Bedding design collaborations. In this captivating interview, we have the privilege of sitting down with celebrity designer Thom Filicia, renowned for his work on the hit TV show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” Join us as Thom dives into an enlightening discussion on why it’s high time for bedding manufacturers to forge meaningful partnerships with the design community. If you’re passionate about the intersection of style, comfort, and innovation in the bedding industry, this interview is a must-watch!
In our May/June issue of Sleep Savvy Magazine, we feature an in-depth interview with Thom Filicia that delves even deeper into this exciting topic. Make sure to check out the magazine to gain further wisdom from this design visionary.
Transcript
Thom Filicia
Sorry. Thank you. Good morning. Hi. I didn’t even see you yet. Say hello. Got it. Awesome. Okay. You guys. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like your kicks. Okay, Go ahead. Sorry. Yeah. Here we go.
Waynette Goodson
So, Thom, thank you so much for being with us today. And why don’t we just kick this off with our bedding audience, who might not be familiar with you yet? Okay. Can you please just introduce yourself? Talk about your design philosophy.
Thom Filicia
Okay. So, hi, guys. My name is Thom Filicia, and this is my showroom in High Point. And this is my dog, Lago.
He was supposed to be in his bag because he’s much nicer in his bag. But he came out. But he likes it. He really likes you. That’s awesome. And he also loves beds. So we’ll get to that in a minute. So I’m an interior designer from New York City, and I also work in media, and I have a showroom in New York City called Sedgewick & Brattle.
Thom Filicia
And so that’s kind of a little window into who I am as a designer. And then my philosophy is really about clean, classic, timeless lines. A lot of our product is sort of rooted in sort of an American lifestyle point of view. I would say it’s stylish and sophisticated and comfortable and inviting. We call it American Chic.
Waynette Goodson
So we are loving Thom Filicia, a world-renowned interior designer at this moment. I did pay her to say that, Yes. But he is the subject of an original interview coming to you in your May issue of BedTimes and Sleep Savvy Magazines. Thom feels it’s time for bedding manufacturers and retailers to partner with the design community.
Thom, why do you feel that it’s so important to put bedding manufacturers and the design community together?
Thom Filicia
Well, I think I can tell you just I have a design firm and I have designers that work at my company. And I will tell you, purchasing mattresses is about as complicated as buying light bulbs these days because there are so many options.
Thom Filicia
There are so many different manufacturers, and there are so many different fabrications. And I just think that I think at this moment, it’s not just like soft, medium and firm, you know? I mean, it’s not easy, and it’s expensive. And so if you are really going to understand the product or connect with a product, it’s really important that the manufacturer and a representative, someone that I think the consumer can trust and understands their esthetic and their point of view and like sort of, you know, appreciates what they’re doing.
It’s the same way you would take great; you’d take great advice from a friend who you trust. And so I think that is going to hopefully take a little bit of the mystery of the multiple options, thicknesses, fabrications, constructions of mattresses that I think has made it really wonderful because you can find something very specific to your needs that fits your sort of comfort level, your lifestyle, what’s good for a guestroom, what’s good for kids rooms, you know, athletes versus, you know, someone who maybe has, you know, some kind of like, you know, muscle issue that they’re dealing with.
Thom Filicia
You can really be specific now to, you know, beds can be custom at a certain level or feel very personalized for the person or the people or the family or the hotel or whatever brand you’re dealing with. So I think that that’s a really wonderful thing to have all of those options.
But with all of those options comes a lot of questions and a lot of confusion. And I, I think that there is a really great opportunity to make it more approachable, more fun and easier.
Waynette Goodson
And get the designers on board to tell the story. Tell the story to your clients and make it clear. So since we have you, last question. Everybody wants to hear about trends, so please look into your crystal ball. Look towards 2024. And why are your clients asking, you know, for embedding or mattresses or what do you see colors? I mean, patterns.
Thom Filicia
I think there are probably two things. I think sort of health and wellness is a big component. I think that to have mattresses that are thoughtful about sort of the content that are there safe in terms of fire safety and things like that and that they’re also healthy and they and having them at different price points, offering different levels of, you know, sort of from organic to just sort of clean and chemical free at a certain level. So I think all of those things are very important because I think that’s become, you know, people understand that we spend more than 50% of our lives in our bed, really. So the idea of being in an environment that is, you know, sort of conducive to health and wellness and, you know, and just, you know, getting a good night’s sleep.
And we all understand the benefits of that, right, Lago? As he ruins the bed and he’s like ruining the bedding on top of the mattress. Also, I think, you know, we’re, you know, with the way that you know, certainly having a pet. I realize that you know, even sort of durability, cleanability, that’s a big thing people are looking for.
Thom Filicia
And then I just don’t understand, and I think my clients, we always laugh about it when we are looking at mattresses, but they’re generally not that attractive. And, you know, and the thing is, is that there’s a lot of times that there’s nothing on that bed for one or two days out of the week, and so it’d be really nice if it was something that was attractive and that it was just part of plain white but something.
Yeah. And also something that some Yeah, it’s something that was just not so much of a statement like some of the mattresses are. There was something that you would want to have in your environment almost, and it’s on a piece of furniture. Yeah. I mean, it just, you know, it just something that. Right, exactly. That it was, it already feels like part of the landscape of the design and the space, and then you cover it up.
But when it isn’t covered up, it’s. Well, you got to deal with that. I know he loves this mattress.
Waynette Goodson
Well, Thom, we love you are getting involved in the bedding industry, and I full well support you. Well, thank you. See what’s coming next from you and beautiful mattresses. So you all, please keep tuning in to our designer coverage. And as always, have a great night’s sleep.
