About 10,000 year ago people started using ‘beds'. Bed frames discovered in Egypt date to the Early Dynastic period, circa 3100 B.C. These early beds were little more than wooden frames with plaited rope or leather strapping stretched across them. The mattress, if one was used, was little more than a sack of linen filled with plant material or animal hair. The ancient Greeks developed a multipurpose bed called a kline. Used for dining, leisure and sleep, the kline was a couch made of wood, iron or bronze. The head was slightly raised and usually had a headboard of wood to allow for eating and resting in a semi-reclined position.

The Roman Empire saw the first ‘luxury bed' which was decorated with gold, silver & bronze. In the Renaissance mattresses were made of pea shucks or straw, sometimes feathers, stuffed into coarse ticks, then covered with sumptuous velvets, brocades and silks. Throughout Europe, particularly in colder climes, the bed was a family affair. The entire family within a household, which could consist of three generations, slept together in one bed. These beds, of course, were very large, able to accommodate up to eight or more people.

Apparently Loius XIV was so fond of beds he had 413!

Mattresses did begin to appear in the 16^th & 17^th centuries as they were stuffed with straw and tied with rope. That's where the expression sleep tight originates as mattresses were placed on top of ropes that needed regular tightening. In the late 18^th century beds were made of cast iron and some had cotton mattresses. By the 18th century, the bed had gained a prominent position within the furnishings hierarchy. Wealthy European aristocracy often had elaborate beds, the frames made from hard woods, the turned posts decorated with intricate carvings and topped with large finials. The first coil sprung mattress appeared in 1865.

In the 20^th century (1950) foam rubber mattresses and pillows appeared on the market. Airbeds were introduced in the 1980s. In 1999, the queen-size mattress became America's most popular choice for mattress size - for the first time ever - beating the twin.

And today, we are spoilt for choice with a huge range of beds and mattresses on offer.

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