Hästens Sängar AB, doing business as simply Hastens, is a Swedish manufacturer established in 1852, today specializing in beds, bedlinen, pillows and lifestyle accessories. Hästens manufacture beds and mattresses by hand using natural materials like cotton, horse hair, wool and flax. Hästens retail stores also sell branded premium bedlinen, pillows, duvets and accessories. The company was founded by Pehr Adolf Janson in 1852 as a master saddler business and is still a family-owned company. David Janson shifted their focus in the early 1900s from making saddles to making beds. By 1952, a century after its foundation, they had become the official bedding supplier of Sweden's royal court, a title they share with IKEA since 1984. The company continues to manufacture all beds in its factory in Sweden.
History
Pehr Adolf Janson was awarded his master certificate in 1852 by King Oscar I of Sweden. Master saddlers were also makers of mattresses, since horsetail hair was an essential material for the pads that went into the carriage. At that time, becoming a master saddler in Sweden required the certificate to be issued by the King himself. In the late 1800s, the family moved to Hed and Pehr Adolf's son Per Thure Janson decided to follow his father's path in becoming a master saddler. Per Thure started a company together with his son David Janson. The business of making beds took off and they were soon making more beds than saddles. In 1939, British architectRalph Erskine travelled by bicycle to Sweden, where he later met David Janson who commissioned him to build the Hästens Factory, which was one of the first buildings that he designed in Sweden. It was designed by Erskine in 1948 and he also designed the further expansion of the factory in 1998, in Köping where the company is still located as of 2019. In 1978, Jack Ryde designed Hästens' blue check pattern that was presented for a furniture trade fair. The blue check pattern is a registered trademark for Hästens beds and is protected.
Hästens today
Markets
In 2006, Hästens was awarded the Swedish Trade Council's annual export award. At the time the brand was marketed in 22 countries, the largest markets being Netherlands, Finland, and the US. Hästens currently operates multiple retail stores and approximately 200 Hästens Stores around the world in locations such as New York, London, Stockholm, Madrid, México City, Chicago, Taipei and Brussels.
In 2000, a Swedish court ruled that Hästens was not allowed to advertise with phrases such as "The finest beds in the world" and "due to , we can offer 25 years' warranty on springs and frames". The latter was, among other reasons, because the springs and frames were actually manufactured by a subcontractor. Many companies have tried to copy the check patterns and Hästens has successfully undertaken legal procedures in several countries against infringements and counterfeits. As of 2011, the phrase "At Hästens we set out to make the best beds in the world." is used.
