The ancient Egyptians preferred palm leaves, the ancient Romans birds’ feathers, the medieval pea pods instead ... The history of mattresses is almost as old as man’s history. But how was this item essential to all human being, born and has evolved up to nowadays?

Neolithic

Since the prehistoric period men tried to create a suitable place to rest overnight. In the neolithic era, for example, men started to gather leaves and bushes in order to achieve a comfortable bed to sleep on.
In short, they gave life to the "primitive" beds not very comfortable as in direct contact with dirt and soil moisture.

The ancient Egyptians and the first nets

Dry leaves were substituted by animals’ skin, softer and thermally more comfortable, then they passed to an extravagant solution made of strings and wood created by the ancient Egyptians.
These are actually the first bed nets on which the ingenious people of ancient Egypt ranked palm leaves.
The emergence of the first real beds, meant as structures destined for the night rest, dates back to this period, around 3.400 BC. It is said that Tutankhamun had one built in ebony and gold!

The Romans and the feather mattress

With the ancient Romans began the production of long fabric cushions that took shape filling them with soft materials, for example with wool or bird feathers, similar to the current shape of the typical western mattress.
Born as a privilege for only nobles, the padded bag were gradually adopted in the homes of common people but in coarser models made up of canvas filled with hay or straw (hence the alternative term pallet).
It is in this period that the bed becomes a true piece of furniture!

The Middle Age and the Renaissance pageantry

By then, as part of the furniture, in the Middle Age the mattress was realized through the use of legume pods and then placed on a crosslinked leather.
The leap, however, came up during the Renaissance, a period of history in which was given considerable importance to the bedrooms of the upper classes.
. In fact, the mansions were characterized by a triumph of increasingly luxurious brocades, fine velvets and four-poster beds with comfortable mattresses made from natural fibers from cotton to wool, to coconut. All covered by linen facings.

The Industrial Revolution Innovation

In the eighteenth century, or in the Age of Enlightenment, but also among the Rococo’s flaunting elegance, the coverings destined for rest were finely embroidered, while the inner fibers continued being made of the usual materials, leaving the wool among the most valuable elements. Actually , already since this period, the apparent convenience of soft materials proved to be uncomfortable for the vertebral column that, on the contrary, needed to be supported instead of sinking into the absolute softness.
In the following century, in fact, men began to realize that the mattress had to respond to anatomic requirements. Consequently, the genius of the industrial revolution led to the experimentation of various types of mattresses: from the one filled up with air to the one made of springs or water.

The twentieth century

In 1928 the first foam mattress was realized. The first models guaranteed a good rest to the passengers of the liner "Queen Mary"! Later the invention of the polyurethane foam, with its flexible foams, marked a milestone in the evolution of the mattress: it was discovered how to combine comfort and ability to adequately support the skeleton.
As time passed, the industry research also made additional improvements in the bedding sector giving birth, a few years later, to the memory foam, a foam that gives the mattress the ability to adapt itself to the bodies’ shape.

The birth of Marion’s mattresses

Marion was born in 1999 with the specific intent to spread the rest culture in Italy and with the aim of identifying the ideal material, the one that most of all ensures ergonomics, hygiene and biocompatibility.
It is exactly in this year that the latex recorded the best performance thus launching the production of the first latex mattress Marion.
Sleep greatly affects the quality of life and the quality of our sleep is closely tied to the quality of our mattress. Therefore it is important to choose a mattress that suits our features and physical needs and Marion knows this well!
Marion offers a range of latex mattresses and customizable sleep systems, each able to provide maximum comfort. Have you already chosen the right one for you? What are you waiting for?