bedMATE of the month #22: Thomas Trum

Every month we visit a creative and inspiring person. She or he is the 'bedMATE of the month'.

The bedMATE is the most iconic item in our collection. The extra long cushion serves as a headboard, but also as a cuddle buddy, a friend who provides support.

We crawl into bed with the 'bedMATE of the month'. We take a look at their home and their colorful (bed)rooms. In conversation we discover how they use the SUITE
experience life. What's going on in their heads? Where do they get their inspiration?
from? And what color do they dream in?

This month, all-round creative Nicole Huisman went to 's Hertogenbosch to take a look at the bedroom of painter Thomas Trum. Maybe you saw him at ART Rotterdam. He is also currently having a retrospective exhibition in LA

Thomas studied at Sint Lucas in Boxtel and then the Design Academy in Eindhoven, before continuing his creative path as an independent artist. “I like to describe myself as a painter, I make paintings with self-designed tools on all kinds of different surfaces.”

One of his most memorable works was his first drawing, released in 2016, after a month in Kolkata (India). “The joke is that I'm still working on that,” Thomas laughs. However, he never sits still: “We are currently working on a translation to the outdoor space, integrated in and on the architecture. Which also requires an increase in scale and new materials and techniques.”

Nicole speaks to Thomas in his temporary residence in Den Bosch. “We have reversed the anti-squatting principle by having our own house that is movable.” So he only needs a vacant lot to be able to live. Thomas: “Our house is a kind of beach club, with the motto 'forever vacation'.”

Does he like interior design as much as art? “I don't see things so black and white and separate. It is very cool to see that my works all come into their own in a different way in a residential environment, in a public space (e.g. a hospital or restaurant), and in a museum context. I find it exciting how my work responds to its environment or vice versa. But when I paint surfaces, it is almost the interior itself, like a skate track for example.”

Thomas' creativity can be recognized everywhere in his interior. We didn't see his art anywhere in his interior until we looked down. The floor! What started as a test for a project, he eventually used to make the floor himself. His favorite place in the house is his bedroom. It is a small, super cozy space in the loft, in the ridge of his house. Thomas chose linen bedding. The colors he chose were based on the colors of his cat. Thomas: “It's extra cool that I work with linen and now sleep under linen.”

Color is essential for Thomas for both his work and private life. “Color is an extremely important part of my living environment and my work. Color also contributes to a certain energy. Color is also an endless search.” He likes all colors, but if he has to choose he prefers purple and pink.

As a tip for people who find color (still) exciting, he is very clear: “let's go!”