One third of our lives, that’s how much time we spend in bed, on average. But short of spending time picking out your favourite duvet cover and matching pillow slips, there often are not many other design elements to consider. That is, until now.
Interior design buff and Warwick native Sally Thompson, along with her daughter Alex, noticed a substantial gap in the market for affordable, custom made bedheads. Alex wanted the freedom and ease to design the bedhead herself, but being a time-poor, young professional, did not know where to start. The mother and daughter duo took it upon themselves to start manufacturing and selling the bedheads online to locals, friends and family, and from there, The Bedhead Co. was born. “We have always had a love of interiors and beautiful fabrics. The bedhead can be a subtle backdrop with neutral tones or it can be fun and bold using plush velvet, oriental patterns, stripes and florals.”
Both women also note the functionality of the bedhead as a headrest for keen readers, like themselves.
Growing up just outside of Warwick, Sally was exposed to classic country interior design styles and fabrics that she still draws inspiration from today. “We love the sense of community in western Queensland and the warmth evoked in the classic ‘country style’ – worn leather, high quality and durable fabrics that have a soft touch and natural fibres. Our Henley in Malmsbury Willow bedhead perfectly captures the country lifestyle, and instantly adds warmth to any bedroom.”
Alex shared her top Autumn bedroom trends. “We are seeing a trend towards the warmer colours, dark grey, navy and earthy colours are a popular choice especially for a main bedroom bedhead. We are finding that our clients still love a patterned bedhead for their spare rooms. Our Cotswold in Beachcomber Marine has been the favourite of this season.” Recently Sally and Alex have added a new range for the summer season. “This range of bedheads has more of a bright patterned and coastal vibe about it and we are looking forward to releasing a further range mid-2018,” Alex said.
As their business continues to grow, Sally and Alex have attracted attention from David Jones. “David Jones was looking for a range of Australian made bedheads to include in its bedhead range and liked what we were doing in the bedhead space. It has been a very exciting opportunity for us and we are thrilled to continue this partnership with some future designs,” Alex said.
When asked what the biggest challenge for them and their business has been Alex said, “Deciding on which fabrics and styles for our bedhead ranges! It is the most exciting, but also challenging, part of the business. There are so many great local and international fabrics in the market at the moment. It is a lot of fun, but at the end of the day you have to produce bedheads that customers want for their homes at an affordable price point.”
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