Happy Green Beings

After sixteen years of sleeping on the same mattress set, we’ve splurged. W’s economic incentive rebate and most of our solar system rebate has been dutifully spread around. Beginning with a mattress that we hope will prove to be an

heirloom, we completed our new sleep platform. A 5″ thick hand made compressed wool mattress by Shepherd’s Dream has been dropped onto a set of latex foam strips, each glued to the slats of a wooden bed base. We are also enjoying the wool topper we bought to go with. They are shown together to the right. After 16 years of pillow top, we wanted more than a reed mat. We decided to opt for a queen sized IKEA Sultan Lovene which comes in two slat bases resting side by side. A single one is shown below to the left. Each base has it’s own independent adjustable section of slats located under the area where most of each person’s weight will be distributed.

This was no quick decision. We researched. We dialogued. We inquired. We sampled. We planned. And once we were granted the federal funds, we ordered. Shepherd’s Dream uses wool collected from sheep who are treated a certain way, by people who don’t believe in the use of hormones, etc., etc. The folks that make the mattresses charge enough to pay themselves a living wage (and they live in California). The sample was just large enough to lie down shoulders to hips, but it was the clincher. You’ll have to visit someone like us if you want to try it in full size, or go stay at a bed and breakfast in Canada. You won’t find their line in any show rooms because they don’t want to deal with retailers who may pressure them to do business in ways that they aren’t willing to compromise. Direct sales only. Smart in a know your limits sort of way, isn’t it? True to the testimonies, it really feels like a fine product.

IKEA’s bed base was a bit of a gamble on our part. We spent as much on keeping our bed frame and finding a way to support the mattress with it as we would have for a bed frame from Shepherd’s Dream. I like what we’ve found to go with our bed frame. But if we had it to do over again we would have ordered the Shepherd’s Dream box insert shown above to the right. The Sultan Lovene allows us the additional option to tip-up the head of the bed while reading, but we really haven’t used it yet. It also provides an area of adjustable firmness for each person, as well as independent support for each person, but the latex foam provided independent support anyway. It will allow the mattress to breath similar to the Shepherd’s Dream slat base. We tried the mattress set directly on the IKEA bed base and we could feel the slats. We were glad that we had ordered the latex foam strips which have been glued down over each slat. The latex strips are shown below to the left. Ours are not visible when the bed is made, but a few can be seen when it is not. The main challenge was that our bed frame has no midbeam, so wooden slats alone wouldn’t work. Initially, I thought I would want to install one of my own. But the prospect of watching our head board and foot board gradually come unglued during our slumber drove my search for another option. Our bed frame is designed for a box spring. The set of Bedbridge Trusses that I ordered provide support for the wooden slat bed bases by spanning from one side rail to the other, and come with adjustable posts supporting them at their midpoints. This is a major compromise on going with all wood support, and was not a green nor an inexpensive choice. Because I’m no engineer, I ordered another set offered by the same company that comes with a single truss, and a pair of Bedbridge Beams. That gives us four trusses with center posts and a pair of beams that have no posts. I’ve spaced them evenly, using the beams at the head and foot of the bed bases, and the trusses under the weight bearing portions of the bed bases. A new bed frame or the bed box that Shepherd’s Dream offers would have been greener options, but I was convinced I had a better idea. These are the sturdiest products I could find to go with the IKEA product, and I’m confident that they will support the bed bases for as long as they last.

About IKEA’s Customer Support. While ordering, the lack of a confirmation page led me to believe that my first attempt to order hadn’t gone through.  I ordered a second time, and the confirmation page showed that second order, but not the first. That’s right, I ordered two sets of bed bases. When they arrived, I was confused, and immediately navigated to their customer support page. Although I did have to wait a couple of days for a response, they credited our account, and I have been told to dispose of the extra set of bed bases. What could beat that?

So what is it like to sleep on after a month? I like it. With the latex foam and the topper, it feels like a firm mattress with a pillow top. I haven’t played with the slat bed’s firmness, but it is adjustable as long as you don’t completely glue down the latex foam across the entire surface of a certain section of slats. The directions are to leave the covers down during the day which suits me fine. There is enough give in this foundation, yet we don’t seem to feel the other person moving when they turn. I’ve also spent nights spread out across the center while Anja was away traveling, and there isn’t any problem sleeping over the seam between the twin IKEA slat bases. I really like the idea of not needing to throw a mattress into the landfill.