Brent Cooper spent seven years as Britain’s top Hästens dealer before founding Marshall & Stewart. In this honest review, he shares what the Swedish brand gets right, where it falls short and how its beds compare to what you can get from a British-made alternative.
What Does Hästens Get Right?
Quick Answer: Hästens makes an honest, natural product backed by world-class marketing. Brent credits the brand with transforming the British luxury bed market and pushing every competitor to raise their standards.
Hästens deserves genuine respect. The beds use all-natural fillings, hand-built construction and Swedish pocket springs. The blue-and-white check is instantly recognisable worldwide, and owner Jan Ryde has built one of the strongest luxury brands in any category. Independent outlets agree: The New York Times’ Wirecutter published a detailed Hästens review that reflects just how much interest this brand generates.
‘What Hästens get right is that they make a really nice product. It’s honest. What goes inside of it is pure, it’s natural. Their marketing is incredible.’
It was a Hästens bed that changed the course of Brent’s career. In 2003, he visited the factory in Sweden with no intention of buying. Then he lay on the 2000T, which cost £11,800 at the time.
‘I’m lying on this bed thinking I know nothing about beds. This is the most incredible feel I’ve ever had. How do they make these beds?’
That single experience led him to become a Hästens dealer. Within seven years, his London showroom became the top-performing Hästens store in the world, outselling 194 other locations globally.
What Do Real Owners Say About Hästens Beds?
Quick Answer: Reviews from real owners follow a consistent pattern: those who love Hästens praise the natural materials and unique sleep feel, while those less convinced point to the price, the very soft feel, or the adjustment period.
Hästens has attracted attention well beyond the bed industry. Drake has spoken publicly about owning the Grand Vividus, describing the sensation as floating. Apartment Therapy’s reviewer praised the feel as deeply comforting, unlike anything on a conventional mattress, though they noted the softness can be too much for a partner who prefers firmer support. The description most reviewers reach for is that a Hästens feels less like a mattress and more like sinking into something warm and enveloping.
On Trustpilot, Hästens has a live review page, though with relatively few reviews compared with mass-market brands. The feedback that does exist tends to confirm the same pattern: exceptional comfort for those who like a plush, natural bed, and a genuine adjustment period for those used to firmer surfaces.
A Hästens executive has been quoted in the Financial Times explaining that you cannot simply add a topper and call it a Hästens experience. The brand sees its beds as a complete sleep system. That is a view Brent shares, even if his recommendation for where to find that system is different.
‘If you’re honest with yourself, you lie on a bed like this and you go, wow. I just cannot believe that anybody can make a bed that feels this good.’
How Much Does a Hästens Bed Cost in 2026?
Quick Answer: Hästens prices in 2026 range from £18,780 for the entry-level Maranga to £271,990 for the flagship Vividus, based on a Super King complete set with top mattress.
Here is what the current Hästens range costs in the UK (Super King 180 × 200 cm, complete set including top mattress, April 2026):
- Maranga – £18,780
- Eala – £29,980
- Herlewing – £42,380
- 2000T – £56,380
- Dremar – £70,380
- Vividus – £271,990
The Vividus launched in 2006 at £39,000. Annual price increases of 20% or more have been standard since. For context, Marshall & Stewart’s Diamond Collection runs from £18,230 (Hortensia) to £54,100 (Koh-I-Noor) for a Super King set.
Has the Hästens Product Changed Over the Years?
Quick Answer: Based on direct comparison over two decades, the Hästens feel has shifted. The beds have become noticeably firmer, and independent inspection has raised questions about filling weights.
This is where four decades of hands-on experience adds something no review site can offer. During his time as a dealer, Brent visited the Hästens factory several times a year and worked closely with the production team. He also sent Hästens mattresses to other UK manufacturers for altering, which meant opening them up and inspecting the contents.
‘I would say the internal filling quantities have changed. It didn’t have the same feel, it didn’t have the same filling weight. The beds have a firmer, stiffer feel which is probably due to consumer requirements in Asia and other parts of the World where firmer beds are more popular.
On the materials side, Hästens markets itself heavily around horsehair. In reality, the brand uses bovine, a mixture of cow and horse hair, in many of its models. This is not necessarily a negative, but it is worth knowing when you are weighing up a Herlewing at £42,380 against a Marshall & Stewart Florentine at £32,450.
‘Their Horse hair is usually a mix of horse hair and bovine. Everything’s “horsey” because of the Hästens name and the horse branding. But there is a mix there.’
Marshall & Stewart uses 100% pure horsehair, hand-teased and loose-filled. Every filling is weighed, placed by hand and built up layer by layer. It is painstaking work that takes far longer than most people realise, but it is what creates the distinctive float-like feel that sets a truly hand-built bed apart.
How Does Marshall & Stewart Compare?
Quick Answer: Marshall & Stewart was born directly from Brent’s experience with Hästens. Every aspect of the specification was improved, and the beds are made entirely in England using higher-grade natural materials.
When Brent left Hästens, he took the original designs to an English manufacturer with one instruction: do not copy, improve.
‘We improve every aspect that we can. We changed the spring systems to a better unit. We had the highest grade of horsehair that you could buy and the highest grades of cotton and wool, with the same amount of hand work that goes into the teasing of the product.’
The result speaks for itself. In the years when Marshall & Stewart beds were displayed alongside Hästens in the same showroom, customers who tried both chose Marshall & Stewart eight times out of ten. That included Swedish buyers who walked in specifically to buy Hästens.
‘Swedish people converting to an English-made bed because it’s got a better feel and a better price. It was unbelievable.’
At West End Bed Company, every customer also receives a private, two-hour sleep consultation with no commission and no pressure. When Brent’s team mystery-shopped the Hästens London store, they were told they could not try the Grand Vividus because it was too exclusive. We were told to try the Vidus instead, they said it felt similar – we wondered why we would spend 5 times more on a Grand Vividus if it felt the same as a Vividus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hästens the best bed in the world? Hästens is the most expensive mainstream luxury bed brand. Whether it is the best depends on what you value. On feel and material specification, Marshall & Stewart outperforms at every comparable level, based on side-by-side testing over 20 years.
Why are Hästens beds so expensive? The pricing reflects premium brand positioning, global marketing and annual increases that regularly exceed 20%. A Hästens 2000T at £56,380 sits alongside Marshall & Stewart’s Cullinan at £47,980, which uses higher-grade materials throughout.
How does the Hästens Vividus compare to the Koh-I-Noor? The Vividus costs £271,990 for a Super King set. The Koh-I-Noor costs £54,100. Both are flagship beds using natural materials and hand-built construction. The Koh-I-Noor uses pure horsehair rather than bovine.
Where can I try a Marshall & Stewart bed? Visit the West End Bed Company showrooms in East Sheen or King’s Road, Chelsea. Book a private sleep consultation to experience the difference for yourself.
Do Hästens beds use real horsehair? Hästens uses bovine, a blend of cow and horse hair, in many models. Marshall & Stewart uses 100% pure horsehair throughout its Diamond Collection.
By Brent Cooper, founder of Marshall & Stewart Brent has over 40 years’ experience in the luxury bed industry. He introduced Hästens to the British market, became one of their top-performing global dealers and went on to create Marshall & Stewart as a higher-specification British alternative.
