to the work ethic in the design industry. With emphasis on work-life balance, the design encourages users to use the flexible spaces in ways that help them grow overall. The essence of the space is where bold ideas bloom like flowers through stone.

WHERE BOLD IDEAS BLOOM LIKE FLOWERS THROUGH STONE

The base palette of layered neutral tones establishes a foundation of stability, strength, and calm Enriching colors will emerge through materiality. Warm golden hues, strategically placed, will uplift and energize the space, while blush tones will provide a harmonious contrast to cooler green and teal shades. Subtle transitions between materials will enhance the fluidity of the environment, supporting the integration of work and wellbeing. Dynamic, adjustable lighting will ensure balanced workspaces tailored to individual needs Ultimately, the Metropolis office will be a place where the company can take root and bloom in Atlanta.