The history of bedding

Did you know…

that for most of history, humanity slept… nothing like we do today?

Did you know that for centuries, people did not sleep lying down?

They chose a semi-reclined position — not for comfort, but out of fear.

Lying flat was considered dangerous.

It was associated with death, and it provoked anxiety.

People feared evil spirits and suffocation — breathing, after all, comes more easily at an angle.

This is precisely why early beds were often short, and pillows were stacked very high.

How humanity slept: biphasic sleep

Here is another curious fact: for a long time, people slept in two distinct phases — the "first sleep" in the early evening, followed by waking for several hours, and then a "second sleep" toward dawn. In the interval between the two, people would pray, converse, write, read, and make love.

It was only with the advent of artificial lighting and the gradual imposition of time discipline that humanity was, as it were, consolidated into a single unbroken sleep.

The pillow: from stone to down

And did you know that the pillow was originally hard?

Stone, wooden, ceramic — anything but the soft object we know today.

Its primary purpose was to preserve a hairstyle, and to protect the head from dirt and insects that might crawl into the ears during sleep. It is no coincidence that the very concept of the pillow has always been linked to the idea of something placed beneath the ear.

Where did the insects come from? — you might ask.

The answer is simple: for the greater part of human history, people slept on the floor.

Sleeping on the floor: survival, not comfort

People slept on animal hides, leaves, grasses, moss, and even branches. This was not a place of comfort — it was a place where one hoped to survive the night.

The ground is cold, damp, uneven, dirty — and teeming with insects. The earliest logic of bedding was therefore straightforward: insulate the body from the earth and preserve warmth.

Yet even then, people instinctively sought comfort and protection to the best of their ability. In South Africa, a sleeping place tens of thousands of years old was discovered — and it was no random heap of grass. People had layered sedge and other plants with care, and topped them with aromatic leaves chosen for their insecticidal and larvicidal properties.

The first beds: from survival to luxury

The first beds appeared primarily as objects of luxury for the privileged few. Yet the very moment a human being "lifted" themselves off the ground can be seen as an enormous leap forward.

Consider what sleeping on the ground truly meant.

Snakes, rodents, insects, and damp — all of it led constantly to illness and even death.

And even then, the bed took a very long time to become "the norm for everyone." It remained an object of luxury, or at the very least, a mark of higher standing. The fabrics, the wood, the craftsmanship — all of it was costly.

A great many people continued sleeping on the floor, on mats, or on simple raised platforms.

The transition from a sleeping mat to a bed first took place among those who could afford furniture.

The Middle Ages: the bed as status symbol

In the Middle Ages, the bed acquired enormous social significance, particularly among the nobility. It grew more massive, more elaborate, taller, and more complex in construction. Canopies, curtains, and draperies appeared.

But these were not merely decorative. In cold, draughty spaces, they retained warmth, shielded against chills, and afforded at least some measure of privacy. For the same reason, beds were made high. Cold air settled at floor level, while warmer air rose above it.

Chests of belongings and clothing were stored beneath the bed, safely out of reach of household animals. And the higher the bed, the higher the status: "I can afford this."

In medieval Europe, a bed could be the most valuable object in a home. It was passed down, itemized in wills, and displayed as a testament to the family's standing.

Guests were received in the bedroom. Kings held formal ceremonies in their beds — conducting business and receiving visitors from the comfort of their own chambers.

In that same era, it was common for several people to share a single bed: family members, guests, servants, and even strangers.

The word "bed" traces back to the simple act of lying down — it is, quite literally, the place where one lies.

Mattresses and duvets: from straw to down

Mattresses, too, did not appear all at once. They began as sacks filled with straw, feathers, wool, down, hair, or rags — simply a layer between the body and the hard surface beneath. The very word "mattress" comes from the Arabic matrah, meaning "a place where something is thrown."

The duvet as we know it today is a relatively recent invention. Before it, there were only heavy woolen cloths and animal hides.

The word "duvet" comes from French and simply means "down."

Perhaps that is why we at Home me are so fond of down duvets — they were the first truly comfortable bedding in history. As for the word "blanket," it derives from the Old French blanc — meaning "white" or "white cloth."

Fabrics: from linen to silk

Linen was the first material that truly resembled modern bedding. It kept the sleeper cool, absorbed moisture well, and was hygienic. It is for this reason that "linens" became a byword for bedding in general.

Cotton, though long in existence, only came into widespread use much later — it was the Industrial Revolution that made it accessible.

It was then that bedding began to be not merely functional, but genuinely pleasurable. Silk, for its part, was always made with sensation in mind — prized for its smoothness and cool touch.

Hygiene and privacy

The question of hygiene only became relevant once bedding was within reach of the many — a development that occurred relatively recently, just a few centuries ago.

It was then that privacy became a value, and bedding became a norm rather than a privilege. For a long time, white, freshly laundered sheets were a sign of prosperity. Fabrics were expensive, and were not changed for years.

This is why white bedding became a symbol of cleanliness: it could be boiled, and any dirt was immediately visible.

From survival to a state of being

Tracing this journey, one can see how profoundly the human being itself has changed.

First — not to freeze, not to perish.

Then — to rise above the ground.

Then — to signal one's place in the world.

And only later — to create comfort, and a space of one's own.

Today, bedding is about something else entirely — a state of being.

Where once it answered the question of how not to die in the night, it now answers a different one: how to feel truly alive.