Spirit of Excellence

Since 1852, 22nd March

Hästens originated as a saddler. At the time, master saddlers were also upholsterers, proudly devoted to their craft of making equestrian goods and beds using horsetail hair. Our legacy—the horse, the horsetail hair, the tailor, the handcraft—is present in every detail of Hästens and its beds.

Over time, as the automobile reduced the need for saddlery, the family focused more and more on beds. Soon Hästens specialized in making the most comfortable beds ever made; our knowledge and mastery of this intricate handcraft becoming unmatched.

From the day we made our first bed, natural materials have always played a fundamental role. In 1852 cotton, horsetail hair, wool and flax were superior to other materials and, surprisingly, even today... that remains the case. And, then as it is now, the best way to craft using these materials is by hand. This tradition of hand craftsmanship gives our bed makers a deeply-rooted understanding and mastery of both their art, and the natural materials that are so crucial to its consolidation.

Imbuing everything we do with our Spirit of Excellence is still a founding principle that informs the work of our master craftsmen. And to them, there is no other way or standard of working.

Top down reinvention

Our company was founded by individuals who were openly obsessed with quality; a common facet of those working daily with natural materials. They were devoted to making the very best—pure and simple fact. With the ultimate goal of making the best bed available at the time, they began systematically reinventing and refining the conventions of bed making—beginning with the mattress.

The beds considered to be ‘great’ during the 19th century were made in Europe. So our master craftsmen did what Swedes do best; combining the standout features of these European beds with Swedish ingenuity, craft expertise, logic and problem solving. The resulting mattresses lifted bed making to a completely new level and set the standard for the incremental developments we continue to employ today.

Progressive provenance

We are proud to be Sweden’s oldest manufacturer of beds, yet that’s not stopped us refining and streaming the techniques we utilize to create the best beds in the world. Along the course of our rich history we’ve left an indelible mark on the bed making industry; with innovations like the pocket spring system.

We were also the first company to use a top mattress on a continental bed and introduced the frame bed to the world. The very notion of the modern bed has its roots in our workshop in Koping (pronounced "Sherping"), Sweden. By grounding our progressive approach to bed making in the Spirit of Excellence and only using natural materials we remain at the cutting edge of sleep.