At the latest, when people move into the first home of their own, at the start of their training or university course, there arises the question of the first bed of their own – and then, at least as far as the mattress is concerned, the issue of buying a new one will raise its head again every eight to ten years. Depending on their quality, the spring base and the bedstead tend to last significantly longer. But people change their duvets, pillows, covers and accessories even more often. Whilst students in their student rooms are not quite so choosy, and their budget is, in any case, limited, people’s expectations become more stringent as they get older, and when they come to look towards their first shared home with a partner, then they want a bed that is not only durable and of good quality, they want something that meets their own individual requirements. The bed must be comfortable and must be more than a mere place to sleep.
Relevant, too, however is the fact that one’s body changes. Metabolism, sensitivity to heat and cold, weight and fitness, general lifestyle; all these things influence one’s sleep and, also, the question of how one’s bed and its bedding should be made. People who tend to feel the cold need a warm duvet – and vice versa. At the same time, the old cliché is also relevant; women feel the cold more than men – something that has mainly biological causes. Each one of us needs our own individual duvet that suits us. That goes for the pillow too. It must be the right height, support the nape of the neck properly, so that the neck is not tense. Here, as with all the other elements, there is a barely manageable variety and a plethora of materials. Heimtextil offers help in finding your way around this jungle of beds and bedding.
Whilst the traditional down pillow remains extremely popular, there have long been numerous alternatives – and one such interesting example, for instance, is offered by the water pillows from Mediflow, which can adapt to fit the head perfectly and are suitable both for people who sleep on their back and for people who sleep on their side.
Awareness of temperature depends on the climate in the bed and bedroom – and this is not only regulated by the humidity and the air in the room; it is also controlled by the duvet, the bed sheet, covers and mattress. The buzz word is breathability – the skin must be allowed to breathe, and the fabric must be capable of absorbing and removing moisture. The manufacturing company Formesse from Löffingen concentrates entirely on fitted bed sheets and protective covers – including special solutions for various bed and mattress types. Though, in theory, any cover will do for any bed (notwithstanding differences in size), the situation is not ideal unless the materials harmonise with one another.
This is the goal pursued by the family firm, Spessarttraum, with their long-established brand of bedding ‘Schlafstil Bettwaren’. Duvets, pillows and covers are available in a variety of modular formats and warmth ratings and can be combined to suit every type of user. That way, the bedding adapts to the user and not the other way around.
These are just a handful of examples from the whole spectrum that was presented at the leading trade fair in its field, Heimtextil 2016, in Frankfurt.
