Rebecca travelled to the NSW south coast to meet 'the mattress man' Geoff Cater. In his little backyard factory Geoff uses the same techniques his grandfather and father used to make handmade mattresses complete with white pinstriped twill fabric and red leather buttons.
Geoff's grandfather began making mattresses in 1926 as an apprentice for Burton and Wheelers, a bedding company in Sydney. The Real Mattress and Base Co. has been operating since 1957 and since Geoff took over the business from his father who retired in 1986 nothing has changed except the name of the company. Each mattress and base is made in the traditional way, using natural materials from Australian manufacturers which Geoff says are of much higher quality than they used to be but are much harder to get.
Each mattress is made from layers of coconut coir, cotton, polyurethane foam, wool and spring units. They are covered in damask or a cotton herringbone twill cover and finished with tufts or red leather buttons. Their bases have pine timber frames, coconut coir, cotton, dense cardboard side panels, foam, wool, and hessian. The bases are also covered in either damask or cotton covers.
Mattress Components:
The BONNELLI COIL SPRING UNIT that is used in each mattress is made in Australia from BHP steel. A standard double spring unit comprises 312 coils of 13 gauge-2.34mm sprung steel with an 8 gauge- 4mm edge support frame.
COCONUT COIR is a natural fibre harvested from the husk of the coconut. It is a heavy duty coarse fibre pad with minimum moisture retention and maximum ventilation. The imported raw fibre is fully processed in Australia and is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable.
The COTTON INSULATION PAD is recycled from long staple length cotton off-cuts from the fashion industry. It is hard wearing and provides excellent ventilation. It is also biodegradable and manufactured in Australia.
POLYEURETHANE FOAM is manufactured in Australia from petroleum bi-products. Foam use is kept to a minimum and is always internally sandwiched between layers of natural fibre (unlike the average shop bought mattress that has foam directly underneath the fabric).
LATEX RUBBER is extracted from the rubber tree in liquid form and provides superior resilience and support as well as being a renewable resource. It is non-allergenic, mould free, dust free and resists moisture build up due to the open-cell ventilation properties.
100% ALL COTTON HERRINGBONE TWILL COVER is hard wearing, has excellent ventilation and a non-slip texture. Cotton is natural, recyclable and biodegradable. Geoff selects fabrics with a minimum use of dyes and chemicals. Covers are sewn with Australian manufactured cotton binding tapes and threads.
Grown and processed in Australia, WOOL is a superior mattress filling. With a natural spring, it combines high compression resilience with exceptional moisture absorption properties and as a natural insulator it maintains a constant temperature. It is also flame resistant, recyclable, biodegradable and a renewable source.
Geoff makes a lot of mattresses for special orders. In the 'old days' beds were not made to a standard size so the mattress had to be made-to-measure. Geoff also frequently reconstructs antique beds and is capable or producing mattresses with cut-out corners to cater for four-posted beds or ensembles to fit existing head and footboards.
The basic steps of the mattress construction are:
1 If the order is for a custom made mattress Geoff will go to the clients' house and measure up the bed
2 Back at his workshop he will cut and sew the mattress case
3 He then starts with the spring unit and builds up layers of materials including wool, latex, cotton, coconut fibre.
4 The cover is then put on the mattress and is sewn together.
5 The mattress is then tufted or buttoned
This process is all done by hand with tools such as a hammer, scissors, pliers, long upholstery needles and sewing machines. It depends on the size and shape as to how long each mattress takes.
Geoff offers special services and features that are available on request including: - professional measure and consultation
- ensembles made to length, width and height
- ensembles to fit existing head and footboards
- cutout corners for four-poster beds
- shaped or mitred corners for caravans and boats
- all natural components
- traditional hand rolled edging
- hand made cotton perle or wool tufts
- beds supplied in designer fabrics
- baby bear's beds (cots, cribs and cradles without foam)
- wool filled mattress protectors and pillows
- antique reproduction bedding in horsehair/wool/straw
- professional delivery and assembly
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