Sam Szabla |
| Designer |
Hibiscus Island Home, LLC |
|
United States |
About Sam Szabla
Having fostered a passion for artistic creation in his late teens and early twenties, interior home designer Sam Szabla eventually channeled his keen eye for vivid colors and warm ambiances into a Hawaiian retail chain for home accessories. The successful venture unlocked new opportunities for Sam Szabla and led to careers in retail home fashion design and hotel and restaurant management and development.
Sam Szabla opened the doors to his first Hawaiian House Inc. in 1996 on the island of Kauai. Sam Szabla sold Mexican wrought-iron furniture and pottery, much of which he decorated himself. Citing the influence of stores like Z Gallerie Home Furnishings and Pottery Barn, Sam Szabla realized the high demand for crafted home furnishings and unique household items. To fill his customers’ diverse needs, Szabla began purchasing from new markets, buying bedding, duvets, pillows, and more from merchants in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, and Indonesia.
Sam Szabla opened four more Hawaiian House Inc. stores, located on the isles of Kauai, Oahu, and Maui. Over the years Szabla developed a base of more than 160 vendors and began designing and selling his own product lines of candles, soaps, bedding, and pillows. Sam Szabla created the Hawaiian Isles Soap and Candle brand to specialize his design interests and to offer custom-made soaps and candles to national chains in Hawaii, including women’s clothing store Charlotte Russe. Sam Szabla’s business garnered statewide attention when it was featured in the Kauai Business Report, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and the Honolulu Advertiser.
Showing his devotion both to the arts and entrepreneurship, Sam Szabla promoted local island artisans through an “artists’ corner” program and opened the Hawaiian House Café, a popular coffee shop, to bring new flavors to the area.
Learning from his successes in the retail industry, Sam Szabla refocused his design acumen in 2002 toward exclusively creating home furnishings under a private label for establishments owned by Delano and Seymour Inc., which had acquired the Hawaiian House brand. From 2003 through 2009, Sam Szabla worked as CEO, General Manager, and Hotel Designer for South Beach Plaza Hotels and Villas in Miami Beach. Sam Szabla excelled with the company, working to renovate and redesign several art deco hotels. Szabla was influential in updating the style of the DeCarlos Bar and Tiki's South Beach restaurant.
A designer with diverse capabilities, Sam Szabla has used his talent for multiple venues within the industry.