Humans have always needed a place to sleep. In the most ancient of times, a bed could have looked something like a pile of leaves and twigs shoved into the corner of a cave. Since then, beds and mattresses have begun taking on a more modern and comfortable approach as we began to understand the importance of getting a good night's sleep. From our understanding, this all started with the ancient hunter gatherers of Africa who wove mattresses out of insecticide repelling leaves, leading up to the raised beds of the Egyptians and even the luxurious 4 poster canopy beds that later followed in the medieval and renaissance eras.
Since the evolution of human kind, it's not hard to imagine that we have come up with some pretty interesting ways to lay our heads down at night. We are going to take a look at some of the most imaginative, unique mattresses and beds that have been created over the course of human history.
The Magnetic Bed
Our journey of the world's most unique mattresses begins with the super modern and magnetic floating bed. It may be hard to believe but there is a mattress that is magnetically suspended in the air, giving the buyer that magic carpet feeling while floating above the floor as you sleep. It was designed by Janjaap Ruijisseanarns and took 7 years to develop. You may want to hold off on buying one of your own though, as the cost of this bed is estimated to be around $1.6 million dollars!
The Giant Birds Nest Egg
Another one on our list that may come as a major hit to your pocket book, costing nearly $15,000 dollars, is this giant bed designed as a replica of a bird's nest. It also comes with huge, oversized egg-shaped pillows that are designed to provide ergonomic seating support as well as a comfortable place to sleep. These beds typically come in three different sizes, with the biggest one allowing up to 16 people. It was originally designed by two Isreali designers for the Green Garden Exhibition in 2008.
The Vertical Bed
While sleeping in a vertical position may seem like something only seen in futuristic movies, a bed designed by Ernesto Nedo allows you to do just that. Resembling a marshmallow, this fluffy bed envelopes you in an upright position as you sleep. So, if it has ever been your dream to sleep in a bed while standing up, this may be your chance! Although, it may not be the best idea.
The Molecular Bed
The molecular bed, also referred to as the “Feel Seating System Deluxe”, is a bed made up of 120 soft foam balls. Created by multiple architects and designers, these soft balls all come tied together and they are movable, allowing you to form the molecular like system into many different and creative shapes. It was designed to reflect the “ever changing emotions of the human body”. These are known to sell for upwards of $12,000.
The Family Bed
The Family Bed by Taylor and Wells is designed, well, for the whole entire family. Whether that means for you and your children, or all the dogs your promise to stop adopting. The Family Bed comes in two sizes, 10 ft and 12 ft, with the smallest of them being over 3 feet wider than a standard king. This means that the entire family can curl up for a movie night, or that there will always be enough room if someone wants to crawl in bed with you at night. The Family Bed is available on the Bedding Mart website and the price won’t break the bank!
The Self Making Bed
Another bed worth mentioning is the self-making bed. If making your bed is something you feel like you must do every day but cannot find them time, or if you simply just loathe the idea of having to make it yourself, then this may be the bed for you. This bed will straighten out the crumpled up sheets all while moving the blanket back to its correct position. So, by the time you get ready to go to bed it will all be neat and tidy.
The Hamburger Mattress
No one seems to love a good burger as much as this connoisseur, Kayla Kromer from Austin, Texas. She loves burgers so much so that she custom designed a bed to look like one. Although she has since donated the bed to a charity auction where it was sold and now resides at a dedicated hamburger museum, nothing could stop you from making your own!
The Private Cloud Bed
Have you ever wished that you could “sleep like a baby”? Well, now you can in this patented rocking frame bed. Known as the Private Cloud Bed, it is designed to use a rocking motion to lull you asleep. Created by German designer Manuel Klocker, this bed also comes with flexible feet that you can put in any position, allowing the bed to stay in place when it's time to stop rocking.
The Sonic Bed
This bed is the result of the Music for Bodies research project. It was designed with the idea that music should be felt with the entire body, not just your ears. It is outfitted with multiple speakers that are built into the frame, meant to immerse your entire body into the music. Made by Kaffe Mathews, it is more as a portable venue than it is a bed, but plenty of videos offer instructions for making your own.
The Scoop Sofa Mattress
Created by Guido Rosati, this bed seems to be the answer for the high demand of combining the function of a sofa with the function of a bed. Sophisticated and creative, this bed has a unique split design, allowing the two halves to form a bed when you need an additional place to sleep, or for when you are converting your studio into a place of entertainment. Your guests will surely be surprised when your bed separates into two new pieces of furniture. It is not your average futon!
The Ceiling Bed
While you may have heard of the Murphy bed, a bed that folds up into a space within the wall, there is now such a thing as a ceiling bed. Better known as BedUp, this bed saves much needed space by going up into the ceiling. Coming from the house of Décadrages, this may be the perfect solution to your tiny space needs!
