His love affair with New York is plain to see, from the Stars and Stripes as you walk in, to the many black and white images of New York skyscrapers covering the wall.
Sammual, who works as head PR for Peter and Fred Done of Done Bookmakers, bought his home in the Urban Splash development Britannia Mills, four years ago, when it was an empty shell."I must have looked at every loft development in the north west until I found this apartment, which is the closest I've ever seen to a proper New York style loft," says Sammual.
"I've always been fascinated with New York and its lifestyle, especially the loft-living culture which really is no big deal over there. When I first bought this apartment, I was visiting New York about three times a year but now I go about every six weeks. I like to think of myself as a `seasoned visitor' rather than a tourist."
Flooded with natural light from the 13ft windows and original loading bay doors, with a mezzanine level for his bedroom, Sammual's apartment has all the right ingredients to recreate New York loft living. "Happiness to me is 700 square feet of space with a proper industrial view," he says. "I love to climb up the stairs at night to look out over the city and watch the trains go by. I love the heritage of the place and I find it quite fascinating that I live in a place where people used to work." When Sammual first moved in, he opted for a gleaming contemporary style with quirky accessories and bizarre junk shop finds picked up on his many visits to the Big Apple.
But in the last year, Sammual has transformed the apartment, leaving behind the downtown look for a more sophisticated Manhattan style.
"I'm always changing things and I love reading about new ideas and looks," he says, referring to his collection of the interiors bible Elle Deco in the corner. "I felt that I wanted to give the apartment a warmer, more homely look. I was inspired when, on a trip to New York, I visited a cool furniture store that had d'cor concentrated in browns and creams. I really liked the look so I went for the idea in a big way."
Although he has kept the plastered walls painted in a crisp white, brown is the accent colour to the apartment. On the main wall, Sammual has created a focal point out of squares of MDF painted in a rich chocolate brown. The pillar separating the living area from the kitchen has a section cut out of it that Sammual has highlighted in the same shade and uses it to display brown wooden vases from Lloyd Davies.
Everything from the leather lamp bases from M&S to the leather cushions and Seventies' style side tables from Ocean, are shades of brown.
Even the coffee cups are brown.
"It took me 10 months to find these cups," says Sammual, triumphantly.
Perhaps one of the biggest and most expensive changes to Sammual's apartment was replacing the seagrass matting throughout the ground floor with luxurious polished maple parquet."I really wanted something different and I thought changing the flooring would have the biggest impact on the look of the apartment. I went through so many magazines looking for the right wood and colouring. In the end, I chose maple that was shipped in from Sweden. It cost £5,000 but it was worth every penny."
Sammual still enjoys bargain hunting and is forever bringing back interesting items of furniture back from New York.
"I always find it amazing the things people throw away," says Sammual. "I'm not averse to hunting through skips and my trips to New York have yielded some great finds that I usually manage to bring back with me on the plane. I suppose I'm a bit of a magpie."
Even Sammual's galley kitchen resembles a New York deli with everything on display and close to hand, stored on metal trolleys.
The open-shelving system in the alcove, houses Sammual's artistic display of unusual food packages from his favourite grocery store."I've always been obsessed with design, particularly that of food packaging," he says. When it comes to soft furnishings, Sammual loves the Martha Stewart range of homestyle items that is so big in New York. He has her magazines shipped over and scans them for ideas. His white bedding is by Martha Stewart and is particularly liked by Sammual's cats Poshy and Aggie.
Since the atrocities of September 11th, Sammual's passion for the city has strengthened even more and he has noticed a tangible change in peoples' attitudes.
"The city is a lot more friendly now, the people are more united," he says.
One day, Sammual hopes to be able to buy a loft in New York but, until then, his Manchester version is the next best thing.
"I've looked at all the new developments in the city as they've sprung up but I've never been tempted away from here. I love this apartment, it's the only place I want to live."
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