Why the French Love British Mattresses and Beds

So what is the difference between French and UK beds and why aren’t the French up to the mark?

There’s an exact science involved in bed-manufacturing. A properly designed mattress should adapt to the shape of your body, not the other way round. The best made British beds and mattresses have a long tradition and design all of their own, geared to provide the best levels of support and comfort. Pocket-springing has been around for over 100 years and there is little doubt that the Brits do it best!

Over the years, British bed manufacturers have found ways of putting more and more springs into mattresses (and the bases underneath them) to provide better and better support for the spine. Couple that with the best natural fibres, for example, lambswool, mohair, silk, cashmere, and horse hair, which Mother Nature has given animals to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer, wick away their perspiration, and cushion them when they lie down, and you have unparalleled comfort. And finally, the best British manufacturers employ specialist craftsmen whose skills have been handed down through generations. You will often find whole families employed at one factory. For example, Hypnos Beds (the only bed manufacturer with a UK Royal Warrant) is still in the hands of its founding family after more than 100 years. You just can’t find better beds anywhere in the World.

French beds, on the other hand, are most often of a bed-frame design, with slats and a hard, shallow “sommier” supporting the mattress. “Matelas” are often thin, with a high foam content, or foam with a few hundred springs. They also seem to be either very hard or very soft. Either way, your back curves when your muscles relax, and you get up in the morning with back-ache that often takes an hour or more to ease. Not really a lit de luxe (luxury bed) and a refreshing nights sleep!

If you compare these French mattresses with a few hundred springs with a British bed from Hypnos or Relyon (arguable the best bed manufactures in the world) we can see the difference in quality. For example the Hypnos Eminence boasts over 2000 independently pocketed-springs in the kingsize mattress which is upholstered with pure cotton felt, hand-teased white hair, cashmere, silk and lambswool. The three rows of genuine hand side-stitching to the mattress borders ensure greater edge-to-edge support.

Another example would be The Relyon Emperor which has over 3400 pocketed springs in the kingsize mattress, which is upholstered with cotton felt, lambswool, hand-teased merino wool, cashmere, mohair, and horse hair. Its five rows of hand stitching provide the greatest edge-to edge support possible. The mattress is supported by a deep divan with 1000 pocketed springs and a further two rows of hand side-stitching.

Why British expats miss British beds so much when they move to France? Is it the textures/quality/comfort/style/price? Don’t the French traditionally have beautiful furniture?

Apart from the vastly superior support and comfort we’ve already mentioned, many Brits love the traditional “divan” styling which is hard to find among in French beds! Of course, French wooden beds and cabinet-making is absolutely beautiful, but it’s a completely different concept. Part of the “tradition” of a divan bed (or “box-spring” as our American customers call it) is the joy of dressing it with fabulous bed linen, although some modern divans are being offered with choices of fabrics so that they can integrate even more into you own bedroom design. And then, of course, the opportunity to have drawers fitted into the divan-base is so convenient, particularly in cupboard-less apartments!

by mulch.thief

Wooden beds are extremely versatile in design

Wooden beds make a great addition to any kind of room. Regardless if you are interested in changing your bed that you primarily sleep on, or you’re interested in adding an additional bed to your guest room, a wooden bed is a great bed to decide to go with for this task.

Wooden beds are available in a wide array of different styles and shades. Styles normally range from the classic wooden bed appeal to the modern wooden beds. Whichever bed you decide on is completely based on your underlying style.

However, in order to decide if a wooden bed is going to serve you justice, its imperative to know a few good and bad things about the beds to ensure that purchasing a wooden bed for your home will serve you justice.

The biggest advantage to having a wooden bed is the fact that you can choose the bed to your own style. The color of the wood can be made to appear lighter or darker and it can compliment anyone’s personal style. If the exact shade of wood that you are seeking is not available you can choose to have the wood lacquered over which will change the color to whatever color you desire.

Since wood is a natural product, it is actually extremely easy to maintain or keep clean with simply utilizing a duster or vacuum to keep it looking as best as you possibly can. Utilizing wax on the bed will give it a decadent shine and allow you the opportunity to protect the hard wood from any scratches or things of that nature that can happen in everyday occurrences.

Wooden beds are extremely affordable as well. Cheaper wooden beds normally come in lighter shades, while beds that cost a little bit more will have a wider array of colors that you can purchase them in.

The cons of the wooden beds are actually a lot less then the pros, which is actually a great fact. The only problems that people have reported with having the wooden beds is when they go to move the beds, it can be an extremely hard chore and they will need to call on the help of others in order to move it. The other con with the wooden beds is the amount of time that the wood takes to come to its mature state.

However the good definitely outweighs the bad as far as wooden beds are concerned. The beds can create a cozy feeling to any room, and they can look however you desire.

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