What, precisely, is the point of doing a post on a bed that less than 1% of your readers can possibly afford?

@shanalulu

negative much? although i can't afford this mattress, i can still appreciate a review on it. i've never heard of this company, but was intrigued to learnt they make this mattress by hand. it's also a point of comparison to see if the cost actually matches the comfort.

learn* (damn)

I'm actually gonna have to go with Shanalulu on this -- I love AT, and still read it daily...but the price-point of many of the items featured on here (as well as the house tours) are crazy. I understand the inevitable evolution of the website...but the earlier years of AT had ATTAINABLE inspiration...not a mattress that costs 50% of some people's yearly salaries.

agreed.

"This bed is a lot of money, but if actually can afford to buy one, you're likely not to feel that it's overpriced." What? Who? Ridiculous on so many levels I'm stopping here....

don't listen to the naysayers! i LOVE this series! plenty of things on AT are out of my price range. that just encourages me to get more creative with things that are *in* my price range. plus, i'll know where to spend my money when i hit the lottery!

I have a non mattress, or price question. Can you tell me where your bedframe & headboard came from? Looking for something very minimal space wise for a tiny bedroom. thanks!

AT- From now on please only focus posts on apartments that cost less than $600/mo. to rent since many of us cannot afford to live in more expensive, fancy designer homes! No more talk of Eames either, we want to know what Wal Mart has to offer.

The problem with paying ridiculous $$ for luxury items is that it makes you happy for about a month, and then you begin to develop a lusty hunger for some other overpriced item. I think it's fair to say that you can find a bed just as comfortable for a wee fraction of the price.

Stuff--even puffy, luxurious, white-glove-delivered stuff--won't make you happy. Go take a walk in the woods and breathe deeply.

Lovely sheets and how they seem to cascade of the bed.

Personally I have the IKEA Sultan HJelmas, which is a much softer version of the one you revieved before. Which is actually really comfortable. Maybe you should try that one too.

I think it's interesting to post this bed because the author compares it to beds most of us CAN afford...sortakinda. So it's interesting to note that although this bed gets eventual raves, it's two other, more moderately priced ones that get the double thumbs up. The author isn't suggesting anyone rush out and BUY this bed, he's just giving us all the benefit of an overview of beds of various constructions and materials, something most of us wouldn't have the time to do for ourselves. I appreciate it.

That said, anyone have an opinion on ditching your box spring, comfort-wise ? I'm considering the Design Within Reach architectural canopy bed, which would require me to do that, or use a ladder. I have a Royal-pedic Cal-King with a one and 1/2 inch memory foam topper with a featherbed over that. Comfy.

@Angie_marie -HaHaHaHa!!!

I'm curious - where is the graveyard for a $15k bed that was only slept on for 30 days? Where is it going now?

Maxwell! The timing of this post is so ironic! The Savoir No.2 is my dream bed. THE bed. THE one.

However, we can't afford it -- just reached that conclusion this weekend. We are instead ordering a VI-Spring Classic Superb, which is mostly horsehair with a little lambswool. It's not available in their export line, only in the UK.

The topper at Savoir is a recent addition -- it only appeared a year or so ago, probably to compete with the feeling of Hastens beds. So for over a hundred years, the Savoir No.2 has been used without a topper, so I'm with Sarah on this -- it's unnecessary.

As it happens, I was just reading this yesterday about the topper:

" Topper pads are a response by traditional bed makers such as Savoir to create a natural version of the soft comfort layer on top of the mattress that memory foam provides, at the same time raising the feet slightly to improve the circulation."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/interiorsandshopping/7315797/Pillow-talk-how-to-buy-a-bed.html

(interestingly, the person who sold us our mattresses and bed is the salesperson in the article)

I'm green with envy, and wish, wish we could afford a Savoir No. 2.

(when you get old and achy and sleep-deprived, like my husband and me, you put a premium on a good night's sleep. For the past 4 years I have slept on a government-issue mattress that was little better than a plank of plywood. It has destroyed my shoulders and made my life miserable.)

