Heritage

Handcrafted sleep, 100 years in the making

The Savoy hotel

We have spent over a century perfecting the art of sleep. Over that time we’ve mastered time-honoured techniques and made leaps of innovation. We’ve passed knowledge and skill down through generations and we’ve challenged pre-conceptions about rest. We cut our cloth with precision, never, ever cutting corners. Some things are worth taking time over. Sleep is one of them.

Picture featuring Impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte opening the Savoy Hotel

Chapter one. The visionary, 1889

Impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte opens the Savoy Hotel, setting a new standard in luxury and comfort. Guests marvel at ensuite bathrooms with hot and cold running water, rooms bathed in electric light, and ascending rooms, (or lifts as they are known today).

Chapter two. The Savoy Bed, 1905

Unable to find a bed to meet his exacting standards, D’Oyly Carte commissions upholsterer James Edwards Limited to create the ultimate bed. The sumptuous Savoy Bed is an immediate success. This masterpiece is still made today, (ask your design team for the Nº2) and the spirit of its creation governs everything we do.

Savoir beds featuring the Savoy restaurant
The Savoy Bedworks with craftsman working on a bed

Chapter three. The Savoy Bedworks, 1930s

To ensure complete exclusivity D’Oyly Carte buys James Edwards Limited. At the behest of his guests he allows select customers to commission their own Savoy beds. The Savoy Bedworks is born.

Chapter four. Beds of note

The late King Hassan II of Morocco, known to travel with a large retinue and his own furniture has his mattress damaged in transit. Forced to use a Nº2 bed, he declares it ‘like sleeping on a cloud’ and orders 24 for his palace.

Savoir beds no2 in a luxurious décor
Craftsman using traditional handcrafting and the finest natural materials

Chapter five. Slow business

A new owner is sought for the Bedworks, on the condition that they continue to make the now legendary Savoy bed using the same time-honoured methods; bed of this quality cannot be made in a factory. The Savoy reject all offers from modern bed manufacturers. The new owner is the only buyer willing to commit to slow business, keeping the existing craftspeople and continuing to use traditional handcrafting and the finest natural materials.

Chapter six. A new standard in luxury, 1998

With growing demand from hotel clients, a new classic is launched, the Nº4. Before long their well-slept customers ask to buy it too, and so the Nº4 enters our showrooms. It combines simpler handcrafting techniques with the fine natural materials and fillings we are famous for, without compromising on comfort and luxury.

Nº4 Savoir beds combining simpler handcrafting techniques with the fine natural materials
Bed Illustration and a commission from a particular client

Chapter seven. Special commissions

Harking back to our history of combining traditional handcrafts with leaps in innovation, we begin taking special commissions from our most particular clients. We create tailor made beds for private jets and yachts, revolving beds and round beds. And as with every Savoir bed, every last detail is considered to ensure the perfect combination of comfort, support and style.

Chapter eight. Raising the bar, 2005

The Nº3 arrives, more sumptuous than the Nº4 and less complex that the Nº2. Additional layers of loose horsetail in the mattress and topper promote yet deeper sleep and customers report awaking feeling more refreshed.

Savoir beds no3 with additional layers of loose horsetail in the mattress and topper
Savoir beds no1 displaying in the Savoy Hotel's Royal Suite bedroom

Chapter nine. The last word in luxury, 2010

A new masterpiece is born. The Nº1 is designed for those who demand only the very best. Our deepest, most sumptuous bed yet, it is the apogee of bespoke bedmaking and the Savoy immediately order one for their Royal Suite.

Perfection cannot be hurried

CRAFT