We only use what we consider to be the finest natural materials. Sustainably produced and ethically sourced – so that those materials can be given a new life one day. A product that comes from nature wants to return to nature and that’s how it should be.
The foundation for Hästens beds, the humble horsehair is our most beloved material. And it’s got some of the most wondrous properties.
BUILT-IN VENTILATION SYSTEM
Few materials can match horsehair when it comes to constructing a bed. Every single curled strand of horsehair works as a tiny spring, enhancing the work of our internal spring systems, providing support and pliability. Horsehair also comes with its own extremely effective, built-in ventilation system.
Each strand of horsehair acts like a miniature airway: a hollow tube with a microscopic capillary action that channels away moisture and lets fresh air in. It is so effective that if you soak horsehair with water and give it a shake, it dries almost immediately. The millions of comfortable natural micro-springs in Hästens beds transport any excess heat and moisture from your body during deep sleep. As a result you’ll fall asleep quicker and enjoy deep, uninterrupted, rejuvenating sleep at the perfect temperature. Just imagine what this does for the quality of your sleep.
COMPLETELY FREE FROM ALLERGENS
The horsehair we use in our beds has been tested by a number of independent European research institutes. They have found it completely free from allergens, meaning that it does not cause allergies. Also worth noting is that horsehair is an organic material with natural antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-mite properties that contribute to a healthy, hygienic sleeping environment.
A FILLING MATERIAL SINCE THE 1800S
We use genuine horsetail hair in our beds to take advantage of its desirable properties and deliver a purely natural and extremely durable product. The horsehair is first washed in boiling water and then rinsed thoroughly before being spun and disinfected. It is heated to a temperature of 140°C at four times atmospheric pressure with high humidity.
The entire process is completed without the addition of foreign substances. The result is a completely clean and springy natural material. The processed horsehair is stored before being separated for use in a Hästens bed or mattress. When we untangle the long strands, the horsehair is beautifully crinkled and has increased in volume many times over. This process has more or less remained unchanged for two centuries.
OUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF HORSEHAIR
The extra care taken when selecting and sorting horsehair is the foundation for the consistent high quality of all our products. Hästens uses different types of horsehair with varying properties:
A-Lyx horsehair – a specially selected pure horsetail hair using the very longest and strongest strands that provide extra springiness, creating a springier and firmer bed.
J-Horsehair – a soft, springy and flexible mix of high-quality horsehair and cattle tail that creates a softer and more flexible bed.
Letting the whole body breathe easily, cotton is the perfect complement to horsehair.
Soft, strong and sympathetic.
Cotton is perhaps nature’s softest and most comfortable gift to mankind. Providing wonderful comfort and breathability, Hästens soft cotton allows air to circulate around your body, keeping you dry and comfortable in a healthy sleeping environment. These benefits will help you fall asleep more quickly and stay in deep sleep for longer.
A FRESHER SLEEP THROUGH BREATHING
Human beings breathe not only through our lungs, but also through our skin. We each have more than 7 million pores that breathe and remove toxins from our bodies. To stay dry and comfortable, it is important to sleep in a bed that breathes and allows air to circulate around your body.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COTTON AND NON-POROUS MATERIAL
You have probably noticed how cool and dry you feel on a warm summer’s day when you wear a cotton shirt or blouse rather than one made from synthetic materials. This is due to cotton’s ability to ventilate and wick away perspiration and high humidity. Your perspiration during the night is 98 percent water, so it evaporates very easily if you sleep on a bed that breathes and use bed linen that does likewise.
Using non-porous synthetic materials like rubber, polyether or other synthetics offers barely any ventilation. Non-porous material retains moisture, which means that much of what the body expels through perspiration stays in the bed. And in a warm and damp environment, bed mites multiply rapidly.
Wool is warm when you’re cold and cool when you’re roasting. Wool is nature’s
performance material, and it’s also incredibly flame-resistant!
The structure of wool fibre allows for a large volume of air between the fibres, giving amazing natural insulation properties along with flexibility, elasticity and resilience. Wool can also absorb up to 30 percent of its weight in water without feeling wet. Tiny pores allow water to pass through the wool fibre, making the material comfortable both on warm summer and cool winter nights. Sleep tight, all year round.
BENEFITS THAT LAST
The history of wool goes back thousands of years. The Babylonians and Egyptians wove with wool. The oldest example of Swedish woven wool has been dated to the Bronze Age, which would make it around 3,000 years old. But wool was not only used to produce yarn for clothing; it was used in bedding as well. Wool’s ability to warm and protect you while you are asleep and awake is the same today. By using both wool, cotton and horsetail hair as padding material, in carefully calculated combinations, we give our beds temperature-regulating properties and an unmatched natural elasticity.
The structure of wool fibre allows for a large volume of air between the fibres, giving amazing natural insulation properties along with flexibility, elasticity and resilience. Wool can also absorb up to 30 percent of its weight in water without feeling wet. Tiny pores allow water to pass through the wool fibre, making the material comfortable both on warm summer and cool winter nights. Sleep tight, all year round.
BENEFITS THAT LAST
The history of wool goes back thousands of years. The Babylonians and Egyptians wove with wool. The oldest example of Swedish woven wool has been dated to the Bronze Age, which would make it around 3,000 years old. But wool was not only used to produce yarn for clothing; it was used in bedding as well. Wool’s ability to warm and protect you while you are asleep and awake is the same today. By using both wool, cotton and horsetail hair as padding material, in carefully calculated combinations, we give our beds temperature-regulating properties and an unmatched natural elasticity.
‘Understated performance’, is how flax might be described. A very humble material with numerous health benefits to help you sleep peacefully.
Our rock… The slow-grown Swedish pine in a Hästens is, in a word, solid. It gives the strength and stability of Hästens, a bearer of quality and reassurance.
Pressure relief and support. But you’d never know because you’ll never feel or hear a Hästens spring as they work to keep your body aligned harmoniously.
The springs are a science in themselves and important components of a bed. Ours are of the highest quality and made exclusively in Sweden. All Hästens beds contain two or more cooperating spring systems: soft and flexible springs to provide surface softness, and firmer springs below for deep support. With these spring systems working harmoniously, the bed conforms to your body to give you support and relaxation. We provide a 25-year warranty on all springs used in our beds.
SPRING SIZE IS NOT EVERYTHING
What makes the Hästens spring system great is not the number of springs but the different types, how they are placed and the way they combine with the layers of natural materials. A combination of spring dimension, height and number of coils determines the quality and properties of the spring system. This technology is precise and quite amazing. For example, the higher the number of coils, the higher the bed’s quality and the longer its life. But too many coils will affect a spring’s compression. The balance of variables is crucial when designing spring systems to achieve the optimal result. Each and every one of our spring systems is carefully calculated to provide the desired pressure relief and support needed to ensure a better sleep experience.
POCKET SPRING SYSTEM
Our pocket springs work independently of each other in a unique way. When weight is placed on a single spring, the adjacent springs are barely affected. Each spring moves individually according to every slight movement of your body, which means that when your partner turns over in bed you will barely notice it. Special heat treatment of the steel rearranges the springs’ metal structure, ensuring they retain their exact form and elasticity; always returning to their original position after compression. Each spring is placed in breathable pockets that allow air to pass through the entire bed to provide a healthy sleeping climate.
BONNELL SPIRAL SYSTEM
The lower spiral system serves to absorb more intense stress levels to the bed and contributes to spring depth and bottom spring action, giving your body support and in-depth relief.