With the average person spending up to a third of his or her life in bed, it’s no wonder that beds and bedding are big business.
According to the International Sleep Products Association Annual Sales Census of 1998, sales of adult-size mattresses and foundations in the U.S. rose 7.5 percent to $3.89 billion, up from $3.62 billion the year before.
And we’re buying bigger, too. In 1998, the sales of queen-size mattresses surpassed those of twin-size mattresses for the first time. Sales of king-size mattresses also increased, accounting for 6.8 percent of the market, compared to 6.3 percent the year before.
My husband and I recently signed up with the big leagues and bought a king-sized bed. A more spacious sleep zone seemed to be a natural progression after spending 28 years in a variety of double and queen-size beds. Buying the actual bed was easy, but figuring out all the accessories was somewhat of a project.
First there’s the mattress, the most important ingredient in a good night’s sleep. I’ve often wondered how folks are supposed to pick out a mattress without first sleeping on it. Would you buy a car without driving it? As far as I know, mattress retailers have yet to implement customer sleepovers, so until they do, it’s research, research, research.
One company that has come up with a great gimmick is Westin Hotels & Resorts. Several years ago they introduced The Heavenly Bed, layer after layer of cozy down bedding. In fact, it became so popular that now you can order the all-white Heavenly Bed ensemble that includes a custom-designed pillow-top mattress set; three sheets ranging in thread count from 180 to 220; a down blanket in three versions for different climates; a comforter and a crisp white duvet cover; and five goose down/goose feather pillows along with a bed skirt.
The price? $2,965 for the king-size model.
As much as I’ve enjoyed sleeping in Westin’s Heavenly Bed, I opted to go a la carte. You know what? It’s downright confusing.
As I made my way through the cavernous Bed, Bath & Beyond I realized there were more choices in bedding than lifestyles on South Whidbey. Start with the mattress pad, which up until a decade or so ago was merely a simple white covering to protect the mattress. Not anymore. Today mattress pads come in a variety of styles with fancy names: Warming Mattress Pad, Cluster Puff Fiberbed, Allergy Relief Zippered Mattress Cover, Wooly Booly Mattress Pad, Fingers Foam Mattress Pad, Double Filled Guaranteed to Fit Mattress Pad, Hypoallergenic 200 Thread Count Cotton Ultra Mattress Pad, Double Filled Guaranteed to Fit Mattress Pad, and the Comfort Supreme Extra Thick Four-Zone Pad.
Next are the sheets, with even more choices. Here it’s all about thread count. According to yahoo.com, thread count is the number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square inch of fabric, and ranges from 80 to 700. Most stores sell sheets in the 180 to 320-thread count range, and the higher the count the softer the fabric (although it doesn’t mean they will last longer).
The Horchow Collection, a popular mail order catalog whose motto is “Don’t just make your bed, make it fabulous!” features 275-count Egyptian cotton sheets from Italy. The price for one king flat sheet? $275. Thanks, but I’ll stick with a lower thread count.
It’s now on to the comforter or duvet, usually a choice between down or a down alternative. Make sure that you also check out the fill power, that pesky thread count and whether or not it’s baffled (you want it to be). Next it’s the comforter or duvet cover (bring along color swatches and paint chips from your room).
And at last, the pillows — would you like down or synthetic? And don’t forget the hypoallergenic pillow protectors. A cozy chenille throw will top off your new sleep haven quite nicely, and what do you think about that faux mink bed caddy?
I’m exhausted.
THOSE PESKY MATTRESS WARNING LABELS: David Feldman, author of “Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? and other Imponderables,” says this about the practice of ripping off mattress tags:
“Many transgressors are consumed with guilt over having ripped off mattress tags. Some are almost as upset about impetuously doing in pillow tags, as well. We are here to say: Do not be hard on yourself. You have done nothing wrong. You have not even done anything morally wrong. Those warning labels are there to protect you, not to shackle you. If you look carefully at the language of the dire warning, there is always a proviso that the label is not to be removed ‘except by the consumer.’ Labeling laws are up to the individual states. Thirty-two of the 50 states have laws requiring mattress tags, and none of the states cares whether the purchaser of a mattress rips up the tag.”
Sue Frause can be reached by e-mail at skfrause@whidbey.com.
