NATURALMAT: OUR NEW NATURAL HANDMADE MATTRESS AND BED FOR FAMILY CO-SLEEPING
Over the past two decades of living, working and travelling the world together, Nick and I have slept in all sorts of weird and wonderful places - from top and tailing or spooning in a single bed to crashing on sofas, blow up beds, beds made of cushions, camp beds, hammocks, hard floors, bunk beds, spa beds and hotel beds, But at the end of the day there really is nothing like snuggling up for a good night's sleep in your own bed at home.
Home these days includes a small person as well as a couple of dogs, one of whom (of the dogs) insists on sleeping in bed with us along with Mahi (the small person) who has, more or less, co-slept with us since day one. But space has become a premium in recent months. Our king size bed was getting a bit too cosy and squishy and the spring mattress was beginning to feel lumpy, so we decided to upgrade and invest in a bed to last a lifetime — which we did, in more ways than one.
Often we focus our efforts, time and money on much more tangible aspects of health such as fitness or diet, meaning we can often neglect our all-important home health and especially our sleep health. With that in mind I’ve spent a long time upgrading my home to make it as eco-friendly, and as healthily practical as possible, especially with a little person around. Many of our sleep patterns are disrupted these days and according to recent research, the average person will spend around 36 years of their life in bed! That includes time actually sleeping, trying to get to sleep and also watching TV in bed. (FYI, no TV in our bedroom because the blue light and brain stimulation is not a recipe for sleep health, but that’s in another blog post.) Sleeping is where the body goes to work to repair and restore your mind, body and soul for the day ahead, so why wouldn’t we prioritise that and do all we can to improve that?
After lots of research, recommendations and a serendipitous leaflet that appeared at a friend's house, we discovered Naturalmat. Handmade in Devon, this natural material mattress and bed company is pure understated luxury — the new type of luxury where we begin to understand the intrinsic value of an item in terms of our health and the health of the environment as opposed to the flashy opulence of yesteryear!
You’ll find no plastics, VOCs or any other chemicals (think sweaty synthetic foams, chemical fire retardants) in the brand’s products whatsoever. They instead use the finest natural materials sourced directly from ethical, sustainable suppliers. From local organic wool to, heck, buttons carved from nuts, it’s not only better for us — think better inner air quality without all the VOCs off-gassing into our home, plus the breathability of natural fibres means less… sweatability! It’s better for the planet: the mattresses and beds being all natural with biodegradable or recyclable components means there is no need for this item to ever end up in landfill. Yes, you do pay a helluva lot more for natural materials and that level of craftsmanship, but as Nick — a born and bred Devonian boy and supporter of anything local — declared, for the time spent in bed over your lifetime and for the eco credentials Naturalmat boasts, this an investment for life (inclusive of its lifelong guarantee).
We bit the bullet and looked past the Super King to the mighty Emperor!!! And it is a huge slice of sleepy heaven. Naturalmat take a traditional approach to their making — instead of encouraging repurchasing, they promote care and repair. Meanwhile, our lambswool natural fibre mattress (thick layers of supportive organic coir, springy natural latex and temperature regulating organic wool) in medium firmness (we like a dense feel but pocket sprung coil is also available if you want something bouncier), is encased in a wool and cotton woven cover. It is this weave that allows the mattress to pass all fire safety standards without the need for any nasty chemicals or treatments.
At the Devon showroom and workshop visit (solar-powered in a former boat yard, naturally!), we lay on beds, touched fabrics and checked out the different mattress styles — from soft to mega firm. We chose a split frame and mattress which means our big bed can be easily converted into two single beds if needed, as well as making the bed easier to manoeuvre and get through the front door, up the stairs and into the poky entrance way of our bedroom. Instead of one of their thick mattress toppers we went with a washable wool mattress protector, perfect for a toddler whilst also allowing the firmness of the mattress to come through.
We’ve been sleeping on it for the past two months and enjoying sweet dreams now there's no fighting for space or rolling into the middle (a perk we noticed in the recent hot weather), just healthy deep ZZZs in a bed that will last this growing family a lifetime and not cost the earth in the process.
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