SUSAN DROVER

Susan Drover, originally from Baie Verte, is a successful female entrepreneur in St. John’s. At age 40, she left her career in the Investment world to pursue her passion for Interior Design by returning to school full-time. In 2012, she opened SAM Design, a full-service Interior Design Firm and Retail Showroom, curating and bringing easy access locally to all things necessary for design-driven clients. Susan and her team have worked on hundreds of commercial and residential projects, both in the province and throughout Atlantic Canada.  

Susan’s personal vision is to be at home in a life built by design. She feels passionate that our physical space greatly contributes to how we live or work. It’s no surprise with her passion for residential design that she has extended her skills to hospitality, beginning with her first property, My Flatrock Dwelling, in 2020.

In 2023, Susan created Dvele Inn, a small 7-room luxury boutique Inn on Monkstown Road, driven by design details and curated experiences. Dvele is cross-marketed with her main business, SAM Design, under the brand DWELL by sam. Dvele Inn, while only its inception, has been featured in The Maritime Edit, Air Canada's EnRoute Magazine, and will soon be included as part of a feature article for National Geographic Traveller Magazine, both in print and online.

Susan was also named in the 2023 H&H 100 as one of the Top 100 Interior Designers in Canada by House & Home Media Group, one the main authorities on Interior Design media in North America. Susan's own home and personal design work will be showcased as a feature article in the September 2024 issue of House & Home Magazine.

Susan is also a graduate and current alumni member of the prestigious Wallace McCain Entrepreneurship Leadership Program, representing more than 572 business leaders bringing more than $1.86 billion of revenue to Atlantic Canada. 

Among other fulfilling volunteer roles through the years, Susan was one of the inaugural board members of NLOWE in its inception. 

Susan is dedicated to her community, and she currently sits on the Stella’s Circle Foundation Board where she successfully ran a large volunteer community fundraising effort to remake the city’s coveted Hungry Heart Cafe into Stella’s Brassiere, opening in May 2024.

Susan lives in St. John’s with her partner, Bert. Her favourite things in life are simple pleasures, like a good fire and curated poetry. She is a proud mother to three exceptional girls and believes in living a well-styled, meaningful life.