The most hassle free mattress buying experience I have ever had was in New York, where I used a dial-a-mattress service. I phoned a freefone number, discussed a variety of choices with a perky salesperson and gave my credit card details. Four hours later, two burly guys appeared at my door five flights up with a perfectly fine mattress.
Dermot Kelly would be horrified. You should only buy a bed after you've spent a long time in the shop trying several of them out, he says, adding that in Sweden, where they take their sleeping seriously, it's not unusual for prospective bed buyers to spend up to four hours lying flat out testing the merchandise.
It makes sense of course. Mattress buying is something that most of us do once or twice in our lives, so it's hardly a big deal to do a bit of pre-purchase research.
Mr Kelly discovered Duxiana beds over 28 years ago when he was in the hotel management business. "I've had 28 years selling sleep," he says, "so this was the logical step. The 70-year-old company is famous for its upholstery - they make the front seats for Saab and Volvo - and it spotted a niche in the upper end of the bed market. Dux beds are very high end. The top of the range king size bed sells for £6,000 while the least expensive goes for £2,300, not including a headboard.
The bedsprings are in the box part of the bed and on top of that is a thin mattress that is made in a choice of three fillings: Egyptian cotton wadding, natural latex or a sprung version. A conventional double bed might have up to 900 springs while the same size Dux bed has up to 3,600 springs which means that the bodys weight disperses uniformly.
The technology in the beds works by supporting the body at it heaviest points so that the spine is in its natural position all night long. This helps eliminate the neck, shoulder and hip pain familiar to anyone who has ever slept in a bed that is either too hard or too soft.
Duxiana 01 298 9810
