IN BED WITH....HÄSTENS

MONEY interviews Form sales manager Julian Galea on Hästens, the luxury bed that takes tradesmen hours on end to handcraft to perfection. Available in Malta through Form, the local company renowned for its own luxurious mattresses, Hästens uses materials that make our night’s sleep a heavenly one.

Julian Galea, sales manager, Form

Form is renowned for being an expert in selling mattresses; why Hästens?

Form has been supplying quality mattresses and beds since its inception in 1947. Seeing both my dad’s generation and mine brought up with bedding as a part of our lives, we felt that it was now time to take this legacy to another level. Hästens is a very simple product which has been perfected over the 167-year history of the company.

Although simple in terms of what it is made of — natural materials — the complexity is how to achieve such an amazing product with such simple components. Once we were properly introduced to the Hästens world, we were totally transformed.

What sets Hästens in a class of its own?

Hästens is very different from most other mattress brands. The beauty of this brand is that all mattresses are made from the same materials, namely cotton, wool, spring, flax and horse-tail hair and are all put together passionately by hand by highly trained people in the small Swedish town of Koping. The difference between the mattress models is the layers or quantity of natural fillings used and some other important details such as the side stitching, so ultimately there is a Hästens bed for all pockets but all delivering a good sleep Hästens is renowned for.

It is amazing that in 2019 you can still find a global brand in a highly developed country which does it all by hand with no rush to speed up production — and done to perfection.

What has been your personal experience of Hästens? Is it a case of once you've tried it, you’ll never go back to a ‘normal mattress’?

I am very critical about mattresses and I always wished to sleep on a soft bed which will give me the right support and this is an extremely difficult thing to achieve. Most people think that a hard mattress is good for you but it certainly is not and will definitely not enhance your sleep. However, soft mattresses can be equally problematic as most soft mattresses collapse after some time due to their inability to provide the right durability.

Another problem is that most mattresses use a lot of synthetic materials such as foams, polyester fibre and polyester covers to give a commercial look and provide an initial good feel but they are also heat generating materials which ultimately retain moisture in the mattress and which therefore affect sleep negatively.

With Hästens all this is history. The use of natural materials work in sync to create long-lasting resilient comfort and ultimate breathability, thereby keeping the mattress dry and fresh throughout the various heat peaks during the night.

Do you believe there is a market in Malta?

I believe that there is definitely more awareness about the benefits of a good sleep in Malta now than before. It cannot be said that the Maltese bedding market is a sophisticated one and has been influenced by terms like ‘orthopaedic’, giving the impression that mattresses have to be hard to provide proper body support.

Form has never gone down that road and has always maintained that a good mattress is one that provides proper body alignment combined with comfort and other benefits related to health and hygiene.

When we talk about Hästens, we are speaking about the realm of supreme comfort apart from other benefits and this is difficult to achieve unless you realise that investing in a super bed pays dividends and makes you want to go to bed and stay there. Many have noticed that this experience is achievable when staying in some super hotels and understand what it means to sleep well and wake up in good form. Hästens is all about providing a great night’s sleep in comfort which, in turn, gives an amazing wake-up.

Apart from the subject of materials, what is important is the result and Hästens delivers on all counts.

What would you say to those people who cannot even begin to imagine spending more than €600 on a mattress?

Like all other outstanding products, whether it’s a car, a watch, jewellery, a boat, good wine, or anything else, quality bedding comes at a price. Naturally, not everybody is willing to spend even €600 on a mattress, let alone

much more. My answer is that it is a matter of priority and there are people out there who rightfully believe that a luxury mattress will change their life, giving quality to their lifestyle. What I can say is that the Hästens range is varied in terms of price and each mattress is excellent value for money and provides outstanding sleep.

Personally, after having experienced Hästens, I can say that once you try a mattress of theirs, you will no doubt make it a point to start considering investing in one.