Queen is king, according to Australians, with as many as 59% of us admitting to sleeping in a queen bed. So, why do we love the humble queen bed so much? Aside from the fact a queen bed is a happy medium between a king bed and a double bed, it seems it balances just the right amount of space we need, while not filling up our bedrooms so much we’ve got no room for other bedroom furniture. Let’s look at some of the more notable queen mattress benefits and find out how the queen size bed became Australia’s number one.
When Did Queen Size Beds Get Popular?
Bedding actually has a rich and interesting history – seriously, we might be sleep experts but really, this is interesting. If we turn the clock way back in time to our ancestry, we’ll see that humans actually began by sleeping on the floor. Egyptians then took to sleeping on elevated platforms, and the Romans upped the anti even more when they invented the first iteration of a ‘mattress’. Filled with hay, feathers or reeds, these sleeping platforms were designed to improve comfort. Other cultures who mirrored similar sleeping arrangements were Arabs, who for centuries slept on cushions on the floor.
By the time the renaissance came around, bedding had begun to take on a much more contemporary style, similar to what we use today. The introduction of luxury materials like silk, velvet and brocade saw people take a much more active interest in their bedding choices. So what bed size were we sleeping on back then? Turns out a double size was all the rage, though not for a space or comfort. It wasn’t uncommon for entire families to sleep on a mattress together, with only the extremely wealthy able to foot the bill for private sleeping arrangements.
Not long afterwards, Queen Elizabeth I took to the throne. So, was the queen size bed named after Queen Elizabeth? Many say it was. In the 1800s, cotton and wool became popular mattress materials, with innersprings not ‘springing’ into popularity – get it – until the industrial revolution.
The Commercialisation of the Bedding Industry
The 1950s saw a big leap in the mattress industry, with the queen sized mattress storming onto the commercial scene, overtaking the double bed and single bed offerings that were the most popular at the time. The popular space-saving appeal of the double was soon overtaken by the additional comfort of the queen bed, with sleepers falling for the queen mattress benefits of extra space and comfort without compromising on room capacity ≠ and our love of extra space didn’t stop there.
With king beds and super king beds also growing in popularity, couples seem to enjoy their space in the bedroom. When we asked our Instagram community whether they wished they had more space in bed, a whopping 89% said yes! Sounds like we could all use some super king snooze time.
That said, with property prices rising in Australia, it’s no wonder we’re struggling to find homes big enough to fit a king size or super king size bed. In terms of queen mattress benefits, they still strike that happy medium between space in the bed and out the bed, and leave room for bedside tables and movement space in your bedroom.
What Bed Size Is Right for You?
Choosing a bed size that’s right for you and your home can be difficult, especially if you’re moving into a new home that’s a total blank canvas. Consider the space you’re working with – use a tape measure to accurately gauge what’ll be the best fit – and then your priorities. Would you sacrifice a little extra space in the bedroom for a bigger bed? Or is space for bedroom furniture and accessories more important than some extra mattress space?
Weigh up what works for you and anyone who shares your bed – partners, pets, kids – and you’ll soon arrive at the right bed size for you.
Ecosa’s mattress and bed bases come in all sizes from single beds up to super king beds, giving you the choice you need to furnish the bedrooms in your home with premium comfort.
Related: King Size Mattresses
