Layer rethinks bed design with Mazzu disassemblable mattress
CategoriesSustainable News

Layer rethinks bed design with Mazzu disassemblable mattress

British design studio Layer has aimed to bring sustainability to mattress design in a collaboration with Chinese start-up Mazzu, creating a modular, foamless product made up of textile-covered springs.

The Mazzu Open mattress was designed to have the comfort of a traditional sprung mattress while being adaptable, repairable and easy to pack down when moving house, so as to prolong the product’s life.

The design features row upon row of individually textile-wrapped pocket springs, which sit sandwiched between a base “matrix” and a cushioned topper to hold them in place.

Image of an army green bedImage of an army green bed
The Mazzu Open mattress is foamless and made up of modular, textile-covered springs

All its components are either recyclable or biodegradable, and no glue was used in the construction of the mattress.

The structure — left open at the sides for a distinctive, utilitarian look — also has the benefit of being hygienic, according to the studio, as users can check the inside of the mattress and take it apart to clean every element.

The modular design of the mattress means buyers can treat the springs like “pixels”, choosing between three levels of firmness for each point in the matrix to create a support pattern of their choosing. This also allows couples to customise their own side of the bed.

Exploded image of the Mazzu Open mattress, showing a base layer, a matrix layer, a layer of springs stacked into a mattress shape and a cushioned top layerExploded image of the Mazzu Open mattress, showing a base layer, a matrix layer, a layer of springs stacked into a mattress shape and a cushioned top layer
The springs are held in place by a grid layer

Additional spring modules and a different base and topper can be added to change the size of the mattress, and the whole kit can compress down to around 80 per cent of its size when disassembled.

The mattress comes in a reusable packaging system, also designed by Layer, that sees it divided into small components and split across several cartons, each weighing less than 10 kilograms. The spring modules compress from 250 millimetres to 50 millimetres in height as part of this.

Layer founder Benjamin Hubert told Dezeen that the studio tried to tackle multiple problems with current mattresses in one go with Mazzu, ranging from the impracticability of transporting them to the lack of customisation.

Close-up of a bed with an open mattress made of textile-covered springs stacked densely togetherClose-up of a bed with an open mattress made of textile-covered springs stacked densely together
The mattress has an open structure that gives it a unique aesthetic

“They are too bulky once you unpack them and they ‘inflate’ from their compressed shipped form,” said Hubert. “They contain huge amounts of foam, which is next to impossible to recycle, and for the most part you can’t pack them down again for storage or transport.”

The studio wanted to avoid using polyurethane foam, a common mattress material, because as well as being difficult to recycle, it is energy intensive to produce and generates volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are harmful to health.

The material is technically recyclable, but most mattresses do not reach the scarce recycling facilities, and they are often discarded before their time. In the UK, for instance, around 6.4 million mattresses are thrown away each year — about one for every ten people — and only around 14 per cent of them are recycled.

Instead of foam, the Mazzu Open mattress’s hourglass-shaped springs are shrouded in a two-tone 3D-knit polyester sleeve. The other materials used are steel for the springs, ABS plastic for the connection system and wool for the topper. The wool is biodegradable, while all the other materials are recyclable.

Image of a spring with plastic connectors, and on the left-hand side of it, a textile-covered cylinder in the same size and shapeImage of a spring with plastic connectors, and on the left-hand side of it, a textile-covered cylinder in the same size and shape
The metal springs are wrapped in a 3D-knit textile

Hubert describes Mazzu as “leading the way” in delivering sustainable, high-performance bedding, and says the companies worked together for three years through the pandemic.

They went through many iterations of the mattress design in that time, as the studio tried to find a connection solution that would be both simple and comfortable.

“We must have tried about 20 different connection techniques,” said Hubert. “We had to find an optimum size that could be calibrated to fit all the standard mattress sizes too — not easy given there are a lot of international sizes.”

Image of an open carton storing a number of green coloured discs, which are shown in their popped-up, slightly hourglass-shaped cylindrical form outside of the boxImage of an open carton storing a number of green coloured discs, which are shown in their popped-up, slightly hourglass-shaped cylindrical form outside of the box
The springs compress to one-fifth of their full height for transport and storage

“The system needed to be highly cost-effective by using the least amount of parts and the simplest connection feature,” he continued. “The design of the connection systems changed dozens of times as we tested strength, ease of use, noise and comfort — we had hundreds of springs in the studio at times!”

