What happens when programmer guys go shopping for mattresses? They toss and turn at night and dream up schemes for disrupting the industry. Two sleep startups are seeking to reinvent the way mattresses are made and sold, streamlining the options and cutting out the middlemen.
Casper
Above: "We looked at the hotel industry, where they don't ask what kind of bed you need, and in general, people love sleeping on hotel beds," CEO Philip Krim told The Verge. "Mattress retailers play a game with eight gradients of firmness, for example; that's how they guide you through the showroom toward something more expensive."
Above: The Casper consists of latex foam layered on top of memory foam (the engineers behind the product have worked at IDEO, Muji, and NASA, collectively). Prices start at $500 for a Twin Casper and $950 for a California King Casper. The Casper is compressed and delivered in a box that fits in any door.
Tuft & Needle
Above: Founded by a couple of Palo Alto software developers (John-Thomas Marino and Daehee Park), Tuft & Needle wants to be the Apple of the mattress world ("No one, anywhere, is psyched about the brand of their mattress," they say).
Above: The Tuft & Needle mattress is available in 5-inch and 10-inch thicknesses (suitable for slatted base or box spring bases). Prices start at $200 for a twin and go up to $500 for a king.
How about an Angled Headboard, a Featherbed, and Sleep-Inducing Pajamas to go with your new mattress? For bedroom design ideas, peruse our Gallery of Rooms and Spaces. On Gardenista, read Michelle's 7 Secrets for Making a Perfect Bed.
Insomnia? Jackie Ashton has 10 Secrets for a Better Night's Sleep.
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