Sleep well
Creating fine mattresses a lost art, found in Harbor
By Beth Anne Piehl
Photography by G. Randall Goss
This might be a new one for divorce case law: Couples clashing over custody of the mattress.
“We have two clients who are getting divorced and they are fighting over the mattresses,” said Sheila Luplow, design consultant at Beds by Design in Harbor Springs.
Lie on one of the company’s mattresses, and it becomes apparent why no one would want to split from one.
“I make the finest mattresses in the U.S. It’s a lost art,” said owner Rory Karpathian.
On a recent afternoon, Harbor Springs residents Cathy and Ron Borawski agreed. They were stocking up on mattresses at the Beds by Design showroom.
“We rented a house for seven months last winter (in Florida) and we couldn’t wait to get back to our bed,” said Cathy, as they placed an order for four more mattresses, bringing their home total to five.
“We’re even going to have them for our guests,” she said. “You don’t even have to flip them over, and there are no lumpies.” She pointed to her 6-foot-1 husband and added, “and he’s a big guy.”
Here’s why these mattresses are all about luxury: Cotton cover, wool, latex pad, cotton, latex, cotton, coil springs. Those multiple layers within each mattress are compressed so tightly — a process called tufting — that body impressions don’t happen.
“I don’t care what brand you have, they’re meant to be replaced in five to seven years,” said Karpathian. “That’s the industry, to encourage more beds to be sold. Our mattresses, you’ll buy one time and you’re set.”
Beds by Design has several different types of mattresses, depending on firmness and how much a customer wants to spend. Prices range from $3,600 for a king “Harbor Light” version to $1,279 for a “Moonbeam.” The natural fibers used are a solution for those who suffer from allergies, he added.
Inside the 12,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, the mattresses are hand-sewn and hand-layered and tufted. The multiple layers of materials make them pretty heavy, weighing in around 500 pounds for a king.
Karpathian also makes mattresses in specialty sizes, such as for boats, RVs, antique beds of unusual sizes and cribs. The store also carries a line of duvet covers, sheets and linens from Eastern Accents, bed frames and other accessories.
A lavish mattress demands discriminating linens
“The higher the thread count, the finer the feel,” said Janet Mendyk, co-manager at Gattles downtown Petoskey, which is known for its linen collections, pillows and featherbed toppers.
Gattles carries 350- to 1,300-thread-count sheet sets from Yves DeLorme and Sferra, European linens known for their comfort and quality.
“It’s just luxurious,” Mendyk said, adding the store also carries a more affordable line with fun patterns suitable for children’s and cottage décor, called Pine Cone Hill. The DeLorme and Sferra lines are typically basic colors such as white, ivory, willow, blue and petal pink, mostly solids though some prints are available.
The right pillow can make or break a good night’s sleep, and Gattles carries goose down versions in various levels of firmness.
“A down pillow is the best, because you can keep fluffing them up,” Mendyk said. “Washed goose down — that’s the secret.”
A bedtime story
Once upon a time, Rory Karpathian of Harbor Springs decided to make the ‘best beds in the U.S.’