Other recent designs from the London-based design studio have included sustainable dog toys for Canadian company Earth Rated and a green hydrogen vehicle retrofitting system for US start-up Croft.

Mazzu and Layer launched the Mazzu Open mattress at the German furniture fair IMM Cologne, which was held from 14 to 18 January. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Reference

Ten built-in beds that are embedded into the fabric of the building
CategoriesInterior Design

Ten built-in beds that are embedded into the fabric of the building

From mattresses on concrete bases to beds encased within timber surrounds, this lookbook rounds up ten single, double and day beds that have been built into interiors.

Some designers choose to integrate beds into the building’s wider structure to create cohesion throughout interiors, eliminating the need to add matching furniture.

Built-in beds are often seen in buildings situated in warmer climates, such as Central America and the Mediterranean, where stone or concrete is used to keep spaces cool and to create bespoke, unmovable furniture.

Incorporated beds are also a popular choice when designing wooden cabins, due to their space-saving nature and the way they lend themselves to creating a cosy atmosphere.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring lime plaster walls, red interior schemes and interiors informed by retro design.


Wooden Cave by Tenon Architecture
Photo by Spyros Hound Photography

Wooden Cave, Greece, by Tenon Architecture

A double and a single bed were sunk into this striking cave-like hotel suite in Greece designed by Tenon Architecture, which is made from over 1,000 pieces of spruce wood.

The tiered wooden stricture has a smooth, biomorphic appearance that recalls the grotto dwellings used by early humans.

Find out more about Wooden Cave ›


Casa Alferez by Ludwig Godefroy
Photo by Rory Gardiner

Casa Alférez, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy

Two stark bedrooms are found in architect Ludwig Godefroy’s brutalism-informed home, situated in a pine forest in Mexico.

Concrete was used for the walls, ceilings, floors, storage and furniture of the house – the harshness of which is offset in the plush day bed in its office area.

Find out more about Casa Alférez ›


Interior of Cabin Anna in the Netherlands by Caspar Schols
Photo is courtesy of Caspar Schols

Cabin Anna, The Netherlands, by Caspar Schols

A double bed – including headboard and bedding – was integrated into the floor of this modular cabin created by architectural designer Caspar Schols.

The structure and some of the furniture within it are flat-packed, allowing the space to be reconfigured depending on the needs of the user.

Find out more about Cabin Anna ›


Bedroom with curved ceiling and curved window at end
Photo by César Béja

Villa Petrico, Mexico, by CO-LAB Design Office

A glazed arch-shaped door dictates the shape of the rest of this tunnel-like bedroom in a concrete holiday home in Tulum.

Platforms are present throughout the bedroom, one of which acts as a broad base for an understated mattress bed.

Find out more about Villa Petrico ›


Minimal interiors of forest retreat designed by Norm Architects
Photo by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen

Swedish forest retreat, Sweden, by Norm Architects

A sunken day bed takes advantage of the dramatic views of a pine forest in this cabin by Norm Architects.

Linen upholstery and pillows compliment the natural wood texture of the bed’s base and the rest of the floor – a combination that extends throughout the rest of the interior.

Find out more about Swedish forest retreat ›


Bedroom with stone wall and bed on platform
Photo by Edmund Sumner

Cometa House, Mexico, by Mauricio Rocha and Gabriela Carrillo

A rustic wall made up of irregularly shaped stones provides the backdrop for the pared-back built-in bed in this coastal home in Oaxaca.

A jute mat separates the mattress from its wide stone base, which has built-in steps separating it from the rest of the space.

Find out more about Cometa House ›


A bedroom inside 4/Way House
Photo by Taiyo Watanabe

4/Way House, USA, by Deegan-Day Design & Architecture

A birch plywood platform bed blends into the interior of a house in California by Deegan-Day Design & Architecture.

The bed is surrounded by integrated panelling with a shelf for books and has an angular footprint to accommodate a built-in bedside table.

Find out more about 4/Way House ›


Interior of Chestnut House by João Mendes Ribeiro
Photo by José Campos

Chestnut House, Portugal, by João Mendes Ribeiro

A double bed saves space in this small-scale rural cabin by sitting flush with the surrounding structure that makes up the floor.

The mezzanine bed is flanked by a bedside table area on one side and a ladder platform on the other that allows access to the level above.

