Gold bed sells for $24K
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, April 30, 2006
At The Market — It's the gold standard — literally — in mattress luxury.
Magniflex, an Italian bedding producer making its U.S. debut here, is taking bedding price points to a new high with its Gold Mattress. That mattress, with a cover made using 22-karat gold yarn, retails for the princely sum of $24,000.
Want a golden pillow with that? It will cost you $1,000, which is the price of a good bed by itself. The memory foam pillow features a cover made with gold threads.
Magniflex calls its Gold Mattress "the most valuable mattress in the world." It is currently being sold to wealthy consumers in the Middle East.
The glittering mattress occupies a starring position in the company's showroom in the International Home Furnishings Center, space W-548. There the producer is showing its full line of foam mattresses, which are compressed and shrink-wrapped for shipment to the United States.
Marco Magni, sales director, said the bed got a good reaction at a recent furniture show in Italy. "Many people from New York wanted to buy it," he said.
At this market, no retailers have placed any orders yet. "But some people have come in because we have it," said Irwin "Sandy" Pearl, who, with Henry Burney, is heading up U.S. sales efforts for Magniflex. Added Burney: "Everyone is doing the same thing in the mattress industry. We are trying to distinguish ourselves."
Gold has a number of positive features, the company says: It is a thermo-regulating, non-degradable, anti-bacterial, odor-proof, anti-static and anti-stress material.
Magniflex will customize the Gold Mattress to match the shape of the consumer who purchases it, adjusting the five-zoned memory foam construction as needed to provide a tailored sleep surface.
The other mattresses in the line address more modest price points. A memory foam mattress retailing at $2,200 offers adjustable comfort. The dual memory foam cores feature firm and soft sides, enabling couples to choose the comfort level best for them.
"There will be no more divorce in the bedroom," Magni chuckled.
A mattress made entirely of memory foam retails at $2,050. "This is like sleeping on a cloud," Magni said
Zoned constructions are standard in the company's foam bedding offerings. The producer, based in Prato, Italy, manufactures 10,000 mattresses per day. It emphasizes environmentally friendly products in its bedding, including fabrics made of bamboo and corn.
"The company is stepping forward and investing in our market," Burney said. "They are familiar with the competition and feel they could offer a better-made product at competitive pricing."
Simmons cuts prices on foam line
09/13/2009Magniflex goes gold for $30K
05/07/2006Magniflex goes gold for $30K
05/08/2006