Actually, I'm curious about where all of these mattresses have gone considering they are used and can't be resold. Have they been thrown out? While I've found this series very helpful because I, too, need a new mattress, it seems really wasteful if indeed they're just thrown out after you use them. I hope that you've at least been able to donate them to someone in need. Apologies if this is something that was addressed in an earlier post.

Very interesting comments on all sides, as an interior designer I have to say that I appreciate the variety on AT. It isn't simply looking to rip off designer pieces but is willin to give them the time of day and realizes that some of it's readers do want to read about the finer things in life. It gives the website a fresh & open minded feeling...one that keeps me reading!

@angie_marie - You must be living in the prairies of Nebraska for a decent-sized apartment or house that only costs $600/month! It would be literally impossible to have an OK apartment in a safe neighborhood in ANY major city for that price.

The whole point of AT is to either be inspired by what others can do OR live vicariously. Chill out, people. Stop being so sensitive about what you can and can't afford.

@Maxwell - Thanks for sharing this! Never heard of this company, nor could I ever afford to buy this. But it sure is pretty to look at!

at. & coookie: This was addressed in the original write-up.

I agree with stacylynnJ. The blog is to inspire! If all you do is look at Walmart, than you will never know when you have stumbled across an amazing piece in a second hand shop.

Also, buying high end goods, does actually makes some people happy. I have a few "expensive" pieces, and I really do love them. It does not make me crave more, and yes I still dumpster dive,shop at Goodwill, and enjoy a good old fashioned yard sale.

"The problem with paying ridiculous $$ for luxury items is that it makes you happy for about a month, and then you begin to develop a lusty hunger for some other overpriced item"

@ solop - Paying a ton of money for a luxury item might make some people happy (or what they think is happy) for a very long time.
Who knows?...

And if it will make you happy to go into the woods and breathe deeply, that's great. I'm glad you have found that source of happiness.
To each his/her own.

(fyi, breathing deeply in the woods has made me very happy on many occasions - lovely suggestion)

chisig70,

no one is saying show us cheap wal-mart items (Angie_marie was clearly being sarcastic)...but there's been a DRASTIC increase in absurdly priced items/homes on AT when originally it was a down-to-earth website with great tips on how to live well in an apartment with creative solutions. Sure, it's outgrown that idea and evolved into more-- which is great. And I understand the need (and desire) to show high-end items. but AT seems to be tipping the scales in favor of expensive Eames items, outrageous 1st dibs finds, and $15,000 mattresses, as opposed to more reasonable items the average reader can relate to. Do I get inspiration from these items too? -- yup, i do. But there seems to be more UNattainable inspiration than attainable inspiration on this website now. And I'm not sure how that is "therapeutic" to my apartment :)

just sayin.

@SQ
I can't find this information in the original write up - if you are referring to Year In Bed: A Modest Proposal. I don't see disposal information there, but maybe I am missing it?

I love reading about this mattress ... I don't shop at Walmart for personal philosophical reasons, but I love Ikea and I can afford to shop there. But my current price range doesn't stop me from dreaming! Besides, even though this mattress is out of my reach TODAY, it might not be out of my reach tomorrow!

@carolaf -- I understand your reasons for not shopping at WalMart, but IKEA is just as bad, only they have better marketing and design.

In November 2009, IKEA, along with Abercrombie & Fitch, Gymboree, Hanes, Kohl’s, LL Bean, Pier 1, Propper International, and Walmart, was added to the 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame by labour rights group International Labor Rights Forum. The Berne Declaration has slammed them for being one of the largest tax dodgers in the world. IKEA is the world's largest single user of forestry products, getting most of its wood from the former Soviet Union which is rife with illegal logging. Given that they have only 10 forestry inspectors, their forestry inspection is mostly window-dressing for green consumers.

Wow. I didn't think there could be a more-or-less entry-level mattress more expensive than the Hastens! Educational indeed. XD But is this not what the royal family sleeps on?

