Mattress Tips

History has shown, time and time again that the way we choose to sleep, will, affect our quality of life. We do not sleep on mattresses by mere coincidence, but rather because of a basic human need to sleep well. Thousands of years ago, in the Neolithic period, people had beds made of stone, but still slept on animal skin. Mattresses appeared around 5,000 years ago, but luxury mattresses began to appear as early as the decline of the Roman Empire. Velvet and silks were heavily used in the Renaissance, as well as lattice worked rope beds. Iron cast beds appeared in the early 19th century, springs only being introduced after the year 1865. Modern mattresses with inner spring workings were first commercialized before WW II. In the late 60s memory oam was discovered, and by the 80s cotton, foam and inner spring mattresses were all readily available around the world.

12,000 years ago before mattresses, people slept in caves, on the ground, on stone beds covered with animal skins while dreaming of touching the stars. In Scotland, primitive stone beds can be found in the Neolithic village of Skara Brae, with its advanced stone astronomical calendar. The development of the first cotton mattresses in Mesopotamia, Egypt and Babylonia, around 3,000 BC, brought with it a turning point in mattress evolution until the end of Antiquity around the year 529 AD, with the plunge into the Dark Ages.

In the eastern civilizations of China and Japan, the futon continued to evolve, as well as the tatami, but western culture seemed to be more interested in dry weeds, hay, wool, feathers and reads until the beginning of the age of rebirth around 1432 AD, with the death of Joan of Arc. Her sacrifice in La Place Rouge in the city of Rouen, not only echoed through the royal courts of France, but carried with it the cry for an age of reason throughout the entire known world. The Renaissance revived the passion for comfort and the value of a good nights sleep.

The passion for dreaming and enlightenment that fueled the Renaissance, survived all the way up to the 19th century with such works of art as the hand carved beds in the fantasy castle Neueschwanstein in Bavaria. But insect and mite free mattresses as we know them today began to appear as early as the late 1700s with the first cast iron beds, with cotton mattresses. The need for hygiene and comfort led to the invention of springs. NASA brought about the invention of memory foam mattresses, which have shown time and time again to be far more efficient than the conventional spring-cotton design inherited from the Industrial Revolution.

In a quickly globalizing world, much can be learned by getting a good nights rest. In the dawn of civilization, humankind first learned to value their sleep and look to the stars. During the Middle Ages, western civilization slowly began the rebirth of its dreams, until 1969 when the first man landed on the moon, and they became reality. Now, in a rational world, made of glass and plastic towers, the race for comfort and a good nights sleep, depends on the mattress we use to face, this basic human need.

About the author:

Thomas Jay Wacker is the General Manager and V.P. of www.simplepedic.com. Wacker has over 20 years experience in the home furnishing industry and leads the Wacker Management Team in Denver Colorado.

Written By: Thomas Jay Wacker

It seems that wrought iron will never go out of style, the quality that wrought iron has, and the sheer professionalism that is required to master the art of shaping iron onto different patterns and shapes will always be appreciated by almost everyone.

These days most of the people who are in the market for wrought iron are looking for something from the romantic period, something to remind them of a time where things were a little more simpler, and in fact a time when everything that was made was unique and special, when people needed to order exactly what they wanted and than wait quite a while till they got the piece that they dreamed off.

From all the things that can be and in fact are being made out of wrought iron there are a few that are especially indicative of the romantic era, the wrought iron bed with its uniqueness and heavy presence in the bedroom is one of those items. Victorian homemakers who were concerned about cleanness had a preference for iron over wood which made their cleaning tasks a little easier.

But practicality and cleanness are not the main things on the mind of a shopper looking for wrought iron items, it is certainly the special feel that these specific furniture give to any space, and I find this very justified indeed, because it makes complete sense to me to invest in your home design, and especially in your bedroom design, if you want something unique and romantic you can not overlook the wrought iron bed option.

The wrought iron bed has sleek and elegant lines with matching curves, and sometimes the wrought iron bed comes in different elaborate designs that immediately bring to mind a feeling of nostalgia and timelessness. It is easy to fall in love with these iron beds, and it is easier to financially justify a purchase of one, this is not a bed that will be replaced with another in a few tears, these beds are made of a durable material that will last you a long time, and with proper care and maintenance will also look almost new for years.

