Samantha Bessudo Drucker of Love & Design Project: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy
If you’re planning a renovation, using the same material for all your surfaces, like counters, islands, bar, credenzas, tops dresser drawers — all the surfaces. The simplicity of this modern style design technique will make your space look cleaner and larger and feel calmer. Currently, I’m using this design method in my home in Florida, taking it one step further by using the same kind of white marble for the floor and all the cabinet surfaces.
As part of my series on the “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha Bessudo Drucker.
Samantha is co-host of Love & Design Project. On the renovation series, she transforms urban spaces with her husband, architect Jeffrey Drucker. Samantha is also the creator of 90 Days To Husband №2, a dating system based on proven techniques. As a co-host of Sexy Is Timeless Talks, Samantha shares lifestyle tips with dynamic co-hosts Luisa Diaz and Delaina Dixon.
Thank you so much for joining us in this series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I’m a lifestyle genie. I’ve been a lifestyle expert and image consultant for 20 years. Making over homes is very similar to making over people. When I met my husband he had an apartment previously owned by his parents. The space needed a fresh start so we could begin our own lives together. When my husband said, “Let me build you a kitchen,” I did not get offended because I love to cook. I grabbed his hand and said, “Walk with me,” and proceeded to tell him what my plans were for the whole apartment. A couple of days later I said, “You said you wanted to do a business together. Well, this is it!” Love & Design Project was born.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?
Shooting Love & Design Project led to becoming a cohost on Sexy Is Timeless Talks, a show born out of quarantine with my besties, Luisa Diaz and Delaina Dixon. On the show, I share my views on lifestyle and so many other empowering issues. I do believe in the butterfly effect.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
About 10 years ago I was revamping a bachelor pad for one of my clients and the bed we ordered did not fit through the door! The bed had to be taken apart to get it in his apartment. Then there was some other issue with his special mattress which was not made for the bed, from the rookie mistake of not measuring everything, including the doorframe. But with a little maneuvering and some outside the box thinking we got it all to work. Phew!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
I’m currently in production for Season 2 of Love & Design Project which is extra special because my husband and I are creating our dream apartment with all the bells and whistles on the beach in Hollywood, Florida. Each week I give my Construction Confessions, a recap of our progress, along with suggestions, tips and how we come up with solutions for problems we encounter along the way. I believe your home should be your oasis and I want to help people live their best lives at home.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My mother, designer Coco Raynes, is a wealth of wisdom. Some of her pearls of knowledge that stuck with me are:
1. “Be anything you want, but be the best or don’t bother.” This gave me the freedom to pursue my dreams armed with an intense work ethic to make things happen.
2. “Don’t take any crap from anybody.” Life is too short to deal with nasty people and negative energy. It taught me to stand up for myself and not be pushed around.
3. “Simplify, Simplify, Simplify.” It’s the key to great design and so much more. Best life hack ever!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
Most of my success I have worked extremely hard for. However, my mother, husband, mentors and friends who are like family have been very supportive of my career. I have always fostered an environment of creativity and collaboration amongst friends so that we could create and move forward together, and that has been beautiful. I even went as far as organizing a Diva Tank (a think tank for divas) with some girlfriends to help each other with our projects by strategizing, problem-solving and collaboration. Sexy Is Timeless Talks, Love & Design Project, the 90 Days To Husband #2 web series (book to come out this fall) and a recent teleplay I am in, All About Eve, are perfect examples of collaboration amongst peers.
Thank you for that. Here is the main question of our discussion. What are your “5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space Spark More Joy” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Here are some of my tips for sparking joy in your living space.
1. Declutter your space. Being free of dead weight and well organized will make you and your space feel lighter and brighter. It also opens up space for something new to enter your life.
2. If you have outdoor space, consider using the same flooring material outdoors as you have used in its adjacent floors indoors. The continuity will make your space feel bigger and blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living.
3. If you’re planning a renovation, using the same material for all your surfaces, like counters, islands, bar, credenzas, tops dresser drawers — all the surfaces. The simplicity of this modern style design technique will make your space look cleaner and larger and feel calmer. Currently, I’m using this design method in my home in Florida, taking it one step further by using the same kind of white marble for the floor and all the cabinet surfaces.
4. Have flowers and plants, and plant vegetables and fruits indoors and outdoors at your home. Plants add healthful vitality, and having them indoors and outdoors also helps blur the lines between the interior and exterior.
5. If you have young children, consider acrylic glassware. You won’t have to worry about breakage. When the table is set your kids will feel included and appreciate that they have the same glassware as the adults. It helps with dining etiquette because they will learn how to hold glasses. If you do any entertaining, you will no longer have to worry about guests dropping and breaking your good crystal and it is a much more elegant and more sustainable solution that paper and plastic disposable cups.
Bonus tips
6. Upgrade all of your sheets and towels for instant luxury.
7. Use lighting, rechargeable led lights, electric tea lights, votives and citronella candles to add ambient lighting, glamour, and mosquito protection.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I’m becoming more obsessed each day with the idea of growing our own food. At least some of it. Even if we live in an apartment in the city we can grow things like sprouts, celery, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and herbs. They are easy to grow and don’t require much space or light. If I had a back yard I would be planting fruit trees and creating a vegetable garden. It is far more sustainable, more cost-effective and better for us if we at least try growing some of our own food at home.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
If I could have lunch with anyone, It would be Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah). I had the privilege of appearing in her magazine twice. She is a wealth of information and a model of perseverance, professionalism, relatability, and manifestation. She has shown us all that no matter who we are, the sky’s the limit. I have always dreamed of having a lifestyle show, complete with home tips, recipes, fashion and beauty, relationship tips and fascinating guests. It’s been one of my dreams since I watched Sue Ann Nivens played by Betty White on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I’ve achieved the first layer of this goal, illustrated by my long-running advice columns, Ask Sam and Image Gal for The Times Square Chronicles and DivaGalsDaily, and a 20-year career as a celebrity Image Consultant wanting to help people live their best life. I’m currently hosting Sexy Is Timeless Talks, a talk show; Love & Design Project, a renovation show, 90 Days to Husband #2, a web series of dating advice (book coming out soon) and even the occasional cooking segment featuring elevated pescatarian and vegan cuisine. These days since we are all at home, I just get dressed with hair and makeup once a week and then I shoot everything on Wednesdays! Simplify, Simplify!
How can our readers follow you on social media?
https://www.instagram.com/samanthabessudodrucker/
https://en-gb.facebook.com/pg/samanthabessudodrucker/about/
https://twitter.com/SamIsPolished
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational!
Samantha Bessudo Drucker of Love & Design Project: 5 Things You Can Do To Help Your Living Space… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.