Kindel Furniture Co. and Hypnos to Sell Mattress Sets Fit For a Queen

Oct. 1, 2008 - PRLog -- GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  -- When Kindel Furniture Co. went looking for a suitable partner to make mattresses for its handcrafted beds, little did the company know it would end up offering products literally fit for a queen.  Starting in late October, Kindel will be selling its own brand of mattresses made under private label by Hypnos, which make ultraluxurious mattresses for Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family for more than four decades.

Kindel’s new relationship with Hypnos is yet another step by the company to provide high quality bedroom suites to the aging BabyBoomer generation that has come to appreciate the great value of a good night’s sleep -- and now has the wherewithal to pay for it.  The seven various styles of beds that Kindel will feature at the fall furniture show in High Point, N.C. on Oct. 20 is the largest presentation of bedroom furniture in the company’s recent history.  Along with new beds that range from a Dorothy Draper-inspired design to a Louis XVI low four-poster bed, Kindel will offer three mattress sets manufactured by Hypnos.

“Our new lines of bedroom furniture and agreement with Hypnos underscore Kindel’s return to its roots because we started out as a bedmaking company,” Kindel President and CEO Jonathan Smith said.  “Hypnos shares our philosophy that there is a sizable segment of consumers who appreciate products that stand the test of time, and we feel now is the time to more thoroughly serve this segment with quality bedroom frames, box springs and mattresses.”

While Kindel’s name is synonymous in the United States with furniture that is passed from generation to generation, Americans aren’t as familiar with the storied history of Hypnos, which has served as bed makers to the British royal family for more than 106 years.  “We appreciate the emphasis that Kindel places on the value of a product that lasts decades, “ said Adrian Jones, vice president of sales and marketing for Hypnos U.S.A., based in Franklin, Tenn.  “Many people are surprised to learn that mattresses manufactured to the highest standards can last for many years – nearly as long as the bed frame itself.”   The price of Hypnos manufactured mattresses reflect the quality and comfort of their products: the queen-sized mattress and box spring sold through Kindel can run from anywhere from $4,999 to $7,999, depending on the features that the customer selects.

Jones said the late Queen Elizabeth, mother of Queen Elizabeth II, slept on the same Hypnos mattress for 67 years – only once having the mattress refurbished during that time. “We cut the cover off when it was refurbished, we found our original maker’s card, so we knew exactly what year it was made,” Jones said. “And remarkably, we didn’t have to replace the springs – just refill the natural fibers such as lamb’s wool, cashmere and silk.”

The line of Hypnos mattresses that Kindel will market are manufactured by craftspersons at the Hypnos U.S.A. plant in Gallatin, Tenn., using the same materials and time-honored techniques as the parent company in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, England. Employing a small team of craftspeople, Hypnos produces only about 30 mattress sets a day in the United States for the luxury hospitality market, compared with mass production manufacturers that typically fabricate between 800 and 2,000 sets a day.  Employing 350 people worldwide the Hypnos brand is sold in major metropolitan areas of Australia, Asia, Europe and North America.  

Production of a Hypnos mattress is a labor-intensive process -- averaging six hours per set versus an assembly line product that has around 15 minutes of labor.  Using the finest Belgian damask for coverings, craftspersons use a hand tufting technique of pulling long needles with heavy thread all the way through the mattresses to secure all the natural materials in place.  Hypnos inner spring mattresses have more than double the number of springs of mass produced mattresses, Jones said.  For example, a queen-sized Hypnos bed has 1,224 individually encased springs, compared with a typical mass produced mattress that may have 600 springs.  Hypnos craftspersons hand nest and center tie springs to provide flexible support that lasts for decades.

But another secret to the great degree of comfort that Hypnos offers its sleepy customers is due to the construction of the mattress’ box spring.  “By and large, mattress companies have eliminated the springs in the box to save money,” Jones said. “They just sell a wooden box frame that doesn’t offer any benefit for the customer’s comfort. Hypnos sells box springs with spring movements that act as a shock absorber, greatly enhancing the comfort for the customers and adding to the life of the mattress.”  Hypnos box springs themselves are built for decades of wear by using materials such as kiln-dried, hand selected poplar hardwood instead of pine.

Kindel will be introducing Hypnos manufactured mattress sets on all its bedroom products at the international furniture trade show the week of October 20 at High Point, said Jay Paschall, vice president of new product development and global sales.  In addition to innerspring mattresses, Kindel will show a Hypnos product made from all natural Talalay latex that is firm on one side and soft on the other. Kindel expects to begin marketing its private label of Hypnos manufactured mattress sets this fall through its network of sales representatives.

Kindel employs more than 100 highly skilled craftspeople at its original factory and headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich.  All Kindel furniture is bench-made by hand carvers, upholsterers, and others, some of whom are second-generation Kindel craftspeople.  Kindel also manufactures custom-designed furnishings and assists customers in acquiring the exact pieces they want to complete their collections.

Proudly made in America since 1901, Kindel furniture is known as much for the emotion it evokes as for its craftsmanship.  Kindel manufactures furniture based on designs of some of the world’s most talented designers.  The Dorothy Draper Collection and the Knowledge Collection reflect the current American aesthetic for beautiful, fresh, and distinctive furniture.  Kindel also carries exclusive rights to reproduce the furniture at the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, as well as that of Mount Vernon, the ancestral home of George Washington.   The collections that Kindel has reproduced from some of these venerable originals are line-for-line copies, utilizing materials and finishes identical to the originals.  Kindel furniture is made for discriminating customers who desire comfort, beauty and the value that comes from unmatched workmanship.  

Kindel products are carried by interior design centers and retail stores, including the showrooms of Robert Allen|Beacon Hill in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Washington D.C. , Philadelphia, Dallas, Dania Beach, Fla., Woodbury, N.Y. and Troy, Mich.  It has also expanded into international markets including Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the Ukraine, and Kuwait.

Under a program called ReNew, the company also offers to refurbish any of the estimated 250,000 pieces of Kindel furniture made over the past century by using many of the same techniques at the same Grand Rapids location as when they were first manufactured.

For more information Kindel, please refer to the company’s website at www.kindelfurniture.com or contact Matthew Gryczan at mgryczan@alexandermarketing.com or phone (616) 957-2000.