I’ve been reading through some of their manufacturing principles, and they really do have a solid production process using only the best materials.

• Cane edged divan bases. Because Relyon expect their beds to last for a number of years undera varying set of circumstances, they use a solid, thick cane edge to surround their divan spring units, offering support to the very edge.
• Rock solid construction. If you’ve ever taken a divan base to pieces, you’ll know that it’s usually just a wooden box stapled together. Relyon take a different approach to divan manufacture. First, they make sure that the wood they use is of a high grade. Knots and splits will quickly weaken any divan base. Then they glue the frame together. And finally they use screws on all the base joints to provide rigidity and long-term strength.
• Chrome castors. In a world of cheap plastics, you could forgive Relyon for using plastic castors on their beds. But they don’t. Instead they have opted for chrome/powder coated steel castors that not only look beautiful, they are also a lot stronger than any plastic castor on the market today.
• Timber drawers. Take a look at your current bed’s drawers. There’s a 99% chance they are built from thin, cheap plywood. Relyon have thought about this. They know that people tend to overfill drawers and that they need to be strong to support the weight of their contents, so they manufacture a drawer from solid timber and use strong dovetail joints to prevent the drawer pulling apart.
• The pocketed springs used on Relyon mattresses are carefully sewn and intertwined to make sure they act independently and as part of the combined spring unit.
• Relyon use heavy duty, high quality fillings in their mattresses. Just because you can’t see what is inside your mattress doesn’t mean you should sacrifice quality.
• Hand stitched sides. By using a hand sewn stitching technique on the sides of some of their mattresses, Relyon make it possible to lie right to the edge of the mattress. This also ensures the mattress has enough strength and rigidity to last for years to come.

I thought I was being punished for something last week when I was given the Relyon Vienna Ortho mattress to test. I don’t like firm mattresses, they just don’t suit my sleeping style.

So with some trepidation, I spent a week with the Vienna Ortho, and surprisingly I actually liked it. Here’s why I think this firm mattress has more to offer than most other firm mattresses available on the market today.

Pocket springs

If you’ve never slept on a pocketsprung mattress before you really don’t know what you’re missing. Pocket spring mattresses, unlike conventional open coil mattresses, are built using individually packed springs, giving you a more supportive spring base to lie on and helping to ensure you don’t end up feeling every movement your partner makes in the middle of the night.

The Vienna has 1000 pocket springs in the 5FT model and you can feel them working the moment someone else lies on the bed. The build quality of this spring unit is exceptional.

The fillings

On a firm mattress, you almost expect it to be filled with building rubble and poured concrete. Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Relyon Vienna. The fillings are a combination of white fibres, cotton felt and lambswool, which give a very luxurious feel. In fact, if nobody had told me this was a firm mattress, I would never have guessed.

Overall, the Vienna mattress is beautifully finished off. It is hand-tufted and has 2 rows of side stitching for vertical support. Each mattress is also supplied with brass air vents and handles.

The base

There are a number of base options to choose from on the Vienna. The standard bed comes as a platform top base, but a more forgiving sprung-edge base helps to reduce the overall firmness of the mattress.

Storage options are also available in all bases. The smaller single beds have a non-drawer, 2 drawer or 2-drawer Conti option, and the larger units have the added option of 4 standard or Conti drawers.

Brass linking bars are included to hold the bases together in situ and twin wheel castors make it easier to move the bed around your room.

The price

Bedstar sells the 4FT6 Double Vienna bed set for £565 (excluding drawers), making it a very reasonably priced, high quality product. Adding drawers and the sprung edge option will increase the price by around £80.

My overall impression of the Relyon Vienna Ortho

Overall I actually found the Relyon Vienna Ortho to be quite comfortable to sleep on. It was firmer than I’d have liked, but not by much, and the luxurious softness of the fillings and cover almost completely made up for the tension of the spring unit.

The bottom line is that if you like the idea of a firm mattress, this bed is brilliant. It offers support and comfort without breaking your back or your bank balance.