How to Pick a Mattress

A guide from Bedroom & More

Why This Guide Exists

In 2003 we first opened our showroom doors on Market Street next to Zuni Cafe offering a large selection of entry level bedroom furniture with entry level mattresses too, but over the last two decades, we have evolved into what we understand ourselves to be San Francisco’s premier luxury mattress store with a carefully curated offering designed to meet and hopefully surpass all of your unique comfort expectations.

To do this, we carry only the three absolutely finest mattress brands in the marketplace. These brands offer you lots of differentiation while remaining exceptional in terms of the comfort and the longevity that they provide you, so you truly cannot go wrong with any of them. This guide walks you through what separates these three brands in terms of what they offer, what makes each of them uniquely better than any other brand out there, and how to think about which one is your best fit. Rest assured that when you visit us or call us with a question, we will always try to give you the best information possible and never pressure you–after all, we appreciate the opportunity to have your business.

What Actually Makes a Mattress a "Luxury Mattress"

Almost every mattress company can make a mattress feel good in a showroom. A truly luxurious mattress makes you feel special, it’s personal, and it exceeds the timespan that you would normally expect. That's the standard every brand we carry has to meet; they just meet it in different ways.

Aireloom — proof that lasting comfort is possible

Aireloom has been hand-building luxury mattresses in California since 1940, and among the coil-and-foam construction manufacturers, Aireloom’s Preferred and Karpen collections feel better than any other, and what makes them even more special is that the comfort you feel will not change for at least a decade and often more like 12-15 years. While most mass-market mattresses start losing their shape within three to six years. Aireloom holds its comfort for well over a decade because of its patented Aireloom Lift™ design that creates a natural breathing chamber between the support coils and the comfort layers, so the mattress regulates temperature and adjusts with the sleeper through the night. You will not sink into a false loft layer; rather, the comfort will meet you at the top layers of the mattress. Silk, wool, and cotton are layered alongside premium latex and foam that are heavier pound materials than other brands, and everything is OEKO-TEX® certified, tested to be free of harmful substances. For the single best coil-and-foam mattress made anywhere, this is it.

Avocado — a different but equally wonderful comfort, built entirely organic

Natural materials just provide a different kind of comfort than do the hi-tech synthetic materials that Aireloom uses–both are good but both feel very different.

If sleeping in a chemical free sleeping environment is important to you, Avocado takes the lead and you can add in long-lasting amazing comfort too. The Avocado Luxury Organic and Grand Lux mattresses are artisanal hand-crafted luxury products, stunning to the eye, made with the absolutely finest quality materials that are not only high performance but certified organic natural materials. Rather than feeling amazing foams on top as you do with Aireloom, you feel an amazing and unique kind of comfort that only natural fibers and pure organic latex can give, and beyond that, each mattress has a very remarkable kind of support extending from a brilliantly constructed coil system that is like no other.

The fabric and tailoring alone are visually stunning, as you would expect only from the highest end products such as these.

Avocado’s Luxury Organic with up to 2,588 individually pocketed support coils, silk, wool, cotton, cocofiber as well as Avocado’s highest end Grand Luxe with over 14,000 coils, silk, wool, cotton, cocofiber, as well as alpaca and mohair are all independently certified (GOTS, GOLS, GREENGUARD Gold, MADE SAFE). It's a brand that cares as much about people and the Earth as it does about the mattress itself—something we appreciate as much as our customers do.

Vispring — comfort elevated into legacy

Vispring mattresses today are constructed much like they were when they were first being made in London in 1901. These are symmetrically double-sided mattresses with all natural fibers and with the finest quality steel coils that are individually wrapped in super breathable calico cotton, flexible and immensely resilient like no other, handpacked into a honeycomb pattern in 1, 2, or 3 stacked layers, and then each side topped with the same luxurious and sometimes exotic fibers such as silk, wool, cotton, cashmere and others, each mattress construction is finalized with many hours of hand applied side stitches as well tufts applied through the double-sided decking. This intricate, labor intensive construction with all natural fibers works to breathe, support, and comfort for a restful, restorative, and invigorating sleep night after night. There is truly no other like this.

