Savoir Beds

Savoir Beds is a British luxury bed and mattress brand based in London. Its principal products are handmade mattresses, divans and box springs, produced with traditional methods and natural fillings including curled horsetail, cashmere, lambswool and cotton. The company positions itself at the high end of the sleep and bedroom-furnishings market, emphasizing craftsmanship, material quality and continuity with a historic hotel bed. The brand traces its origins to the Savoy Hotel in London. During the hotel’s early twentieth-century expansion, Rupert D’Oyly Carte decided that the Savoy should have a distinctive bed developed specifically for its rooms. The resulting design was made in 1905 by James Edwards Limited and became known as The Savoy Bed, later also called the No. 2 Bed. Its distinctive ticking, associated with Helen Carte, became an identifying visual element of the product and subsequently of Savoir Beds. The bed was initially made within a workshop associated with the Savoy Hotel. In 1924, the hotel acquired James Edwards Limited, bringing the manufacturing operation more directly into the Savoy organization. The workshop, known as The Savoy Bedworks, supplied beds not only to the Savoy but also to other hotels connected with the Savoy Group, including Claridge’s and The Berkeley. The manufacturing operation moved from central London to Mitcham in 1987. In 1997, after the Savoy sold the business arm, Alistair Hughes and an unnamed business partner purchased it and renamed it Savoir Beds. The new company retained craftsmen and equipment from the former Savoy operation and continued producing The Savoy Bed in substantially the same traditional manner. In 1998, the bedworks and its craftsmen moved to Park Royal in northwest London. The company joined Walpole, a British luxury-industry organization, in 1999. Savoir Beds expanded its direct retail presence with a first showroom on London’s Wigmore Street in 2001. It later opened a second bedworks in Treforest, South Wales, in June 2012, and established a concession at Harrods. By 2020, the brand had showrooms or retail locations in a range of international cities, including London, Düsseldorf, Paris, New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Moscow, Qingdao, Seoul and Taipei. The company continues to supply The Savoy Hotel and installed beds during and after the hotel’s refurbishment in 2010. Its identity remains closely tied to the No. 2/Savoy Bed, while its broader offer consists of luxury mattresses and supporting bed structures made for private customers and hospitality clients. Publicly available reference material does not establish the company’s current ownership, exact corporate structure, current executive team, financial performance or official website.

Savoir Beds developed from a specialist bedmaking operation created for The Savoy Hotel in London. In 1904, as the hotel was being expanded under Rupert D’Oyly Carte, the decision was made to create a bed that would be distinctive to the Savoy rather than relying on a standard commercial design. James Edwards Limited manufactured the resulting bed in 1905. Known as The Savoy Bed and later as the No. 2 Bed, it was made with traditional materials and covered in a distinctive ticking associated with Helen Carte, whose design became an enduring marker of the product. The manufacturing operation was initially connected directly to The Savoy Hotel. In 1924, the hotel acquired James Edwards Limited, and the workshop became known as The Savoy Bedworks. The operation supplied beds to The Savoy and to other hotels within the Savoy Group, including Claridge’s and The Berkeley. This established a hospitality-focused manufacturing tradition that remained important to the brand’s identity. In 1987, The Savoy Bedworks moved to Mitcham, south of London. A decade later, the Savoy sold this part of its business. Alistair Hughes and an unnamed business partner purchased the operation in 1997 and changed its name to Savoir Beds. The new owners retained craftsmen and equipment from the former Savoy workshop and continued producing The Savoy Bed using the established construction approach. The rebranding separated the manufacturing business from direct hotel ownership while preserving the heritage associated with the Savoy design. In 1998, Savoir Beds moved its bedworks and craftsmen to Park Royal in northwest London. The following year it joined Walpole, a not-for-profit organization supporting and promoting the British luxury sector through shared knowledge and industry resources. This affiliation reflected the company’s positioning as a British luxury maker rather than a mass-market bedding manufacturer. The company’s retail development began with the opening of its first showroom on Wigmore Street in London in 2001. It subsequently added a second manufacturing site in Treforest, South Wales, in June 2012, and established a concession at Harrods. By 2020, its showroom and retail network extended beyond the United Kingdom to cities including Düsseldorf, Paris, New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Moscow, Qingdao, Seoul and Taipei. Savoir Beds has maintained a continuing relationship with The Savoy Hotel. The company supplied the hotel’s beds and installed beds during and after its 2010 refurbishment. Its modern offer centers on handmade mattresses, box springs and related beds made with natural materials such as curled horsetail, cashmere, lambswool and cotton. The brand’s historical significance rests primarily on the survival and commercialization of the Savoy bedmaking tradition, while its contemporary business combines heritage production with international showroom and hospitality activity.

