Born in Hong Kong and educated in Britain, he spent seven years training to be a furniture designer in London, Middlesex and Buckinghamshire Universities. After completing his Masters degree, he worked initially in hotel design.
In 1995 Samuel set up his own company Channels with a studio-showroom in Southwest London and a workshop in Shropshire so that he could keep the entire design-make-sell process in-house. His intention from the beginning was to establish Channels as a furniture company known for clean, contemporary design and excellent craftsmanship. This continues to be his motivation, and to date Samuel's work has been recognized with five Design Guild Marks and a Classic Design Award.