Henri Matisse's Luxe, Calme et Volupté, 1904
I was traveling the other day, up in the lovely sky myself, and decided to start writing down my philosophy of beds for this project. Ironically, a bed is pretty much the opposite of where I was at that moment, flying coach squeezed in a middle seat somewhere over Texas. Here is the first part.
Your bed is proportioned to your resting human form. It's just bigger than your outline, a comforting containment. You close your eyes there, and it becomes your space capsule. In a cozy bed, you safely set off on infinite inter-dimensional voyages of sleep and dreams.
The bed can cradle fellow-travelers, too. With a companion, whether you are “sleeping together,” actually just sleeping, lounging around talking, reading or watching a movie in bed, it is the site of your most intimate moments. Your bed is both mystical and practical.
Everyone has at some point thought about the fact that 8 hours of sleep per night means that you spend a third of life in bed - "so invest in a good mattress," people say. Unfortunately, many of us spend far less than the recommended 8 hours a night restoratively zzzing. I think that’s even more of a reason to enjoy your bed.
When you go to your laying-place at the end of the day, it's a refuge from the other two-thirds (or more) of life. Maybe your bed is a reward. Maybe it's surrender, or relief. It's so personal.
I am hoping with this project to expand the expressive possibilities of making beautiful beds. We all should do it. There are so many different ways. Make your bed cozy, exciting, elegant, whimsical, or simple. My current touchstone words, from Baudelaire's poem L'invitation au voyage, are Luxe, Calme et Volupté: luxury, peace, and pleasure.
Above all, I want to inspire a bed that is comfortable for your mind, body, and soul. It is so fun and fulfilling to make your bed feel really good. And the products – my take on perfect lightweight quilts - are what I offer to incorporate into the personal expression of your own lovely sky bed.