Modern Hero: Dan Wade of Feather & Black

Dan Wade, it seems, quite literally has a “dream” job, working as Managing Director to Feather & Black – a company who pride themselves on being experts in sleep!  We caught up with him to find out a little more about everyone’s favourite pastime …

IDEALIST: So Dan, tell us all about Feather & Black

Well first and foremost, it’s a company both myself and our team of experts are extremely proud of.  We first set up back in 2004 as quite a small concern and now have stores strategically placed nationwide across the UK with the sole mission of providing everyone with the perfect bedtime.  We quite literally provide everything you need for a good night’s sleep – from customised mattresses right through to high quality bedroom furniture and accessories.  Put simply, we’re about providing everything the perfect bedroom needs.

IDEALIST: So what’s so special about your product line?

With a choice of seven tensions, our luxury mattresses are made with revolutionary pocket-spring technology, giving you a uniquely personal experience which is unrivalled by any other UK bed company. We have a huge selection of upholstered bed choice ranges from affordable through to totally luxurious. We pride ourselves on being the connoisseurs of snooze. From mattresses made with innovative technology, to luxurious pillows and duvets and the most stylishly-designed beds and linen. We even hand stitch our mattresses for that extra-special touch.  It’s something we remain very passionate about.

IDEALIST: Once customers have found the perfect base, what then?

Again, in response to customer demand, we also offer a unique “build a bed” service which is exactly what it says – it’s totally unique and bespoke to the customer. This particular service enables the customer to work with our team of experts and ultimately build the perfect bed – from the choice of mattress right through to the bed size, base, headboard style, fabric and any little extras they might want to add.  We offer a huge range of different beds – from functional to fabulous – and can also tailor this to fit in with our extensive range of furniture and accessories.  Ultimately it’s all created around what our customer specifically wants – or doesn’t want, as the case may be!

IDEALIST: What sort of advice would you give as regards accessories?

Personally I’d say try not to be too fussy – soft layers and muted colours work wonders and no one wants to spend hours throwing cushions on and off the bed (especially men – we hate that!).  It’s completely unnecessary and not conducive to a stress free sleep!  Our wide range of accessories are designed to keep things as simple and relaxed as possible.  We also offer all our customers free fabric samples for our upholstered furniture ranges so that they can explore with different textures and colours before deciding on what works best for them.

IDEALIST: You also offer great bedrooms for little people too?!

We do!  And in fairness our children’s bedroom designs are utterly fantastic!  We offer some great kids collections such as “Charlotte” and “Radley” and they look simply amazing.  We also offer a great range of kids’ accessories, fun lighting and storage solutions.  We design these with every child in mind – whether it’s for younger children or a room to grow into.  The key thing is to make the room fun – but functional!  That way it works for both the child – and the parent!

IDEALIST: On a personal note, then, what makes for your perfect bedtime?

Well, I must confess that I often watch a bit of TV before going to sleep (which completely defeats what some of the experts might suggest, but I do enjoy catching up on the news after a busy day at work!) and I always tend to sleep with the window open for a bit of fresh air.  My personal bed is always as large as possible for plenty of room and I tend to sleep in a t-shirt and boxers, complete with my cuddly buddy, Dan the dog!  You couldn’t ask for more!

Feather & Black have lot of stores dotted around the country and pretty much everything is also available online at www.featherandblack.com.