Traditional Bedding and Wool Mattress Prices

Budget is one of the main considerations when choosing new bedding.

In this article, we explain how to calculate the true cost of different pieces of handmade, natural French bedding to arrive at the most objective figure possible for comparison with other options.

Many customers focus on the initial purchase price 🏷️ of traditional bedding: the amount they pay at checkout.

Here, we want to look beyond the initial investment and explain why traditional bedding offers very good value for money when its qualities and lifetime cost are taken into account.

The price of a made-to-measure, handmade wool mattress and sprung box spring is indeed significantly higher than that of an entry-level product.

For a more accurate assessment of handmade bedding, however, we suggest looking at its cost of ownership ✅. Its value for money depends on several factors, including the product’s durability ✅.

The following examples make the prices easier to compare.

The cost of owning bedding is the product’s total lifetime cost, considered in relation to its expected life span and daily use.

The longer the product lasts through care and refurbishment, the lower its cost of ownership.

Before looking at the calculations, here are some approximate costs and life spans:

• Refurbishing a mattress costs around 40% of its purchase price when new.
• Refurbishing a box spring costs around 70% of its price when new.
• With regular refurbishment, traditional bedding lasts around 60 years, or 720 months.

Cost of owning a complete bedding set

€10 per month
Calculation details 👇

Complete bedding set = 1 box spring + 1 wool mattress

Standard size: 140×190 cm

Expected life span: 60 years

Over this life span, it would require:

• 6 mattress refurbishments
• 3 box spring refurbishments
• a few unforeseen repairs

Total cost over the products’ full life span =
Purchase price
+ cost of 6 mattress refurbishments
+ cost of 3 box spring refurbishments
+ cost of a few unforeseen repairs
=
€2,200 including VAT
+ 6 x 440 = 2,640
+ 3 x 770 = 2,310
+ 200
= €7,350 including VAT

Cost of ownership =
Total cost over the products’ full life span
divided by
Expected life span
=
7,350
divided by
60 years, or 720 months

In conclusion: the price of a wool mattress and box spring

Many people ask the same question: are they expensive?

Our answer is a firm no.

Their initial price is clearly high because not everyone can immediately spend more than one thousand euros on a double wool mattress.

Nevertheless, even on a modest income, you may be able to afford a wool mattress if comfort is your priority and you decide to make healthy sleep central to a balanced life, ahead of spending that is less essential to basic well-being.

It is a matter of priorities.

The economic objection applies mainly on the day you place your order and pay at the workshop.

Over the long term, because an older wool mattress and box spring can be refurbished, this bedding becomes affordable.

When making your choice, we encourage you to use a more complete calculation that includes the long-term cost of ownership and the durability of this type of bedding.

Handmade, traditional French bedding then becomes economically competitive with other bedding options.

We do not change our mattresses every day.

The very nature of our products calls for long-term thinking.

At Les Ateliers Le Briand, the cost of ownership for our different bedding products ranges from €3 to €10 per month for a standard 140×190 cm size.

We have also committed to fair, responsible pricing based on the following principles:

• fair compensation for the craftsperson after the cost of production, carefully selected raw materials, logistics and distribution
• no unjustified margins imposed on the customer, while accounting for unavoidable fixed costs, so these everyday products that are essential to our health remain accessible to as many people as possible

There are also indirect savings:

• Le Briand handmade, natural bedding is tailored to your body shape and build, which reduces the risk of physical problems associated with unsuitable bedding, such as back pain. Prevention is better than cure.
• Le Briand handmade, natural bedding provides a bed that supports optimal, restorative sleep, an essential condition for both physical and mental health.

Finally, there is a civic dimension.

Buying traditional, natural, ethical, eco-friendly French bedding means:

• reducing the carbon footprint of daily life through reusable materials and short local supply chains
• supporting the local economy
• supporting French craftsmanship
• resisting consumerism and planned obsolescence

It is an investment you are unlikely to regret! 😉

To learn more about our prices, see these examples:

• Example prices for Le Briand sheep’s wool mattresses
• Example prices for Le Briand sprung box springs

These are estimates only, because we make every piece individually and to measure, and price it accordingly.