@angie_marie, thanks for distorting my meaning so you could mock it. My point was that the top 1% has plenty of places to read about Really Expensive Stuff, and I thought AT was geared toward The Rest of Us.

@stacylynnJ: it's not "sensitivity about what [I] can afford," it's "what is the point of showing us stuff that almost none of us will ever be able to afford?" I thought it a valid question, I wasn't interjecting insecurity about my own finances, or whatever.

@MyAliya: thank you. That's what I was getting at. AT has become increasingly aspirational, and, consequently, decreasingly useful/relatable, IMO.

Honestly, this post looks like Maxwell showing us his reaping of the benefits of running a popular blog. Which, you know, fine, I guess, but...meh.

I'm going to chime in as well on the increasingly high price of items, especially many labeled as bargains or reasonably priced, that are being referenced on AT lately. This article was moderately interesting as far learning about construction techniques, but shanalulu, I get how it seems that more and more Maxwell is showing off his luxurious lifestyle and fabulous taste. Anyway the appeal of AT is that you can have wonderful style without spending huge amounts of money, that has changed:(

I agree with shanalulu on this; the price of this bed is so out of reach that the post is of very little use to anyone.

I would never buy anything made with horsehair.

Hideaway,

I think we're all in agreement that inspiration CAN be found in high-end items if you pay attention to shape, color, texture, and the other elements of good design -- I shop at overstock, homeGoods, craigslist, target, and discount stores as well and my apt (so I'd like to think) looks MUCH more expensive than it actually is. But I BEG you to tell me what inspiration youve gotten from this $15,000 mattress..

I got a kick out of reading this. I don't live in an apartment, can't afford this bed ever, nor can I afford most of what I see on AT. But I still have fun reading about the stuff, and finding out what makes a quality mattress. Love those white gloves!

pixie-

why not?

The use of horse hair does not inspire me even if I had the money to spend.

Seems kind of kooky to bash a post about a pricey bed. I'll never own alot of expensive things and not that I'd want them anyways but I sure enjoy the art that goes into the making of them.

I'm not bashing the post. I enjoy the art that goes into well-made items of any price...I just feel that AT is catering getting out of balance with the high-end items.

And Hideaway -- you just proved my point :) a big splurge on a bed for most readers in a few thousand, not TENS of thousands of dollars. Most readers can't relate to this item, and probably will never own/afford it.

It's just my humble opinion. Take an HONEST look at posts from the earlier years of AT compared to now and you'll realize what I'm claiming is pretty undeniable.

Why is everyone so quick to assume that most AT readers make so little money? Over 5 million people read this blog, I'm sure PLENTY of readers can afford this mattress. Stop whining and skip posts about high-end merchandise if they bother you that much. Some of us are interested.

Also... many, many residential interior designers read this blog and can benefit from information like this for their clients (and just personal knowledge). I doubt that company would loan Maxwell such an expensive mattress if they didn't think it was going to reach an appropriate audience. Just look at all the high-end homes we see through house tours... those people are AT readers, too.

yes, Manditra, "Just look at all the high-end homes we see through house tours" on a website called APARTMENT therapy... :)

tsd - because of the means used to get the horsehair.

"Horsehair."

blech.

I agree that some of the items on AT are extremely pricey. I enjoy learning about the construction items that are of the highest quality so I can be educated on what constitutes 'quality'.

I don't understand why there are houses on an apartment blog.

the construction OF* items

... you know, with all this sort of grumbling, maybe it's time for AT to come up with another site? One that's more explicitly budget. Eco-friendly items got shunted into their own site, too, and I know a lot of ppl care in general for that sort of thing. The other alternative is for the grumblers to set up a competing site geared towards those of less means, which would be, frankly, hard.

So, has anyone gotten a reply as to what's happening with all these used mattresses?