Find out more about Chestnut House ›


Bed on platform inside open-plan bedroom
Photo by Yiorgis Yerolympos

NCaved house, Greece, by Mold Architects

Pale bedsheets blend in with light-coloured cast concrete platform and steps in this split-level bedroom.

The built-in bed allows for other design features to take centre stage in the double-height space, including the stone wall, lancet windows and exposed structural beam.

Find out more about NCaved house ›


Cabin Above the Town by Byró Architekti
Photo by Ondřej Bouška

Cabin Above the Town, Czech Republic, by Byró Architekti

A curtain separates a sleeping nook from the rest of this hilltop cabin’s open-plan interior.

A single plywood volume snakes around the edge of the space and provides storage, seating and a bathroom as well as a built-in bed, with a further guest bed atop the structure accessible by a ladder.

Find out more about Cabin Above the Town ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring lime plaster walls, red interior schemes and interiors informed by retro design.

Reference

Eight bedrooms featuring regal four-poster beds
CategoriesInterior Design

Eight bedrooms featuring regal four-poster beds

There’s no symbol of luxury more universal than the four-poster bed. In this lookbook, we select eight bedrooms elevated by their presence.

Beds with vertical columns in each corner supporting an upper panel date back to the medieval period.

Originally built with wraparound curtains to keep out the cold and provide privacy, they have historically been associated with highly ornate designs for nobility.

Today the four-poster bed remains an unmistakable statement piece of furniture, and the list below sees the concept applied to a variety of bedroom settings, from the traditional to the contemporary.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with wood panelling, lounges with suspended fireplaces and homes with vaulted ceilings.


House at the Schopfacker by Bernardo Bader
Photo by Adolf Bereuter

House on the Schopfacker, Switzerland, by Bernardo Bader Architects

Austrian studio Bernardo Bader Architects created this reinterpretation of the traditional Alpine chalet in the Swiss village of Trogen for an art and antique furniture collector.

In the bedroom, a grand carved four-poster bed contrasts with contemporary chrome-edged furniture, as well as the concrete ceiling and the pale larch walls and floor.

Find out more about House on the Schopfacker ›


The Ned Hotel by Soho House&Co and Sydell Group
Photo courtesy of Soho House

The Ned, UK, by Soho House and Sydell Group

The Ned is an upscale hotel formed out of a historic London bank originally designed by British architect Edwin Lutyens.

Soho House worked with New York-based Sydell Group to give the bedrooms a 1920s feel, with large, mahogany four-poster beds bearing richly patterned curtains and set among other lavish details like walnut panelling and restored chandeliers.

Find out more about The Ned ›


Hotel Peter & Paul by StudioWTA and ASH NYC
Photo courtesy of StudioWTA and ASH NYC

Hotel Peter and Paul, USA, by StudioWTA and ASH NYC

Crucifixes top the black four-poster beds inside the rooms of this New Orleans hotel as a nod to the building’s past as a church, rectory and convent.

New York Design firm ASH NYC continued the religious iconography with paintings of saints on the walls, while traditional furniture and furnishings give the space a sense of timelessness.

Find out more about Hotel Peter and Paul ›


Villa Pelícanos by Main Office
Photo by Rafael Gamo

Villa Pelícanos, Mexico, by Main Office

This thatch-roof seaside villa overlooking the Pacific Ocean features a rustic four-poster bed hung with gauzy white curtains.

Part of a 1980s holiday village renovated by architecture studio Main Office, the interior marries Mexican materials with South African elements – parota wood furniture sitting among a bright, blank backdrop delivered by the white walls and smooth concrete floor.

Find out more about Villa Pelícanos ›


The Tri-Pod bedroom for a throuple by Scott Whitby Studio
Photo by Nicholas Worley

The Tri-Pod, UK, by Scott Whitby Studio

Designed for a polyamorous throuple, this bespoke boudoir by London-based Scott Whitby Studio has enough space for three people to sleep together comfortably.

The architects chose to reimagine the traditional four-poster as a divider of space as well as a piece of furniture. Above the closable walnut sleeping space is a mezzanine for reading and relaxation.

