In the beloved 1967 kid’s book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, runaway siblings Claudia and Jamie camp out in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, bathing in the since-disassembled Fountain of the Muses and sleeping in a giant antique canopy bed behind a velvet rope. The book is the ultimate art lovers’ escapist fantasy—though, alas, squatting in public institutions is a lot harder to pull off these days. Fortunately, a new collaboration between the U.K.-based Savoir Beds and London’s venerable National Gallery gives museum-mad decorators a less illegal opportunity to bed down with great art.
Once you’ve picked a bed design and an artwork from the museum’s collection of 2,300-odd paintings (if you need help, check out the Gallery’s must-see cheat sheet), the upholstery fabric—fine cotton, linen viscose, or scandalous velvet—is printed under the direction of London-based design specialist Andrew Martin. Each piece gets a plaque with artist and artwork particulars, and the stamp of approval from a National Gallery expert—“to guarantee the design preserves the essence and integrity of one of the greatest art institutes in the world.”
Savoir, for the uninitiated, is no ordinary bedmaker. The company debuted in 1905 as part of London’s posh Savoy Hotel, and its mattresses have famously supported a century’s worth of sleepy celebs, including Marilyn Monroe and Winston Churchill (separately, as far as we know). Savoir’s mattresses, box springs, headboards, and toppers are made by hand, bespoke pieces crafted from exceptional materials, including British lambswool, Mongolian cashmere and yak shearings, and piles of curly horse-tail hair. These days, Savoir beds fill out the boudoirs of mansions, mega yachts, private jets, and, of course, the Savoy Hotel. The company’s flagship No. 1 mattress starts at about $70,000; a National Gallery art bed will add upwards of $40,000 to the bottom line, depending on options. The velvet rope is up to you.
In addition to a dozen showrooms in Europe and Asia, Savoir Beds has two New York stores, at 223 East 59th Street on the Upper East Side, and at 54 Greene Street in SoHo.