• 2012

  Second bedworks opens in Treforest

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened a second manufacturing site in Treforest, South Wales.

• 2010

  Beds supplied during The Savoy refurbishment

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  Savoir Beds installed beds during and after The Savoy Hotel’s refurbishment.

• 2001

  First showroom opens

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  Savoir Beds opened its first showroom on London’s Wigmore Street.

• 1999

  Savoir Beds joins Walpole

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  The company became a member of Walpole, a British luxury-industry organization.

• 1998

  Manufacturing moves to Park Royal

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  Savoir Beds moved its bedworks and craftsmen to Park Royal in northwest London.

• 1997

  The business becomes Savoir Beds

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  Following the sale of the business arm by The Savoy, Alistair Hughes and an unnamed partner purchased the operation and renamed it Savoir Beds.

• 1987

  The Savoy Bedworks moves to Mitcham

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  The manufacturing operation relocated from central London to Mitcham, south of London.

• 1924

  The Savoy acquires James Edwards Limited

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel acquired the manufacturer, bringing the bedmaking operation into the Savoy organization and establishing the Savoy Bedworks identity.

• 1905

  The Savoy Bed is created

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  James Edwards Limited manufactured the bed that became known as The Savoy Bed or the No. 2 Bed.

• 1904

  The Savoy commissions a distinctive hotel bed

  [1]Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org

  During The Savoy Hotel’s expansion, Rupert D’Oyly Carte initiated the development of a bed designed specifically for the hotel.

British luxury sleep and bedroom furnishings, differentiated by handcraft production, natural fillings, bespoke service and a direct historical connection to The Savoy Hotel.

• Luxury hotel and residential bed · 1905

  The Savoy Bed / No. 2 Bed

  Savoir Beds’ signature design originated in 1905 when The Savoy Hotel commissioned a bed made specifically for its rooms. The design is associated with traditional construction, natural fillings and a distinctive ticking attributed to Helen Carte. The bed was historically supplied to The Savoy and other Savoy Group hotels, and Savoir Beds continued making it after the manufacturing operation became independent.

• Luxury mattress

  Handmade natural-material mattresses

  The brand’s mattresses are handcrafted using natural materials cited in reference material, including curled horsetail, cashmere, lambswool and cotton. These materials support Savoir Beds’ emphasis on traditional workmanship and premium tactile qualities. The mattresses are produced for luxury residential and hospitality settings rather than positioned as mass-market bedding.

• Bed foundation

  Box springs and divans

  Savoir Beds makes supporting bed structures, including box springs and related foundations, as part of complete luxury sleep systems. These products complement the company’s mattresses and allow the brand to provide a coordinated bed rather than a mattress alone. Specific current model names and technical specifications are not established by the supplied reference material.

• 2012

  Expansion of manufacturing capacity in WalesStrategy

  Background

  The company operated a London bedworks and had developed an international retail presence.

  Action taken

  Savoir Beds opened a second bedworks in Treforest, South Wales.

  Aftermath

  The expansion increased the company’s manufacturing footprint beyond London, although the supplied sources do not provide capacity or employment figures.

  Source

• 1997

  Rebrand and continuation of the Savoy bedmaking traditionStrategy

  Background

  The Savoy sold its bedmaking business arm after the operation had moved outside the hotel. Alistair Hughes and an unnamed business partner purchased the business.

  Action taken

  The new owners renamed the company Savoir Beds, retained craftsmen and equipment from the former Savoy operation, and continued making The Savoy Bed.

  Aftermath

  The reorganization created an independent luxury bed brand while preserving the historic product and manufacturing techniques associated with The Savoy.

  Source

1. 1Savoir Bedsen.wikipedia.org