Bedding Worthy of Downton Abbey

Chances are, an aristocratic Crawley family might have been quite familiar with the Savoir Bed.

Its pedigree is immaculate: it was first created in 1905 for the uber-luxurious Savoy Hotel in London.

Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe all slept on one when they stayed there.  And Liza Minnelli, after sleeping on one, liked it enough to order her own.

Savoir Beds enjoy a reputation as the best possible in quality and comfort.  They’ve been built the same way for more than a century – to precise Victorian specifications.

“It’s not a fast way to build them,” says Roger Ericson, creative director at the firm.  “But it’s absolutely the finest quality – hands down, there’s not another product in the category like it.”

When the company was sold back in 1998, one of the stipulations was that the beds be made the same way they’d always had been, for nearly a century in West London. Currently, about 2,000 are built annually, about four times as many since a new sales strategy was established in 2009.  But their construction is not compromised.

They’re made with a wooden frame, steel springs, wool, cashmere and horse hair – actually only the horse’s tail, since it’s the longest, sturdiest and most exclusive.

“It’s all meticulously stitched together,” he says.  “It’s like a Ferrari or an Aston Martin – each is custom made.”

Customers specify shape, size, fabric and headboard, and an endless number of options.  A king-size Savoir bed can start at $12,500, and could go as high as $145,000.

“It’s for people who truly want the very best out of life,” he says.  “It’s the best that money can buy – so if you’re looking for the finest, you’re a Savoir customer.”

Surely, Lady Mary would approve.

For more information, go to http://www.savoirbeds.com/

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