With a beautiful showroom right on Beverly Boulevard for more than 10 years, Custom Comfort co-owner Gary Trudell is the go-to man in town when you need a top-quality mattress. Clients include athletes, celebrities, award-winning designers, 5-star hotels and even cruise lines who have very discerning guests with high expectations and taste. When you consider that a third of your life is spent in bed trying to sleep, Trudell shares with us what to look for in a mattress, what is selling well and what sets his family-run business apart from the rest.
I’m one of ten children (seven brothers and two sisters) and two of my older brothers started this business over 30 years ago. As things evolved and started to change in our industry with large company’s mass-producing, we began to obtain old equipment and machinery and started building mattresses the old-fashioned way with quality construction and durability. We make traditional handcrafted double-sided beds with cotton from California and coils from the United States. We’re one of very few family-owned and operated manufacturers still making and resourcing right here in Southern California.
Our industry today is about 95 percent petrol chemical based which is Polyurethane so when someone says, my bed sleeps hot, is dipping, or my allergies are adding up it’s usually because of that. Some of the mattresses are100 percent chemical-based. Double-sided beds are more supportive and they last longer. 99 percent of the beds in today’s market are single-sided because they are more profitable. They are cheaper and wear out quicker.
I always tell people the more natural materials you get the better. They are healthier, cooler, they sleep better and they last longer. The most important part is fitting, body type, predominate sleep positions and the ability to equalize pressure. So, if you were a back sleeper you want the back as straight as possible with enough strength to support your core but you need the blood-flow and contour. One mattress does not fit all. It’s subjective and personal. It affects your health, aging process, and weight.
Most people do best with a firm to medium support with a contouring top. Most body types want support but with a release of pressure. For us, we have basically five different lines for feel, so if you’re a side sleeper you want a more-plush mattress with contour. Our expertise is not just the quality but the fitting and getting someone fitted into their body type.
I get the greatest pleasure by hearing stories where we have the ability to impact or improve someone’s lives. If you get the proper support, your body is able to relax you are able to get into REM sleep and that is where your body truly recovers.
We have done all the beds for the Crystal Cruise line for over 5 years. We were able to build them a bed that fits on a wood platform because they are not on conventional box-springs, and we were able to give them the support and suppleness plus meet all the weight and size requirements – there are different ones on a cruise ship vs residential. Before we were just replacing those beds but now, we have a new contract for 7,000 mattresses that are about to go to Germany for another cruise ship project before the lid goes on. Some of the cruises are 6 months long and people who want to buy the beds now have those options.
Yes, and we are very honored, he’s obviously a fabulous designer and had been a client for many, many years. In working with him, his values and who he is using natural materials and the best quality, we decided to collaborate. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years personally and this is the only private label that we have done. Because of his passions and what he stands for, it was a great match. He was able to bring a beautiful design to three different models of the actual mattresses and make it more like a piece of furniture.
We also do the beds for Ty Warner and his Four Seasons properties in Santa Barbara and New York, but we have done a lot of projects with Martyn as well and some of his high-end clients such as the Kardashians. Kourtney’s house was recently published in Architectural Digest. Martyn had us make a 9ft x 7ft bed for the master bedroom. Courtney is passionate about natural materials and has her own website now (Poosh) and so it was a great fit for us. She’s a tremendous client and that family has been so great to us.
Learn more at Custom Comfort’s website
8919 Beverly Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
