One of the last things I do before leaving for vacation is put clean sheets on my bed. As I pulled the up the duvet and fluffed my favorite pillow, I said to my bed, “I am going to miss you, dear friend.” Exactly 22 hours later, I fell exhausted into my first of three Finnish beds to catch some overdue zzzzz’s. As I crash-landed onto the pillow I thought, hey, where’s my top sheet and I wonder who makes this bed?! (This is what happens when you start to work for the mattress industry!)
Sleep is personal. We all have our routines and preferences. Left or right side, firm or soft, big pillows or little ones, sateen or flannel… We all know what we like. When we travel, we get what we are given. Often what we are given is very different from what we have at home. I came to find out that different is not bad, it is just different. Since starting in the industry only 10 months ago, I pay A LOT more attention to beds.
In Finland, over a 10 day period, the three beds I slept on were definitely different. Sure, they were rectangle, in the bedroom and used for sleeping, but my experiences included ones that were a little smaller in height, had a more simple design and were lower to the ground. They don’t use top sheets. Instead, they use duvet covers and everyone gets their own blanket! Cover hogs—not an issue!
The beds I encountered were mostly foam on foundations and I saw a lot of platform beds and futons for guests. The Marimekko brand is extremely popular and while most Scandinavian homes are full of woods and neutral tones (a lot of white and black), they have a lot of fun with bedding colors and prints.
I began to think, “When my Finnish family comes to my house, do they think I am weird with all my white sheets and pillows and my bed that is too high for my 3 year old to climb into?”
I know, you are dying to know…. how did I sleep? I tell you, like a rock. Sweet dreams every night. The fact that I was on vacation and had a daily midnight sauna with an ice cold pear cider, didn’t hurt. Overall, my Finnish sleeping experience was a good one! That being said, I did a little happy dance just before I slipped into my very own bed and felt the coolness of the sheets, I quickly fell asleep and whispered --- “Hello friend!”
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