Inside story
With one eye on the future and a respect for the past, the British bed maker’s designs are a firm favourite with hotels and homeowners alike
Craftsmanship is key at luxury bed and mattress brand Vispring
It’s a pretty impressive endorsement for a brand when its beds are used in some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, including The Dorchester in London and The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, to ensure guests have a great night’s sleep. Such is the reputation of British bespoke luxury mattress and bed maker Vispring, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the company is launching a new range of fabrics.‘Weworkedwithatrendforecasterandconsultant, as well as fabric houses, to identify some key interiors and colour trends for the coming year,’ explains Vispring’s managing director Jim Gerety. ‘We used this research to develop a new collection of fabrics, from rich, luxurious velvets and leathers to modern-retro-inspired bouclés.’
While an eye on the future remains a focus, Gerety attributes much of Vispring’s enduring success to its long-held traditions of fine craftsmanship. The entire production process takes place at the company’s factory in Plymouth, with each stage completed by hand. Much of it is still based around the original pocketed spring coil concept designed by British engineer James Marshall in Canada in 1899. It was brought to London by John Nolon and Frederick James, who decided to produce the mattress commercially and set up the Marshall Sanitary Mattress Company, later Vispring, in 1901.
To date, 58 types of vanadium steel spring coils are produced in-house to tailor tension for its beds and mattresses. ‘The design of our products has remained largely the same through time,’ says Gerety. ‘However, we have evolved by introducing new natural, sustainable materials and more effective ways of crafting our beds. Our people are key to our success, too; we have employees who have worked for us for more than 40 years.’
The company launched its sister brand J Marshall in late 2019. Aimed at a younger, more design-led audience, it comprises a collectionoffourbedoptionsincustomisable contemporaryfabrics.Plansthisyearinclude new headboard designs, a low divan style and a wider selection of fabrics. Sustainable credentials are of great importance to Vispring, with all of its fully biodegradable mattresses made from natural materials, including cotton, cashmere, silk, bamboo and wool. Beds are manufactured without chemicals or other man-made products and timber is sourced from responsibly managed forests. ‘We pride ourselves on working with the best suppliers possible so that we use only high-quality, sustainable and natural materials, including Shetland wool,’ Gerety explains. ‘We have a long-standing Fairtrade policy with the sheep farmers of Shetland and over half of their annual clip suitable for bed making is ring-fenced for our mattresses.’ When it comes to counting sheep then, it’s clear that Vispring takes things very seriously indeed. vispring.com