Angelo Surmelis and Tom Erdman interview
SevierCountyNews.com
By SCN
Designer Angelo Surmelis, host of HGTV’s ‘Rate My Space’ show has always wanted to create the type of furniture he wanted to own. The kind of furniture where a person did not make any kind of compromises in style and quality because they had little money. Surmelis, along with business partner Tom Erdman (General Manager for furniture company Handy Living) have brought that dream to reality.
SevierCountyNews.com caught up with both Surmelis and Erdman by telephone this week to chat about design, flat-pack production, and the synchronicity that brought it all together. (SCN feature window photo is Angelo Surmelis seated on the cherry red Spencer sofa, which will be $699 at Overstock.com.)
SCN: With your design experience and Tom’s furniture manufacturing experience, the stars must have lined up right or something when you two met. How did it happen?
AS: Tom was flipping through the channels and saw his chairs on a show I was doing. It’s funny because he said he didn’t even really like those chairs very much and they were even thinking about discontinuing them. When he saw what I did with them, he liked it.
SCN: You two have a lot of shared values.
AS: We absolutely do. We’re both from the Midwest, both from blue collar families. Growing up, stylish furniture wasn’t a priority. Not because my parents didn’t have style, they had plenty. They loved all this type of furniture but couldn’t afford it.
SCN: There are 20 pieces in the collection?
AS: There are 30 pieces now including chairs, sofas, loveseats and ottomans.
SCN: They start at $299?
AS: They are expected to retail from $249 to $699.
SCN: After 52 episodes of “24 Hour Design” (2006-2008) and 38 episodes of “Clean Sweep” (2003-2005), you have a pretty good idea about what consumers want.
AS: Actually, I did 200 episodes of “Clean Sweep.” And most recently, 39 episodes of HGTV’s “Rate My Space.”
SCN: And you own your own design company in L.A., online at http://www.swell-space.com.
AS: I am so geekishly passionate about design. I believe that good design can change your life. It can make you feel differently about yourself.
SCN: And if there’s a big red pillow in this adventure, it’s the “why.”
AS: It’s always all about the “why” for me. It’s all very personal. When I work with clients, I love to find out the “why.” Not just that you like the color blue, but why you do, what it makes you think of. Not just how it looks but how it makes you feel, the emotional aspect of it.
SCN: Rate My Space was such an emotional show and I am a fan. I am amazed that you are done with it. Why isn’t the show going to continue?
AS: I honestly don’t know how that decision was made at HGTV. But I can say that I have never in my life - ever, ever—worked with a better staff. They were amazing.
SCN: Even the guys on your show would cry when they saw how beautifully you designed a space for them. They would say things like “No one has ever done anything that nice for me.”
AS: Yeah, it always surprised us too when people cried, especially the guys. But again, it’s the personal aspect. It’s emotional. It has a spiritual dimension to it as well.
From left: Tom Erdman and Angelo Surmelis relax in a pair of “Garbo” chairs from the Angelo:Home collection. Photo by IMK Studio, Los Angeles.
SCN: (And now my questions for Tom, the engineering and manufacturing part of this adventure.) What is flat-pack production and how important is it to the success of your furniture line?
TE: Our reduced package size is an important aspect and our efficient packaging uses the furniture itself (inside the box) to support the outside of the box, eliminating the need for polystyrene fillers. Also, because we use compact packaging, less warehouse space in volume gets used.
SCN: You’re also trying to do things in a way that has less impact on the environment.
TE: Wherever we can. Our model is that we do not want to put something into the product that makes a hardship for the manufacturer. In other words, there are some things that people do in order to be able to say they are being environmentally responsible but in the end they spend so much more energy transporting it in trucks that it is less environmentally responsible. We don’t do that.
SCN: You have already had years of experience in the furniture business at Handy Living, so explain to me why you approached Angelo about a partnership. Didn’t you already know what kinds of furniture pieces would sell well?
TE: We know what has sold. Angelo tells us what will sell. He gives us the courage to try new things, things we have never tried before.
SCN: And with all his television experience like ‘Rate My Space,” Angelo really knows who the consumer is. Who she is, I mean.
TE: Yes, our customer base is about 80 percent female. Men have input into the decision-making process but ultimately she makes the decision. These women are primarily students, professionals, and retired persons.
SCN: Did you choose the fabric colors based on your past experience in the furniture business?
TE: No, the colors are all Angelo. This is not cookie cutter furniture. It’s designed to have an eclectic feel in a collection…
SCN: Angelo kept talking about how important it was that the furniture be comfortable. That furniture pieces should not just look great, they should feel great and be welcoming.
TE: We use pocket coil seating because it is the most forgiving and it moves with you. It is very, very supportive but you don’t sink in. Also, a key component is how the back meets the seat…it should not be straight up; that’s not comfortable at all.
SCN: You launched the pair of leather Garbo chairs this month at Costco.com, but the rest of the collection launches August 10. Where can people find your furniture line?
TE: The first layer of retailers is Costco.com, Overstock.com, and CSNstores.com. We also have a second layer of retailers: Amazon.com, Kohls.com and BJSWholesale.
SCN: I have my eye on the Bogart chair and ottoman. I like it because it is a dark, classic, masculine chair but you can soften that look up and make it more feminine with some other accessories nearby. Plus, who knows? Maybe I’ll find a new boyfriend and he’ll really like that chair.
TE: It’s a guy’s chair for sure. Right now I can see a pizza sitting on that ottoman.
SCN: Ha, ha! Yeah! And there must be a really big television there too, with a remote. Well, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to chat with us today, especially since I know you just got back from China and are heading out to meet Angelo in Seattle. We certainly wish you both all the best.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Surmelis and Erdman were interviewed on different days. The text of the two interviews has been combined for clarity and brevity. Visit http://www.angelohome.com
Bogart chair and ottoman - available August 10, 2009 for $499 at Sears.com and CSNStores.com. Photo by IMK Studio.