Hi Anthony,

Thank you for your question. The Vispring Chelsea mattress at John Lewis is constructed with 3 layers of wool and 2 tiers of calico pocket springs. Although there are no GSMs given for the upholstery layers, wool is a soft mattress fibre which means this mattress has a soft comfort level which is ideal for side sleepers. The 2 tiers of springs will give the mattress softer support and a bouncier feel to the mattress.

The mattress you tried in the showroom had a firm spring tension which is designed to support body weights over 17 stone (107 kg) depending on your height. Anyone under this body weight would not get support from the springs as they do not weigh enough to activate them. When you try a mattress in a showroom you will not get a true representation of how the mattress will feel as many potential customers will already have softened the upholstery layers. A new mattress will always feel firmer as the upholstery layers are compacted during manufacturing and it takes you sleeping and moving around on the mattress to soften them.

Our softest upholstery mattress is the Artisan Luxury. This has a total GSM of 4600 grams per square meter of natural upholstery layers and handmade calico pocket springs. This mattress has a softer medium level of comfort as we have sandwiched layers of horsehair and horsetail between the softer layers of wool and cotton which support the softer layers and help them retain loft for longer. This mattress may not be suitable for front and back sleepers. If you sink in too much in these sleep positions, it can cause lower back pain.

We pair our Artisan natural fibre range of mattresses with our Artisan pocket sprung divan base which cushions the mattress. You can put this mattress onto a Contemporary platform divan base, however, this will firm up the internal support of the mattress slightly. Both divan bases are available in a range of 27 fabrics with either no drawers, 2 full drawers, 2 half and 2 full drawers and 4 full drawers.

I hope this helps and if you would like any further information or would like to discuss your individual needs, please do not hesitate to contact our small friendly team on 0161 437 4419.

Kind Regards

Michaela