Elevating Your Sleep Experience
As a designer, I can get a little obsessed with the details. I’m always analyzing my environment, wondering how things are made, how they could be designed better or how a space could function better. I love to understand how others create and craft the things we live with every day. It’s the endless curiosity that makes me love having the opportunity to visit workrooms and factories to see true craftspeople creating the items we see every day.
As you can imagine, I was very excited for the opportunity to see how our own mattress was handcrafted by the talented team at Stearns & Foster® in their Hagerstown factory. When so few things are crafted by hand (and even fewer in this country), it’s quite the experience to watch.
Along the way, I asked loads of questions about the mattresses and, of course, about their sustainable practices … here are a few of the highlights:
“I see the extra fabric along the edges being trimmed… where do the fabric off-cuts go?”
They’re sent to a recycling center and made into carpet pads!
“What does it mean to be handcrafted?”
Just like we have to guide a sewing machine to make a dress, every machine that makes each component has a trained craftsperson and fabricator guiding and operating the creation of every mattress.
“Why did you just remove a mattress from the outgoing shipment?”
Every day, the team meticulously takes apart and inspects a randomly chosen mattress that’s about to ship out. Checking it right before it ships out means that they’re seeing what the customer sees and they can check the quality and craftsmanship at every step.
“What happens with your excess inventory when you introduce a new collection?”
They handcraft every mattress to order so there’s very little overage and waste! I really love that every mattress is handcrafted for each customer. It feels like a smart and responsible way to manufacture and ensures that not only is the customer receiving a newly made product, but also that it won’t go to waste from overproduction.
Ok, I have a confession to make… I always thought that the reason we can sometimes wake up hot at night was because we just naturally generate more heat as we sleep! Although we do release some heat as our core temperature cools and prepares for sleep, the more significant reason that we feel warmer throughout the night is because the heat gets trapped in our bedding. The clever (and quite pretty) little air vents on the Reserve mattress from Stearns & Foster® actually help to circulate and release that trapped heat. With the added benefit of ventilated coils, TENCEL™️ fibers and these wonderful AirVents, the Reserve mattress allows air to move out, increasing airflow and pulling warm air away from your body throughout the night.
One of my favorite moments from the whole visit was being able to see the underlying human element to the handcrafted process. From guiding the machines that sew the edges and quilt the tops to the actual hand tufting (with the biggest needle I’ve even seen!) and checking for quality at every step. Each component is made with the guidance and oversight of a trained fabricator, from the coils and handles to the hand signed labels.
I am so grateful to have visited the Stearns & Foster® plant so that I could share a bit more insight with you into this well-established and venerated brand. If you have any questions about Stearns & Foster® or how to select the perfect mattress for your own home, send me note here or a direct message on Instagram. Special thanks to the Stearns & Foster® workroom for hosting me and answering my many questions!
As always, make sure to follow along with us on Instagram as we share inspiration, ideas and insight on all things design.
xx Laura + the LHS Team
#ad #sponsorship