Beds Buying Guide
Choosing a bed is a tough thing to do. You spend a third of your life in it, so you want it to be right. Our advice is that you can read all you like on the internet but ultimately you need to lie on some beds to work out what suits you. You're welcome to come and lie on our display beds to see what feels right.
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Should you have a firm mattress?
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You hear advice to have a firm bed, but also a soft one. This sounds confusing. What the advice actually means is to have good firm springs inside your bed, and comfortable cushioning on top. These two layers make a mattress.
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Because people vary in size, shape and weight, different strengths of springs suit different people. Larger people usually need more (or firmer) springs to support their weight, along with better cushioning layers to make this comfortable.
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All of our mattresses are sprung. We won't sell all-foam mattresses, they tend to be the cheap vacuum-packed ones you see advertised online, and we think they're pretty poor.
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Open Coil springs
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We have 4 display beds with "open coil" or "traditional" steel springs. These are fine for one occupant.
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Pocket Springs
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We have 7 pocket sprung display beds to try. The reason for having pocket springs is that when your partner moves in bed, the springs under them each move individually and don't tug on their neighbouring springs. The net effect is, you don't roll together or bounce the whole bed about, or at least not nearly so much as with traditional springs. This is a big plus, and probably the biggest single feature to get a better sleep. (The other plus to pocket springs is they have a longer life so are better value for money.) So, with two occupants, go for pocket sprung.
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Pocket sprung mattresses have different "spring counts". All the figures are for a king size bed, scaled down for Doubles, Singles etc. They start at 600. We offer 1000, 1500 and 2000 spring counts. As the spring count rises so does the firmness - we find 2000 is the maximum firmness for most people.
For most manufacturers 3000 is the most springs they can fit on a single layer; higher figures than 3000 are often misleading, a common tactic is to quote nested springs or multiple layers of mini springs to give figures like 5000 or 7000 - which won't provide any more support.
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Our most popular mattress is the Premium 1500. We suggest that you start there, and then see if the 1000 or 2000 versions of the same mattress are more comfy for you.
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If you want something extra firm, we have one called the Ultra 1500 which has an upper layer of dense padding designed to give the firm feel of an old-fashioned mattress.
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Memory Foam
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Memory Foam, also known as visco elastic foam, was developed by NASA and softens as it warms up in reaction to your body heat, moulding to your body shape. Some people love it, especially if they have back problems. Others say it feels too hot, as it tends to trap moisture as you perspire, leading to a clammy feeling.
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One solution to the "too hot" issue is to have a Dual Season mattress with memory foam on one side. In winter the memory foam side keeps you snug. For the hot summer nights, turn the mattress over and you have a normal 1000PS mattress side.
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We have 2 memory foam mattresses on display. These are a traditional open coil mattress, and a 1000 pocket sprung Dual Season.
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Advanced Hybrids
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Improving upon the features of memory foam, we have an Advanced Hybrid mattress called the Sensory Gel. Its gel layer helps cocoon you in a similar way to memory foam, without all the overheating issues. It's worth trying one out; they have a unique feel which some people love. These fancy top-end mattresses can cost thousands, but ours is a very reasonable £500 for a double.
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Bases
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We're all about mattresses, because that's what gives you a great sleep, but I suppose we should talk about bases too. We offer divans, with storage options, as well as solid oak bedframes from our sister business Original Oak.
For houses with limited access in tight stairwells we can have a bespoke divan made in 3 or 4 sections.
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Come for a test
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We really, really advise you to choose a mattress by lying on them for at least a few minutes each. Come into the showroom, kick off your shoes and have a lie down. We'll either leave you to it or you can fire questions at us about beds. See how it compares to your current mattress in terms of comfort.
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And for people with back trouble, all bets are off. Depending on your individual issue, the advice above can go out of the window as you may find something different comfy to the rest of us. Again, there is no substitute for trying them out.
Most people sleep on their side, and the most important thing you're aiming for in that situation is to get your spine straight. You want the right firmness to allow your hip to sink in, whilst otherwise giving you enough support.