Hastens Prevalent In The Luxury Bed Market

Hastens prevalent in the deluxe bed market in Downey.

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, Shakespeare wrote, but King Henry IV didn't have a Hastens bed.King Carl Gustav XVI and other members of the Royal Court of Sweden, on the other hand, meanwhile, by contrast have enjoyed peaceful sleep for more than half a century, thanks to the country�s oldest and most respected bed manufacturer.The deluxe bed market has risen steadily in recent years and now some of the fanciest -- and most environmentally friendly -- bedrooms in the world are equipped with Hastens beds. Luxury hotels in Sweden, Denmark and Spain and United States of America are among those who furnish their rooms with Hastens beds. Hasten's A-list fans include Tom Cruise, David Geffen, Donna Karan, Donatella Versace and furniture designer Jonathan Adler, who recently bought five of the beds.A Hastens bed is expensive, from around $4,000 to about $60,000 for the largest version of the top-of-the-line Vividus model. But those who can afford the best of the best say Hastens is unrivaled for its cloud-like feel and environmental friendliness.Hastens makes each of its beds by hand and uses all-natural filling materials -- primarily horsehair with a blend of flax, cotton and wool -- instead of foam rubber and latex. Porous horsehair allows the mattress to circulate air and repel moisture, while traditional synthetics degrade over time and can trap moisture and aggravate allergies. The price is also a reflection of the expert artisanship and attention to detail that is part of the creation of a Hastens bed. The Vividus, for example, is made to the customers specifications and takes about 160 hours of meticulous work to create. According to the company only four people are certified to make the model.billed as long-term investments, each Hastens bed is covered by a 25-year warranty.The handmade mattresses and box springs come either together or in two pieces and include a removable pillow-topper and built-in frame made of oiled pine. The mattress features a 10-turn pocket spring system in which each spring, made of heat-treated Swedish steel, is hand tied to the next and mounted in individual fabric pockets that permit them to move independently of the other springs. The differing price ranges among models has primarily to do with the size of the bed and the number of filled layers.The company, founded in 1852, initially produced saddles and carriage furniture, accepting scattered special requests for beds here and there. Demand for the beds flourished until Hastens left saddle-making to make beds full time. Hastens now holds a Swedish Svan environmental certification for all of its beds and, in 2006, was awarded Sweden's Grand Export Prize in honor of its burgeoning export market.Hastens entered the U.S. market about eight years ago and now has outlets in more than a dozen states. The store in Beverly Hills, which opened earlier this year, became the third Hastens outlet in southern California. The others are in Culver City and Newport Beach.