A more modern trend is to give wrought iron beds to teenaged girls, satisfying the young girls mind need for the romantic and exciting this is a perfect gift, and one that she will keep to when she is mature enough to have her own family, a bed like this will not be forgotten and it makes a perfect scenery for pajamas parties and long night talks with friends.

One thing is certain, from girls rooms to parents bedrooms, the old classic wrought iron bed is one of the most impressive kind of bedroom furniture you can have, and since todays designers are creating new ideas and concepts using this material you can even find modern design used on a wrought iron bed, so there is also something for those of us who prefer the modern to the classic or romantic.

Have fun looking for your wrought iron bed, and I hope you find one that will make you smile every time you step into your bedroom and onto your bed.

About the Author:

Mario Chompass is a product designer that used metals and hard materials to create home furniture and garden utility furniture, combining the outdoors to the functionality of the material. Read Marios Wrought Iron Bed articles

Written By: Mario Chompass

Comforters are standard bedding in most households and can range in price from extraordinary inexpensive to ultra pricey. The right comforter can add elegance to your bed and enhance the decor in your bedroom. Choosing the right one, however has as much to do with quality as it does with aesthetics.

A bed comforter is a bag like covering used on your bed. The comforter can be filled with either natural or artificial material. Normally a comforter is not used to cover the pillows or box spring, but is more for a decorative top on the bed. Many Bed comforters do not provide much warmth and are used in conjunction with blankets and other bedding.

When shopping for comforters, you might run into the term “fill power” quite a bit. This basically tells you how good the comforter is. A higher fill power indicates better quality and your comforter will probably last longer. The space occupied by one ounce of down in cubic inches is called fill power. If a comforters fill power is 800 then it is a good quality comforter. A comforter with a fill power of 700 to 600 is excellent to good quality and anything lower is poor quality. This gauge is tested by standard testing organizations.

Another method to measure quality of a comforter is thread count. This is the same term that is used in judging the quality of sheets and refers to the number of threads that are contained in one square inch of fabric. The higher the thread count, the better quality and softer the comforter is.

There are basically two types of comforters, down comforters and feather comforters. Down is the best insulation material. It is made up of down feathers in light fluffy clusters. In a down comforter, tiny air pockets expand when heat is generated from body. One ounce of down will provide more warmth than other synthetic fibers. Feather comforters are also very soft and confy and great soft at trapping heat. However, Some people are allergic to feather comforters so take this into consideration when choosing a comforter for your home.

Silk comforters are quite nice and won’t elicit an allergic reaction. Silk comforters are manufactured from combination of hypo allergic material and silk. Mulberry silk is the best as it is heavier than other silks. Wool, cotton, and polyester can also be used as filler for comforters. Some comforters are a combination of down and feather. Due it’s resilience, feather filling is better than down. A comforter filled with goose down is great for winter.

Properly caring for your comforter will help keep it looking and feeling great. Wash your comforter in cold water (or according to instructions on label). Dry on low heat or let it air dry on the clothesline in good weather. Keep your comforter out of the direct sun light. Remove small stains by washing with soap. Many manufacturers recommend washing comforters by professional dry cleaner so be sure to read the label before you buy your comforter. It is vital for comforters to always be kept completely dry and moisture free to ensure that it will always act as a good insulator.

About the author:

Lee Dobbins writes about decorating your home. Visit her website about beds and bedding where you can learn more about buying the best for your bedroom.

Written By: Lee Dobbins

Putting the right comforter on your bed can make the whole bedroom look fabulous. Comforters are the most visible of all the bedding pieces, so when you change the comforter you make a large change in the decor of the bedroom itself. But comforters are also very functional as they make for a very warm, and soft bed to sleep in too. But getting the right comforter for your bed takes some thought and preparation, and this article will help you make the right decision when you buy.

The first factor in choosing the right comforter is to make sure that it actually fits your bed. This may sound like a simple thing, but not all mattresses are the same size because of their design. If you have a very standard mattress it will most likely fit into one of the conventional categories like “Full”, Queen”, or “King”.

