Framed photos of about a hundred stars from the film, music and sports industries hang on a wall in a small factory hall in the small Swedish town of Köping in central Sweden. What do they all have in common? They all sleep on beds from Swedish bed manufacturer Hästens.
However, the manufacturer did not reveal the model worn by the celebrities. However, we can assume that it is usually a top shelf model. Grand Vividus has been on the market for two years. Price in the largest size (3.05 x 3.05 metres): 1,170,990 francs (5.4 million PLN). The most expensive bed at IKEA, the Kongsfjord, costs around PLN 2,900. francs (13,000 Polish zlotys). So you can decide:
Is a bed really worth that much money? You don't necessarily have to buy truckloads of IKEA beds for that amount of money – You can buy three or four Rolls Royces for the same price. They can even drive. But honestly, a Rolls Royce and a bed are very similar. They usually sit there: a Rolls Royce in the garage, a bed in the bedroom.
For Jan Reid, CEO and fifth-generation owner of Hästens, there's no better way to invest your money than in bed. Okay, this guy may be a little biased, but his ideas are very interesting. His book with the esoteric title “When Work is Love” will be released in early January. Reid, who just turned 60, shares his life story, Hastens' success story and the key factors that make companies successful.
A secret recipe, so to speak. Minor spoiler: it has a lot to do with love. Before joining Hastens, Reid was Professor of Economics and continues to lecture regularly at the renowned Stockholm Business School. So he is not only a family salesman, but also a talented scholar.
Beds for 5.4 million
His family, he writes in the book, is the perfect thing for him to become a healthier, fitter, better person.
It's something to think about the next time you leave an IKEA restaurant with a stomach full of vegan meatballs and head to the bed section.
Holy Grail
Köping is a sleepy town with a population of about 17,000. Its residents, located an hour and a half by train from Stockholm, have nothing to do with the world of celebrities and the wealthy who reside in the Hastens family. In the center of the village there are some beautiful typical Swedish houses, reminiscent of Böllerbyn, and on the outskirts of town there are some less attractive corporate properties. Volvo also has its factory here.
The actual Hästens Factory Hall of Fame is located against a prominent wall with customer photos. There are pictures of all the employees hanging there, framed like stars. That they are honored as celebrities from all over the world is no coincidence. When Hästens hires someone, there should be a relationship for the rest of their working life. We see ourselves as one big family. Indeed, a large number of employees spend their entire careers with the company.
At the factory in Köping, which is also the company's headquarters, there is a relaxed atmosphere, as if the employees had first smoked weed together and then indulged in two hours of yoga. Employees perform their tasks in complete peace and quiet in the spacious factory hall. There are almost no machines here, and if there are, they are only accustomed, for example, to holding the mattress vertically to make it easier to work on it. At Hästens, almost everything is done by hand. And it's been that way for more than 170 years. From the most recent launch on the market, Grand Vividus, to the mattresses first manufactured in 1852 by company founder and master saddlemaker Pehr Adolf Jansen. At that time, the production of saddles and mattresses went hand in hand, and since then Hästens beds have been produced exclusively from natural materials such as linen, cotton, wool and horsetail hair. These sustainable and natural materials are designed to ensure a good night's sleep.
Even people with allergies need not worry. They can sleep safely in a Hästens bed. The horsehair used in bed upholstery has been processed for several months without adding foreign materials. It comes from the middle part of the tail of wild horses in South America and is washed and rinsed before being centrifuged, disinfected and heated to 140°C. The horsehair is then stored for a period of time in the form of a braided rope, so that it twists like a standing wave when it is braided again and used in a Hästens bed. The twisted hair provides soft filling and is perfect for wicking moisture through the bed.
The wood from which the frames are made comes from northern Sweden and is of selected quality. No knots that reduce stability are allowed, and Hästens only sources timber from selected partners, who were strictly guided regarding the quality requirements of the company. On the top Vividus and Grand Vividus models, the frames are connected without the use of screws to further emphasize the naturalness of the materials used. Hästens offers a 25-year guarantee on all bed frames. Well, in the case of Rolls Royce, it's only four years old. The people of Kubeng couldn't help but laugh at this.
Legendary blue and white chessboard
The brand became an icon among the household thanks to the marketing genius of Jack Reid, who has run the company with his wife Solveig Jansson since 1963. In 1978, he developed the classic blue-and-white “blue square” design that makes the Hästens bed instantly recognizable. .
Since 1988, Hästens has been managed by Jan Reid as CEO 5G. He has ensured that Hästens beds are now sold all over the world, once again taking the search for the perfect bed to the extreme. The popular Vividus bed, which has been on the market since 2016, takes up to 360 hours of manual labor to produce.The top model, Grande Vividus, is available for sale starting in 2020. Up to 600 hours.
These beds were built by a small team in a separate part of the factory. No other employee is allowed to touch the materials and taking pictures is strictly prohibited. Only thirty Grand Vividus and about sixty Vividus leave the factory each year, and the waiting time is currently six months. If you don't want to wait that long, there are also entry-level models available soon, starting at around PLN 10,000. franc.
Very good night!
Echo Richards embodies a personality that is a delightful contradiction: a humble musicaholic who never brags about her expansive knowledge of both classic and contemporary tunes. Infuriatingly modest, one would never know from a mere conversation how deeply entrenched she is in the world of music. This passion seamlessly translates into her problem-solving skills, with Echo often drawing inspiration from melodies and rhythms. A voracious reader, she dives deep into literature, using stories to influence her own hardcore writing. Her spirited advocacy for alcohol isn’t about mere indulgence, but about celebrating life’s poignant moments.
