Hästens

Pehr Adolf Janson (1830–1885) was awarded his master certificate in 1852 by King Oscar I of Sweden. Master saddlers were also makers of mattresses, since horsetail hair was an essential material for the pads that went into the carriage. At that time, becoming a master saddler in Sweden required the certificate to be issued by the King himself.

In the late 1800s, the family moved to Hed and Pehr Adolf's son Per Thure Janson decided to follow his father's path in becoming a master saddler. Per Thure started a company together with his son David Janson. The business of making beds took off and they were soon producing more beds than saddles.

In 1939, British architect Ralph Erskine (1914–2005) travelled by bicycle to Sweden, where he later met David Janson who commissioned him to build the Hästens Factory, which was one of the first buildings that he designed in Sweden. It was designed by Erskine in 1948 and he also designed the further expansion of the factory in 1998, in Köping where the company is still located as of 2019.

In 1978, Jack Ryde designed Hästens' blue check pattern that was presented for a furniture trade fair. The blue check pattern is a registered trademark for Hästens beds and is protected.

Hästens currently operates retail stores around the world in locations such as: Stockholm, London, Dallas, Houston, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Israel, Zurich, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Bari, Brussels, Malta, New York, México City, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul Manchester and Singapore.

Legal cases

In 2000, a Swedish court ruled that Hästens was not allowed to advertise with phrases such as "The finest beds in the world" and "due to [our unique manufacturing process in Köping], we can offer 25 years' warranty on springs and frames". The latter was, among other reasons, because the springs and frames were actually manufactured by a subcontractor. Many companies have tried to copy the check patterns and Hästens has successfully undertaken legal procedures in several countries against infringements and counterfeits. As of 2011, the phrase "At Hästens we set out to make the best beds in the world." is used.