Do Custom Beds Represent Decadence?

For some people stepping outside of the norm is a discomforting thing, and for others it is a desire. When we are invited by the media to view the homes of the rich and famous the bedroom is always a focal point, and invariably has a ‘special’ bed; abnormal in either size, shape or the sheer gaudiness of the design. There are companies ‘out there’ that actually supply giant beds that are 12 foot wide! Perhaps this seems decadent, but for some it is certainly not. Most professional basketball players are so tall that they simply have to fold up to fit in even a king size bed. Most professional football players would not fit in a normal bed but certainly could not hope to get the proper support from a standard mattress at their weight. Success should have its rewards, and surely a good nights sleep should be one of them.

What about the rest of us non-professionals though; do we not qualify for a custom bed without being classed as ostentatious? Why should we regard a custom bed as anything other than a necessity? You do not have to be a professional athlete to be muscular, heavy or tall. For that matter, why are even those things important? We spend 230,680 hours in the average lifetime in bed; why should we even consider anything that is not made to our demands, whatever they may be? There is no such thing as the standard person, and there is no good reason other than cost to settle for a standard mattress to sleep on.

If you can afford to splash out a little you should consider a custom bed, if only for the following reason: there are companies out there that do 10, 20 or even lifetime warranties; if we assume a 20 year usable time span then that represents 58,400 hours of sleep that you are investing in. That comes down to just pennies an hour for the best quality sleep you can get. That is hardly decadence, now is it?

Aesthetic function may seem like an oxymoron, but it is a real term and it does have a hidden importance. In studies done in several hospitals in the UK it was found that the color of the walls in the wardrooms made a difference to how quickly someone recovered. One side of the corridor was painted a light blue, the other side a light green; aspects to north south east and west were randomly selected to make sure the quality of light was not a factor. There was a statistically significant difference between the two rooms colors in terms of the rate of recovery.

Other studies into long term care homes with flowers in some rooms and none in others showed that patients with flowers in the room lived longer. Aesthetics have powerful but hidden effects on us, so the way you decorate your bedroom must, by inference, have an effect on you too. It is not decadent to have a custom bed if that will make you happier in bed; it is wisdom.