|
 April 5, 2010 - As retail buyers
approached the
Somnium show space located
in the Specialty Sleep
Association space (C-1350) at
the Las Vegas World Market
Center last February, it was
obvious that this new company
was displaying sleep products
that represented very different
technologies and solutions.
Company owners Susanne Flother
(of Germany) and Rainer Weiland
(of Austria) strike one as being
hip, contemporary entrepreneurs
who are cued into the latest in
design and evolutionary
solutions. One gets the feeling
that there is very little about
contemporary culture and serious
trends that these two are not
aware of. “Let’s face it,’ says
flother, “It’is no coincident
that America is in love with the
iPhone, Ipod, Starbucks and
those nifty Dyson vacuums. After
all, it’s the first time that
everyday items like phones,
vacuums and our morning coffee
have undergone a makeover to
became fun, useful and enjoyable
lifestyle products.,” Flother
tells BEDROOM Magazine. “And is
that why Somnium,” exclaims
Flother, “that we at Somnium
have applied our own out of the
box thinking to another
Under-appreciated and overlooked
item: namely the mattress in the
consumer’s bedroom.”
Flother goes on to explain that
despite the fact that we human
beings spend a third of our
lives sleeping on it, the
technology at the core of
today’s typical conventional
coil bed hasn’t gotten much of a
lift since it was invented 150
years ago…that is, until now she
says.
Somnium reinvents century-old
innerspring technology with
patented, hourglass-shaped
springs.
Made from lightweight
Thermoplastic Polyester
Elastomer (TPEE,) these unique,
hourglass-shaped springs are
omni-directional elastomer
springs that offer the benefits
that have made this material
indispensable to the aviation
and automotive industries as
well as the design of high-end
athletic gear: These TPEE spring
offer greater durability, flex
characteristics and shock
absorbing qualities than
 do
metal springs - at a
fraction of the weight of metal
coil systems. According Somnium
these springs deliver increased
support under pressure - thanks
to the expanding spring surfaces
- while ensuring ergonomically
correct posture. This system
features softer springs in the
shoulder and hip region cradling
those body parts and allowing
them to sink in more deeply.
Firmer springs in the lumbar
region offer support and align
the spine in its ideal posture.
Flother points out that these
new TPEE springs create the
backbone of a mattress that is
also 100 percent recyclable,
hypoallergenic and entirely free
from harmful chemicals and
flame-retardants. Somnium claims
that their removable and
washable covers, meanwhile, set
a new standard for health and
hygiene, and that they are the
secret weapon 50 million allergy
sufferers and 20 million
asthmatics have at their
disposable to fight dust mites
and allergens and to reclaim
their life.
Somnium is an LA-based company
headed by business partners
Rainer Wieland and Susanne
Flother. “Rainer is the one that
invented our patented spring and
together he and I turned the
mattress into the product we
wanted it to be: a truly
innovative mattress that updates
spring technology for the 21st
century but considers the entire
life cycle of the mattress at
the same time,” Flother informs
BEDROOM Magazine. “For example:
we pick our materials
carefully, using Ökeotex®-certified
fabric for our removable and
washable covers (to set a new
standard in health and hygiene
and help in the fight against
allergies) and as much soy-based
foam as possible. … we
 are easy
on the environment: Instead of
heading for the landfill at the
end of their life, our
mattresses are 100 percent
recyclable. “Right now,”
states Flother, ”our mattresses
are mostly sold through high-end
furniture stores across the US
with the balance selling
company-direct through us. All
in all we have 30 retailers
aboard; a number of them are B&B
Italia affiliates, others are
independents. Our product is
available from Portland and
Seattle to Los Angeles and San
Diego, from Chicago to New York
and Miami and St. Louis to
Washington DC.” The beds are
offered at a suggested retail
price of $3,300 for a Queen bed
and $3,600 for a King bed.
As
for production, Flother tells
BEDROOM Magazine that the
mattresses are made right in
Southern California…. “and yes,
we have various patents
involving our technology.”
Reflecting on the company’s
proprietary technology and
futuristic sleep systems Flother
jokes, “ Come to think of it:
The only things missing from our
sleek-looking modern dream
machine may just be a phone
charger and a coffee maker. But
luckily, someone else already
has the consumer covered when it
comes to those.”
To view Somnium’s technology
and their futuristic sleep
systems, Flother invites
retailers to take a look at the
company’s brochure and to visit
www.somniumbeds.com.
SOMNIUM Inc.
1801 Lincoln Blvd., #146
Venice, CA 90291
Direct 310-396-9996
Main 323-655-6700
Fax 323-988-5740 |