@lepidoptery: really, do we need to use negative characterizations like "grumblers?" AT has changed, and is now less useful than it was before. Pardon us for wishing AT wasn't slowly but surely becoming yet another "dream source" source.

@shanalulu
Frankly, I would prefer the budget site, but at some point the preponderance of commentors would refuse to accept that AT has changed, probably because the ppl running AT have changed, dilutes whatever remaining usefulness there is in the discussion.

(... and then you have all the posts re:, ahem, unauthorized reproductions, that get derailed by railings against knockoffs from the other end of the spectrum....)

@shanalulu
OK, to be more direct about it, I don't think there's any need for me to apologize. I think it's funny that you don't think you are complaining, however legitimate your grievance may be. "Grumbling" is hardly a harsh indictment.

It's kind of funny because I'm sure many people on AT have paid more than this a car or maybe a big vacation. For a mattress, 15k for some reason seems so decadent. But such mattresses probably last longer than cars, and you hopefully spend more of your time in bed than driving! I actually think buying a new car is incredibly decadent, but don't often hear people complaining about that.

Still, "due to a construct in my mind," I would never pay $15k for a car or a mattress. (Vacation, yes!)

I don't think there's anything wrong with featuring expensive items. That's kinda the point of this whole bed-test series. Testing out the luxury/custom/specialty beds.

However, a $15,000 bed cracks me up! That is as much as my car! That is over 50% of one year of my income! Even if I had a billion dollars, I would never spend that much on one mattress.

I'm still humored by the fact that some commentors think the "grumblers" are automatically "poor" or have "low budgets" ...then act as if WE are the problem with AT...when in actuality , apartment therapy seems to have been created for the average -income household but has now morphed into an aspirational "dream-source", $15,000 mattress website that no longer seems to cater as much to regular budgets.

I agree with lepidoptery about creating a sub-division of the site for high-end items. But If anything, the luxury items should be given a new tab, not the original website.

I'm glad I'm not the only one grossed out by horsehair being used! Unless savoy has created an equine version of Locks Of Love, horse hair is essentially leftovers from horse slaughter. The issues I have with horse slaughter are numerous, but the biggest is that it's estimated that 66% of horses stolen are sold to slaughter (in the US, not sure about the UK, but I would suspect it's similar). Which means that each year hundreds of people's PETS are being killed. ...and then apparently Savoy turns them into ridiculously priced mattresses.

There is a lot of mediocrity in the world and it is the place of some people to aspire to it. I believe learning about the quality, craftsmanship and traditional skills of product or service brings hope and joy to the world. There are a lot of people in the world who produce part or all of a product that themselves could not afford. This reality of life that first poster is not taking into account when they aspire to read reviews only middle of the road commercial rubbish. America is currently (not) enjoying the results of such thinking. We will happily buy a car that will last 10 years and drop in value by 80% before becoming useless to us, where a bed like this could last 20-30 years and deliver many years of improved health. I won't even start on the total value of Computers, TV's, VCR's, and other consumables we have to constantly replace and basically provide little or no craftsmanship or industry for skilled people. I personally would pay $20 per week to sleep on this mattress, I would not pay $5 per week to sleep on ikea junk, but some people are happy to. The term "afford" really means "priority"

No one ever answered what happened to the used mattresses.

I just came across this "in-bed" series and am really glad the author is testing beds across a wide range of price points. I have been curious about how well a $10k mattress stands up against a $1200 mattress in a real sleep test. Usually high end reviews only compare against other high end mattresses, so its hard to get helpful perspective when you may have never owned a high end mattress to begin with. I just bought a $3000 mattress because as I've aged I've noticed more body pain upon waking that would linger throughout the day. After experiencing marked improvement after sleeping on a better mattress in a hotel for a few weeks, I figured out that my inexpensive mattress was to blame. These articles have been illuminating and I will save to buy a higher end mattress in the future. My health is important to me and when this $3000 mattress gives out (which it unfortunately will) it will be wonderful to have the option to purchase something great that I can use until I'm in my 60's.