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20 October 2020Perchance to Dream
Savoir Beds aims to provide its customers with the ultimate sleep experience – tailoring its creations to their every need
I n the 1980s, King Hassan of Morocco visited London in the company of a sizeable retinue. En masse, they planned to stay in Claridge’s Hotel and – a man who liked the comfort of home – the king had arranged to have his own bed shipped to the UK to ensure a good night’s rest.
Try as they might however, retinue and hotel staff could not get the bed upstairs and the king, much to his chagrin, was forced to spend the night in one of the hotel’s beds.
To say he was impressed is an understatement. The next morning, before breakfast, he had placed an order for 24 of the beds to be installed at his palace in Marrakech.
These were no ordinary beds. Their original specifications had been laid down by Richard d’Oyly Carte, impresario, entrepreneur and the original proprietor of the Savoy Hotel who wanted his guests to enjoy a supreme night’s sleep. He had also enlisted the help of his wife, Helen, who designed a striking, innovative grey and white ticking to cover the mattresses.
Fast forward the best part of a century and the successors of the bed that so impressed the king are being made to order in a London workshop by Savoir Beds. The Savoy is still a client, but that’s not all – Savoir also specialises in bespoke beds, custom-made to its clients’ every need and whim. Ranging from around £5,000 to well in excess of £100,000 the beds can count among their many fans Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, Liza Minnelli, Emma Thompson – as well as the aforementioned Moroccan monarch. Frank Sinatra, reputedly, would only visit the UK if he could stay at the Savoy and therefore sleep on one of its beds.
Other elements of tradition include fine cashmere and South American horsetail
Savoir Beds’ managing director, Alistair Hughes, says: ‘We make totally bespoke beds to suit the individual and to get their sleeping posture absolutely right. The whole premise is that we want our customers to get an unrivalled night’s sleep – with all the benefits that brings.’
When Hughes and his business partner took over Savoir Beds in 1997 it had just two full-time employees. Today it has more than 60, many of whom are dedicated craftsmen who take huge pride in their work and even sign their finished products.
‘Increasingly we have clients who have our beds in their house and then decide they want them in other places where they spend time, such as a yacht or a private jet,’ says Hughes. ‘Space or weight can be at a premium, so we adapt our design to take account of the specific situation.’
The company can also make a bed that suits the needs of a particular room in a customer’s house. ‘One client has a château in France with a huge bedroom, where the focal point is torn between a beautiful view from the window and a beautiful fireplace. So we created a three-metre, round bed that revolves and can be operated from an iPad. That way they can enjoy either view whenever they want.’
Other slightly unusual requests have included gun cabinets integral to beds, secret compartments and storage for golf clubs and balls – the latter accompanied by a tartan colourscheme.
‘There is huge interest in having something unique,’ adds Hughes. ‘Real luxury is all about having an object that is absolutely personal for you.’
Other slightly unusual requests have included gun cabinets integral to beds, secret compartments and storage for golf clubs and balls
Savoir Beds can lay claim to clients across the world, with Asia, the Middle East and Russia all showing strong sales. While some of those beds may look distinctly avant garde – depending on the wishes of the client, of course – some of the actual manufacturing processes have barely changed since D’Oyly Carte’s day.
In the Savoir Bedworks – as the factory is known – focused upholsterers painstakingly create mattresses and bases, while carpenters and seamstresses concentrate on frames and embroidered coverings.
In the basement, Hughes shows off the springs that help ensure his clients’ bodies are supremely supported and the vintage machine that is used to make them. Nearby is another solid looking piece of equipment used for carding cotton, imprinted on it is the date 1908.
Other elements of tradition include fine cashmere, south American horsetail – for stuffing the mattresses to perfection and to help wick away moisture, I’m told – and the technique for attaching springs into mattresses, the latter requiring a long needle, a trained eye and a very steady hand.
Also on show is the grey and white ticking first designed for the original Savoy beds by Helen D’Oyly Carte, its occasionally dotted pattern providing subtle guidance for trimming to the exact size required – one more example of the company taking the best from its history and translating that to the modern world.
Words: DH
