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I have given this all a lot of thought and I have decided what I will do with the money when I win the sweepstakes.
It won’t be spent on a fancier house because I like our wooden cottage, though some renovation is called for.
It certainly won’t be on a Ferrari or any luxury model because I couldn’t care less about cars.
I also wouldn’t bother with Cartier or Tiffany & Co ... jewellery has a way of getting stolen lately.
There are some beautiful live-aboard yachts which get made in Knysna, but even this would be second on my list.
Top of my wish list is now a bed, but not just any bed.
The world’s most exclusive and expensive brand of beds called Hästens recently set up shop in Knysna.
The entry level bed sells for R190,000 and the starting price of the GRAND VIVIDUS range is R13m and there are models to choose from in the mid-range which cost only a couple of million rand.
I came to hear about these beds speaking to property agent Del-Monte Roberts.
He was telling me that the award-winning five-star boutique guest house Head Over Heels, which is perched right on the cliff overlooking the Knysna Heads, was for sale.
The asking price for the property is R56m, but hey it’s a real bargain because each of the eight guest rooms is kitted out with the Hästens beds which are being thrown into the deal.
Martin Hansson owns the guest house, which is the only one in Africa to boast these beds, and he recently opened the shop in Knysna.
There is one in Cape Town and one in Johannesburg and there are stores from Los Angeles to London, Istanbul and Singapore.
Since opening, the store is drawing attention.
Passers-by pause and look through the window at the tranquil showroom softly lit with serene spaces designed to evoke the intimacy of bedrooms.
Booking in advance is recommended, store manager Nadya Ritschewald says and this makes perfect sense to me.
I get to spend time with her which is unhurried, private and fully immersive as I explore and of course lie on the various beds.
Those who are serious about buying one of these beds are treated like royalty.
They are given a guided tour, shown displays of how the bed is actually made and encouraged to take all the time in the world choosing their favourite one.
There are some models and circumstances where prospective buyers even get to have a trial run of a bed in their own home before committing to a sale, Nadya tells me.
I get to lie on a few of the models and it’s better than I could ever have imagined.
It feels like sinking into a cloud of softness, but with perfect support at the same time, as these mattresses are designed to keep your spine in a perfect position.
I am told they are so designed that when you roll over at night, you don’t even wake up.
Given that most humans sleep for 25 years of their life, “sleep hygiene and investing in a quality bed can have a long-term impact on physical and mental wellbeing,” Hansson says.
Now why is this brand so special?
Every mattress is a feat of artisanal skill, requiring up to 600 hours of handcrafting.
The beds are constructed exclusively from natural, sustainable materials — horsehair, wool, cotton, flax, slow-grown Swedish pine and high-quality steel springs.
Horsehair, the defining element, acts as a natural ventilation system — moisture-wicking, allergen-free, and resilient.
Each strand functions like a spring, providing both support and pliability, while ensuring continuous airflow for a cool, dry sleep.
It’s apparently perfect for menopausal women experiencing the hots.
Founded in 1852 as a saddle-making business, the company evolved into bed-making in the 20th century and has since supplied the Swedish royal court for six generations.
Today its clientele includes A-list celebrities from Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie to Drake and Post Malone — the latter even referencing the brand in his music and sporting Hästens pyjamas on travels.
Once a mattress is sold, there is follow-up service called a “recalibration programme” in which a specialist visits your home to loosen up the materials and redistribute them to prevent the mattress from settling into a valley.
Each owner is entitled to this service for a decade or more and the bed comes with a 25-year warranty, though Nadya assures me that after 100 years this bed is still perfect.
No wonder then that these beds become treasured heirlooms and causes custody fights in a divorce.
Accessories include headboards and covers, bed legs, bed skirts, bed linen, down pillows and quilts, mattress protectors, pyjamas and down boots including a children’s collection.
It goes without saying all are made from natural materials like 100% combed cotton percale and silk.
It makes perfect sense to me that if you can afford this bed then it goes without saying that you would want to kit it out in splendid best bedding.
The classic original blue check is the signature colour of the beds and accessories, but it comes in other colours as well.
I read a fascinating review in Wirecutter owned by the New York Times.
It provides in-depth research, testing and reviews of various products to help readers make informed purchasing decisions.
Caira Blackwell is a senior staff writer covering sleep.
She wrote: “As Wirecutter’s resident sleep expert, I’ve tested nearly 100 mattresses, including a dozen of those in my own home.
“I’ve slept on everything from affordable beds-in-boxes to $10,000 (R177,000) mattresses made from materials developed for Nasa.
“While I have found decent, even wonderful, options across the spectrum, none has compared to the Hästens 2000T.
“I know from years of mattress testing that comfort is subjective, and no single mattress will work for everyone.
“That being said, sleeping on the 2000T feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
“When I settle in, the mattress conforms just enough for my whole body to sink into it, while what feel like a thousand little hands support me from below.
“The closest comparison I can think of is floating in a sensory-deprivation chamber.
“When I lie on the Hästens, I feel weightless, like I’m bobbing in a pool of water calibrated to my exact body temperature.
“I can barely tell where the mattress ends and my body begins, regardless of what position I’m in,” wrote Blackwell, who admitted that after her six-month trial of the bed, every night she crawled into it was like “falling in love all over again”.
She summed it up for most of us, I would imagine, by saying this bed was the best thing she had ever slept on, but she would never own one.
If you are serious about a new bed, book a personal appointment so you have time to really lie down and wriggle and wiggle and sink into the various models to feel just how it is in a league all of its own.
Phone 082-374-3956 or go to knysna@hastensstores.com
The Herald
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