These mattresses, while they come with a 30 year warranty, are built to last a lifetime.

The takeaway: These three brands aren't necessarily about budget versus premium. They're simply three different, equally valid answers to the same question — comfort that lasts and how to get there — each going deeper in a different direction.

What Matters Most?

Rather than starting with "how much should this cost," we like to start with what actually matters most. That answer tends to point toward the right fit almost immediately.

Just amazing comfort that lasts — Aireloom. The best-built coil-and-foam mattress available made with synthetic materials blended with natural materials as a way to create exceptional comfort and exceptional longevity, full stop.

Amazing comfort and knowing exactly what's inside — Avocado. A chemical free sleeping environment, one that also provides lasting comfort, but with a different feel, built entirely from certified organic materials.

Amazing, lifelong comfort from the world's finest steel and most exotic natural fibers — Vispring. The deepest expression of craftsmanship available anywhere, in a mattress meant to last a lifetime.

There's no wrong answer here. Every option above meets our own bar for lasting comfort. The only real question is how far you want to go.

How Do You Sleep?

Beyond personal values, your body has its own preferences — and getting the support tension right matters as much as the materials themselves.

By sleep position:

Side sleepers generally do best with a softer tension, which cushions the shoulder and hip.
Back sleepers tend to do best with a medium tension — enough support to keep the spine level without letting the hips sink.
Stomach sleepers typically need a firmer tension, to keep the hips from sinking and straining the lower back.

By body weight, as a general guide (personal preference is just as important–all of our mattresses will support just about all weights):

Up to 154 lbs: Soft
154 lbs –265 lbs: Medium
265 lbs and up: Firm or Extra Firm based on preference

More than sleeping position and body weight, the actual shape of your body determines the kind of softness or firmness that will work best for you. Simple preference is the second most important factor.

Each mattress has a different kind of comfort that is not as much about firm or soft as it is about how it fits your body–you just have to make an appointment and visit us and try these mattresses out for yourself.

Everyone Who Visits Us is Upgrading

There are four factors in the scale to upgrading your mattress. The only real variable is how far. Here's how we think about it, laid out honestly with real pricing, so you can find the level that's right for you. (Below: Approximate king size pricing)

1. Everyday Luxury: $3,500 - $7,000

Aireloom Preferred Collection · Avocado Luxury Organic Collection

This is where real, lasting simple comfort starts and ends. The Avocado Luxury Organic and AIreloom Preferred mattresses provide more long lasting comfort than any other brands–truly long lasting comfort plain and simple.

2. Elevated Luxury - $10,000–$20,000

Aireloom Karpen Collection · Avocado Grand Luxe

For a more elevated, somewhat spectacular feel, Avocado's Grand Luxe and Aireloom’s Karpen mattresses need no divan or foundation, and at up to 19 inches thick, these are a giant step up from the Every Day Luxury category in terms of luxurious feel. This tier is also where many buyers start to seriously consider what's possible one step further up, but it is always important to stay in your comfort zone.

3. Vispring Luxe - $25,000–$40,000

Vispring Luxe Collection

We estimate that approximately 40% of the unsurpassable comfort and longevity is attributed to the mattress base, known as a divan. This is fine furniture, beautifully upholstered and in custom heights and leg options, but most importantly filled with springs as in the mattress. The 1, 2, or 3 layers of mattress’s nested coils synchronize with your body on top and with the divan coils below the mattress while the horsehair and exotic fibers comfort your body like no other. This category is for an extremely elevated comfort that lasts nearly a lifetime.

4. Vispring Ultra-Luxe - $50,000–$100,000

Vispring's finest selections

Most people don't know a mattress like this exists. We say that not to be dramatic — it's simply true, and we watch people discover it in the showroom on a regular basis. If you want the absolute finest expression of everything Vispring stands for, this is it but you have to come in and experience it to appreciate it, much like the other mattresses but more so.

Wherever You Land

Every tier above meets our own standard for real, lasting comfort — that's the whole point of only carrying brands we believe in. If you'd like help finding your fit, we're happy to walk through it with you, whether that's in the showroom or over the phone or email.

No pressure, no countdown timer. Just good information.

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