Find out more about The Tri-Pod ›


The Sackett Street townhouse's main bedroom's hand-crafted bed
Photo by Travis Williams/Travis Mark

Sackett Street townhouse, USA, by The Brooklyn Home Company

The wooden four-poster bed in the main bedroom of this Brooklyn townhouse was designed and hand-crafted by Fitzhugh Karol, a sculptor-in-residence at The Brooklyn Home Company.

It sits in the middle of a bright and airy bedroom with white oak floors, white-painted walls and an adjacent private terrace.

Find out more about this Sackett Street townhouse ›


Henry Howard Hotel by Hunter Mabry Design
Photo courtesy of Hunter Mabry Design

Henry Howard Hotel, USA, by Hunter Mabry Design

Another New Orleans hotel renovation, this time with a sleek black metal four-poster bed that adds a gently modern touch to the rooms.

New York studio Hunter Mabry Design juxtaposed the contemporary bed with antique furnishings and vintage brass instruments that reference the city’s jazz heritage.

Find out more about Henry Howard Hotel ›


Xiang Jiang House by Claesson Koivisto Rune
Photo courtesy of Claesson Koivisto Rune

Xiang Jiang House, China, by Claesson Koivisto Rune

Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune included a modern take on the traditional four-poster bed in this Beijing house that was designed to have a Scandinavian feel.

An oversized plinth provides room for a bedside table lamp, enhancing the sense of tranquility and cosiness in the bedroom among the extra-wide floorboards and pale-wood wall panelling.

Find out more about Xiang Jiang House ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with wood panelling, lounges with suspended fireplaces and homes with vaulted ceilings.

Reference

Beer-filled baths and straw beds feature in Brussels’ Bath & Barley spa
CategoriesInterior Design

Beer-filled baths and straw beds feature in Brussels’ Bath & Barley spa

Set in a vaulted cellar in the old city centre of Brussels, Bath & Barley is an updated take on a traditional Czech beer spa from design studio WeWantMore.

Beer spas offer beer-infused spa treatments, most notably beer baths where guests soak in water mixed with hops, malt and medicinal herbs.

Straw beds in spa
WeWantMore has designed the Bath & Barley spa in Brussels

Bath & Barley is the “very first” beer spa in Belgium, according to local practice WeWantMore, offering a modern take on the traditional day spas.

“Beer spas are a tradition in the Czech Republic but not in Belgium, despite our nation’s rich beer culture,” the studio explained.

Spa stained-glass screen
Privacy screens were designed to look like stained glass

“We noticed that most Czech beer spas are more beer than spa – dark, lots of neon and an overall pub vibe,” the practice added. “This wasn’t our idea of a soothing wellness experience.”

“Instead, we decided to create a sense of relaxation and intimacy, but with a link to what distinguishes Bath & Barley: beer, bathing and Belgium’s beer.”

Bath & Barley spa
The spa’s reception is located on the ground floor

To realise this vision, the studio drew on a palette of raw natural materials such as lime stucco, wood and straw, alongside copper and stained glass to evoke Belgium’s medieval beer brewing culture.

The spa is split across two floors, with the oak bathtubs nestled into the vaulted basement and framed by draft beer machines, where guests can pour themselves a pint.

Bath & Barley spa tasting counter
A stone tasting counter defines the entrance space

After the bathing ritual, guests can use the spa’s sauna or rest on a staw-upholstered lounge that allows them to “connect with nature”, according to WeWantMore.

“The design supports social wellbeing and creates a unique escape from the daily rush,” WeWantMore said.

The spa’s reception is located one level up on the ground floor and is wrapped in curved copper sheets to resemble the kettles used in traditional Belgian breweries.

Dried barley hangs from the ceiling above a stone tasting counter, where guests can taste a variety of beers and select the hops they want to add to their bath. 

Brussels basement spa
Steel balustrades depict the different stages of brewing beer

“The natural scent of the dried barley branches dangling from the ceiling adds to the sensory experience and sets the mood,” said the studio.

Ecclesial illustrations from Bath & Barley’s visual identity are integrated throughout the interior in the form of privacy screens, which resemble stained-glass church windows, and steel balustrades that depict the different steps of the brewing process.

Spa interior by WeWantMore
Copper accents feature throughout the interior

Bath & Barley has been shortlisted in the leisure and wellness interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.

Other projects in the running include a hotel spa in the Maldives designed by Marcio Kogan of Studio MK27 and a Shenzhen cinema with a copper-lined lobby.

All images are courtesy of WeWantMore.

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