Mattress Tips » Scotland

History of Mattresses

admin — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:23:10 +0000

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

Get Into Bed with Ralph Lauren!!!

admin — Wed, 02 May 2007 12:58:33 +0000

I was at Macy’s a few weeks ago, for an afternoon of shopping with a good friend. As you may recall from my previous articles, I have a slight obsession for designer bed sheets. I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t have time to explain here and now. Let’s get back to my story. So we were shopping at Macy’s, and I just had to look at their bedding section. It was there that I discovered some of the nicest bed sheets I have ever seen.

Ralph Lauren has been a famous designer for many years, and in recent years his company has branched out into a complete line of furnishings for your home. I don’t know why I didn’t bother to check these out sooner. I have always been a fan of Ralph Lauren’s Polo line, but it never occurred to me to check out his line of sheets and bedding. I had no idea what I was missing.

I was immediately taken with the Hope Chest line of bedding. The name of this distinctive line of sheets should tell you something about them. They are inspired by the vintage materials you might find in your grandmother’s house. These are stunningly crisp white sheets, with borders stitched with delicate white embroidery. I particularly like the duvet cover that is part of this collection, which features intricate hemstitching and a wonderful floral lace motif.

I also fell completely in love with the Greycliff collection. It evokes a classic style in the equestrian tradition with the use of Highland tartans, intricate paisley, and a subtle gun-check plaid. These gorgeous designs are set against crisp, white trousseau linens. The sheets have a thread count of 370, and are crafted from fine cotton sateen. The blanket, in gun-check plaid, adds a subtle contrast with the tartan pattern of the bed sheets. It is also made from 100% wool, for added warmth on those cold winter nights.

As I tend to be a rather impulsive shopper, especially when it comes to bedding, I decided to go for a coffee and mull it over. As my friend and I chatted over a steaming cup of Joe, I found myself daydreaming about the Greycliff collection. I just couldn’t keep myself from thinking about them! I have to wonder if this is beginning to be a problem. I thought about my family coming to visit next month from Scotland, and I was sure they would love them, too. I was standing in the check-out a few minutes laterwith both sets.

Katie Curtis is a business consultant, who spends a lot of time on the road. When she is not trying to solve other people’s problems, she fantasizes about going to bed. She also writes freelance articles for http://www.thebeddingsite.com a website that specializes in quality bedding, with extensive information on bedding, pillow shams, bedding sets and more.

Written By: Katie Curtis

How to get started with deep beds

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 13:32:43 +0000

The use of deep beds as a method of growing crops has become very popular with organic gardeners for several reasons, including:
once set up, the amount of work you have to do every year (digging and so on) is much reduced
there is an improvement in soil structure because of reduced compaction from being walked on
you can cut down on the amount of compost or fertiliser you use, because you don’t waste it on areas that aren’t going to be used for growing.
The basic idea of the deep bed is that you divide your plot into sections about 2-3m (6-10′) long by about 40cm (4′) wide, separated by pathways about 500cm (2′) wide. The dimensions are important: the width should be no more than is comfortable to reach across (for weeding, planting, harvesting and the like) from either pathway. The length should be long enough to be usable, but not so long that you are tempted to take a shortcut across the middle. If you do find yourself doing this, cut the bed in half with another path. When planning the layout of the deep beds, try to align them so that the length of the beds is on a north-south axis, to give the crops maximum benefit from the sunshine, and when planning the cropping of the beds remember to site the tall crops on the northern side so that they do not overshadow the lower growing crops.

Many people use wooden or plastic supporting ‘walls’ around the beds. You can make a frame out of planks of wood, if you wish. However, if you have any trouble with slugs or snails (and who doesn’t?), you will quickly find that these provide a lovely little haven for them. You may prefer to go without, or you may work on the principal that, if you know where the culprits are, they are easier to deal with.

Although it may be tempting, to make the layout look attractive, don’t stagger the paths. Put them in straight lines wherever possible. Remember, you will probably be wheeling a barrow down them at some point, and a straight line is the shortest route between two points.

If you’re doing a four-course rotation, double dig one bed in four for four years, incorporating large quantities of compost and, if possible, farmyard manure, as you replace the soil, and removing all the perennial weeds. The incorporation of large amounts of organic material means that the completed bed has a surface several inches higher than the pathway on either side. These heavily manured beds will be used for the more hungry crops, such as brassicas. Single dig and weed the remainder. From this point on, the beds aren’t walked on or disturbed.

The initial manuring of the beds will provide adequate nutrients for the first year’s cropping. From then on an annual dressing of blood, fish and bone or another organic fertiliser in the Spring, together with further applications of compost as a mulch, will keep soil fertility high.

Check the pH of the beds every other year with a soil testing kit and apply a sprinkling of calcified seaweed if the beds are becoming too acid. Avoid any major disturbance of the soil: just sprinkle the fertiliser or calcified seaweed onto the surface and hoe it in lightly. Because the soil is so friable, it is possible to harvest deep-rooting crops such as carrots, parsnips, salsify and scorzonera without the aid of a fork: they can simply be pulled out by hand.

About the Author

Frann lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. She has her own
internet marketing business and is always on
the lookout to recruit go-getters like herself.
Find out more: here

Written By: Frann Leach