Personal recommendations matter, especially when they come from someone you really trust. Josie and Charlie had plenty of decisions to make when they started to renovate the Grade II listed, 14th-century rectory that would become their home but choosing which mattress to buy was one of the easy ones. This was thanks to Charlie’s dad, who had a unique perspective to share on the subject of daily spending. Charlie laughed and said, “He’s always had this classic saying, which has been drummed into me from quite an early age, which was, that the best two investments you’ll ever make, are your shoes and your mattress — because you spend half your life in both!”

Customer Stories: Josie and Charlie

Generally speaking, listening to our parents isn’t something we do until we’re older when maturity kicks in and helps us make sense of the wisdom they shared. The suggestion of spending sensibly on a bed was something the couple both agreed on, after having the opportunity to road test a Vispring at Charlie’s parent’s house. Reflecting back, Charlie mentioned how thankful he was for the advice, “Dad had always impressed on me how important it was to make sure you were sleeping on a good mattress. But I’m ashamed to admit that at first, I ignored him. When Josie and I bought our first bed, we spent quite a lot of money on the bed frame, and not so much on the mattress. Even from the start, it was never right. It was too firm. But it’s funny because I bet if we did a survey, you’d find that most people would do the same — spend on the wrong thing. This attitude comes from a lack of understanding I think, about how important sleep is to our mental and physical wellbeing. I think also, there’s so little information out there that clearly sets out just how different a mattress can be — and what the scale of those subtle differences are, whether that’s the spring tension, the fillings, or even whether one side of the bed can be firmer or softer than the other.”

The best two investments you’ll ever make, are your shoes and your mattress — because you spend half your life in both!

When Josie and I bought our first bed, we spent quite a lot of money on the bed frame, and not so much on the mattress. Even from the start, it was never right. It was too firm. But it’s funny because I bet if we did a survey, you’d find that most people would do the same — spend on the wrong thing. This attitude comes from a lack of understanding I think, about how important sleep is to our mental and physical wellbeing. I think also, there’s so little information out there that clearly sets out just how different a mattress can be — and what the scale of those subtle differences are, whether that’s the spring tension, the fillings, or even whether one side of the bed can be firmer or softer than the other.”