Hästens Sängar AB, or simply Hastens (, Swedish for "The horse's" as in "the horse's beds"), is a Swedish manufacturer established in 1852, that produces and trades in

high-end In economics, a luxury good (or upmarket good) is a good for which demand increases more than what is proportional as income rises, so that expenditures on the good become a more significant proportion of overall spending. Luxury goods are in con ...

mattress A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a person Lying (position), lying down, especially for sleeping. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a Quilting, quilted o ...

, bed linen,

bedding Bedding, also called bedclothes or bed linen, is the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for hygiene, warmth, protection of the mattress, and decorative effect. Bedding is the removable and washable portion of a human sleeping environment ...

pillow A pillow is a support of the body at rest for comfort, therapy, or decoration. Pillows are used in different variations by many species, including humans. Some types of pillows include throw pillows, body pillows, decorative pillows, and man ...

s and lifestyle accessories. The company was founded by Pehr Adolf Janson in 1852 as a

saddle A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not know ...

r business and is a family-owned company. David Janson shifted their focus in the early 1900s from making saddles to making beds. By 1952, a century after its foundation, they had become the official bedding supplier of Sweden's royal court, a title they share with

IKEA IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services. IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...

since 1984. The company continues to manufacture all beds in its factory in Sweden. Hästens manufactures

bed A bed is a piece of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many beds ...

s and

es by using materials such as

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

, horse hair,

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

and

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

. Hästens retail stores also sell branded premium bedlinen, pillows, duvets and accessories.

History

Pehr Adolf Janson (1830–1885) was awarded his master certificate in 1852 by King

Oscar I of Sweden Oscar I (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; 4 July 1799 – 8 July 1859) was King of Sweden and List of Norwegian monarchs, Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. The only child of Ki ...

. Master saddlers were also makers of mattresses, since horsetail hair was an essential material for the pads that went into the carriage. At that time, becoming a master saddler in Sweden required the certificate to be issued by the King himself. In the late 1800s, the family moved to Hed and Pehr Adolf's son Per Thure Janson decided to follow his father's path in becoming a master saddler. Per Thure started a company together with his son David Janson. The business of making beds took off and they were soon producing more beds than saddles. In 1939, British architect Ralph Erskine (1914–2005) travelled by bicycle to Sweden, where he later met David Janson who commissioned him to build the Hästens Factory, which was one of the first buildings that he designed in Sweden. It was designed by Erskine in 1948 and he also designed the further expansion of the factory in 1998, in Köping where the company is still located . In 1978, Jack Ryde designed Hästens' blue check pattern that was presented for a furniture trade fair. The blue check pattern is a registered trademark for Hästens beds and is protected.

Hästens today

Markets

Hästens currently operates retail stores around the world in locations such as:

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

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, Munich, Israel,

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

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and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Awards

*1952 – Purveyor to the Swedish Royal Court *2006 – Swedish Trade Council Export Award & Best International Growth Company by

Ernst & Young EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...

*2010 – Wallpaper* Design Award Best Bed *2011 – Palme d'Or de la Literie de Prestige *2013 – Signum Priset Sweden *2015 –

Hurun Report Hurun () is a town in Jingxi, Guangxi, China. See also *List of township-level divisions of Guangxi This is a list of township-level divisions of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China (PRC). After province, prefectur ...

: The Best of the Best Awards 2015

Legal cases

In 2000, a Swedish court ruled that Hästens was not allowed to advertise with phrases such as "The finest beds in the world" and "due to ur unique manufacturing process in Köping we can offer 25 years' warranty on springs and frames". The latter was, among other reasons, because the springs and frames were actually manufactured by a subcontractor. Many companies have tried to copy the check patterns and Hästens has successfully undertaken legal procedures in several countries against infringements and counterfeits. As of 2011, the phrase ''"At Hästens we set out to make the best beds in the world."'' is used.Best bed
Hastens.com. (2011)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hastens 1852 introductions Luxury brands Swedish brands Beds Bed manufacturers Mattress retailers of Sweden Multinational companies headquartered in Sweden Purveyors to the Court of Sweden Swedish companies established in 1852 Manufacturing companies established in 1852 Shops in New York City Companies based in Västmanland County Sleep Köping, Sweden 19th-century establishments in Västmanland County