But many mattresses these days are not standard sizes because mattress makers have gone to adding more features like pillow tops on one side or sometimes both sides of the mattress. This means that the mattress is now much thicker than it would normally be. And that will also affect the size of any bedding that you are now able to put on that bed. That’s why it’s always a good idea to measure your bed and mattress to make sure that you know what size comforter to get beforehand and won’t have to be faced with the prospect of having to return the bedding that you love when you find that it just doesn’t look right on your bed.

When considering a comforter look at the TPI or threads per inch too. This figure will often give you a good idea of the quality level that has been put into that comforter. Generally speaking thread counts above 250 produce a soft and comfortable feel and fabric that will last a long time. Try to avoid thread counts below 200.

It’s also not a bad idea to look for a comforter that has patterns on both sides. That way you can change the look of the bed from time to time and not just have the same pattern all the time.

If you are in the market for a down comforter, the most expensive kinds will have pure white down in them, but actually a mixture of down and feathers will do the job nicely and is not as expensive. Just avoid so-called down comforters that have a really low ratio of down to feathers. The higher the down ratio in the comforter the more important that the cover be what is called “down proof” because down is so small and can actually work its way through a normal cover. Usually this designation is listed on the comforter package.

Finally, be sure that a down comforter is stitched so that the insulation material cannot move about very freely or shift. If the stitching is not in place the down can shift so that some parts of the comforter do not even offer much insulation at all. This is widely known, and most down comforters will have necessary stitching in place on the quilt, but just make sure before you buy.

Buying a good quality comforter is an investment in practicality and appearance at the same time. Use these guidelines for choosing your new comforter and you should be happy with it for years to come.

About the Author

Duane Jones – All About Bed And Bath provides free information, resources and tips on finding bedding, comforters, bathroom fixtures, tubs, and more for your home at the very best price.

Written By: Duane Jones

The small size of the living area is the major issue for the dorm room decorator. When working with such a compact space, including pieces of furniture that double up in purpose and function increases the room’s usable space. This way, you can use all the space of the room, from the floor (for storage) to the ceiling (for sleeping.) For example, you can pair a desk and a bed by using a loft bed. You can increase the storage space with a bunk bed. All these combinations offer tons of creative solutions for a smart student decorator. A loft bed takes advantage of the room space under and above your bed. With a loft bed, you can use the space underneath to place a desk or even a futon; with a bunk bed, you get a roomy storage that can replace a chest of drawers. The available space can be used for useful shelves to house books, magazines or other items.

Loft and bunk bed units can be purchased in a store or built from scratch by a handy do-it-yourselfer. The space under the loft bed can be used in many ways. For example, you can arrange a secluded study area simply by adding an armchair, a bookcase and a lighting fixture. Bunk beds help save space doubling as storage, so you can get rid of your large chest of drawers. You can “find” some space in bunk chairs that can hold extra clothes, linens, and bedding. Additional options that increase storage under a loft or bunk bed include adjustable pole shelving and filing modules available at IKEA.

If you don’t want your dorm look like military quarters choose a favorite color scheme and introduce small elements of color throughout the dorm space. You can visibly eliminate clutter by storing your belongings in bank boxes or baskets which you can decorate with matching fabric or wallpaper.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, inject some color into the room with paint. Choose a statement shade and create a focal point by painting one wall. Alternatively, if you have a small room, make the available space appear larger by choosing softer shades that coordinate with the existing room dcor. One of the easiest ways to make a dorm appear relaxed and inviting is with lighting. Choose your lights appropriately depending on whether you want a soft glow or a bright, light space.

To liven up your loft bed you can use washable slipcovers in bright colors and easy to wash fabrics such as cotton-polyester mix. You can buy a matching set of covers for the extra seating space under your loft bed. You can buy a great throw to decorate your loft bed in a novelty store such as Pier 1 or even on a flea market.

When designing your dorm space around a bunk or loft bed, remember that even on a budget it is possible to create a tidy and uncluttered room where everything has a suitable place. No matter if you will be sharing a dorm room with a relative or friend, you still can maximize creativity, minimize clutter and help to create a one-of-a-kind dorm dcor.

About the Author

Kathryn writes articles on a number of different topics. For more information on Loft Beds please visit http://www.and-so-to-bed.com/loft-beds.html and for additional articles on all beds http://www.and-so-to-bed.com/bed-articles/

Written By: Kathryn Whittaker