A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl
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Our DIY Latex Mattress: the Savvy Rest Serenity

If you’ve been searching for a mattress that wouldn’t break down and wouldn’t need to be thrown away after several years, you came to the right blog post. I was like you until I found what I call our DIY Mattress.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl
Our DIY Latex Mattress: the Savvy Rest Serenity

Disclosure: 

Here’s the disclosure before you start reading. It seems like every blogger has been approached by a mattress manufacturer. I’ve received a fair amount of pitches as well in my inbox. But, I’ve declined them all. Instead, I chose to approach Savvy Rest because I REALLY wanted to share their product with you. BUT, here’s the whole truth (and nothing but the truth.) Once you learn a little more about latex mattresses, it is going to be a sleep changer for a lot of you! Savvy Rest was nice enough to consider my proposal and agreed to send me the mattress in exchange for a mention on my blog. Just so you know, I choose the brands I want to work with because I love the products. If I don’t like a product, I don’t blog about it. This is one of those products that I have recommended to my friends, family and anyone who will listen to my ravings. 

Update:It’s now been over four years since we began sleeping on our Savvy Rest Serenity mattress and we are still happy with it. Recently Savvy Rest asked if I’d like to use affiliate links since I still sing the praises of their product. I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here. Now that you know the whole truth, this is my opinion and my story: 

When I shared our master bedroom plans, I told you that it all started with getting a new mattress. And, I have been dying to share the information about that mattress with you! I literally have to control myself from stopping random strangers on the street to tell them about this amazing latex mattress that I discovered. In fact, as I sit here typing this post I’m worried that it’s going to sound too much like an infomercial because of how much I love our Savvy Rest Serenity latex mattress.  In a nutshell, here are the main reasons I have fallen head over heels in love with it:

  • It is amazingly comfortable and supportive. We’ve been sleeping on it for a month now and my back aches are GONE!
  • Organic! No chemicals, no off-gassing, no bleaching! The cover is made with natural cotton and wool. The interior layers are natural latex.
  • Eco-friendly because not only are the materials natural, but this mattress will last you at least 20 years (often times latex mattresses can last 30 – 40 years or more!) This means less waste going to the landfill! And you know how passionate I am about keeping things out of the landfill.
  • It is completely customizable to your comfort and support needs. (As well as separate customization for your partner.)

Sounds good right? But, this isn’t your average mattress. I like to call this a DIY mattress because you literally pick three distinct latex foam layers to customize to your comfort needs. First, you choose either talalay or dunlop latex or a combination. Then you can choose between soft, medium and firm. This offers you more options than you can count sheep!

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Let’s not forget about your spouse who likely has completely different comfort needs. He or she can chose their own comfort layers when you select the Savvy Rest Serenity split queen or split king mattress. This is the key to a happy marriage, is it not?!

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

But, I want to back up and discuss a little more about how I realized we needed a new mattress and how I decided on a Savvy Rest mattress.

Do you need a new mattress, too?

After finishing the kitchen, I noticed that my body was really sore. Standing up after sitting for a while was a slow painful process. I figured it was one of three things (if not a combo of all three.) 1) Age 2) Too much hard labor or 3) I needed to lose a few pounds. After multiple trips to the chiropractor, and a whole bottle of Advil later, I finally realized that my hips and back hurt most after waking up in the morning. Then it occurred to me that our memory foam mattress was no longer providing support for my body. I pressed down with my hand on the middle of the mattress where I slept. It sank in. I felt little to no resistance. After 7 years, we were due for yet another mattress. Ugh.

I can’t tell you how much I DETEST mattress shopping! I mean, I’d rather clean up horse manure than go shopping for a mattress in store after store. Listening to the endless sales pitches and extra “specials” is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. UGH!

Ewww, what’s that smell?

And here’s another issue that had been bothering me. I really didn’t want to buy a new mattress again because I remember how stinky our mattress was when we first bought it. After some research, I realized that all memory foam mattresses are made with chemicals. If you have headaches at night or upon waking, it might be from the chemicals used during manufacturing or the flame retardants added to it.

Ultimately, I wanted to buy a mattress that was comfortable, chemical-free and would last more than 8 years.

After a lot of online research, I stumbled upon TheMattressUnderground.com and what I read about mattress shopping and latex mattresses was EYE OPENING! I devoured everything I could about latex mattresses and their longevity. Then, I found a local showroom in Raleigh, NC that carried organic mattresses and specialized in latex mattresses.

The salesman had me lie on several different mattresses.  I narrowed my preference to the one I liked, but still didn’t L-O-V-E. I was looking for support, but more cushioning for this curvy side sleeper! The salesman asked me to stand up. Then to my utter amazement, he began to unzip the mattress and open it up. He pulled out a big latex foam layer from another mattress and began reconfiguring the mattress to help me achieve the perfect balance for me. I went along with it, but he began explaining the differences between Talalay and Dunlop, the two types of latex foam. Each has good comfort and support, but the Talalay has a little more give and cushioning than the Dunlop. Within about 25 minutes we had designed the perfect mattress for me. But, I feared that Pretty Handsome Guy might think it was too soft. That’s when the sales person unzipped the other side of the mattress and showed me that the other half was completely separate and could be configured to his own preferences (available on queen and king models only.) He told me that the Savvy Rest was a latex mattress that you can change out the layers. I was seriously excited at this point. A DIY mattress, organic and my hubby could chose his own firmer than a board configuration! I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Here’s a great video showing how the Serenity Savvy Rest mattress is completely customizable and allows you to reconfigure the layers:

What if your sleep preferences change?

If you’ve had babies (like me) or had an accident or your health needs change and you need a firmer or softer mattress, you don’t have to buy a new Savvy Rest! Remember how I said this was a DIY mattress? Well, you can unzip the casing and buy a different firmness layer to swap out on top. (Or if you have layers of Dunlop latex, you can flip them over to get a firmer mattress.) Seriously, this mattress is a game changer for this gal who hates mattress shopping!!!

Is it hot like a memory foam mattress?

We haven’t slept through the North Carolina summer yet on our Savvy Rest, but from what I’ve been told, latex foam is not hot like memory foam. And if you notice, the latex layers have lots of air holes which help keep the airflow going through the mattress.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

It must be super expensive, right?

I’m not going to lie, they aren’t the cheapest mattresses you can buy. But, I did my shopping around town and visited many chain bedroom shops. The mattresses that I was considering were in the same price bracket as the Savvy Rest mattress. (Some were more and some were a little less, but not by much.) Granted, I wasn’t looking at the least expensive “guest room type” mattresses. But, when you factor in the longevity of a latex mattress, you truly are making an investment for the next 20 years or more as opposed to 7-8 years. Now do the math!

What if you can’t try one ahead of time?

Savvy Rest is sold by several retailers. If there isn’t one local to you, they have a great customer support team that will talk to you and try to suggest the best layers for you. Call 1-866-856-4044 M-F from 10 am – 6 pm EST or Saturdays from 10 am – 4 pm.

I wanted to test their customer service reps to see how good they were, so I called and talked to Laura. I didn’t tell her who I was or that I had already found my perfect layer combo. After she asked me a series of questions, I was shocked and amazed that she nailed my combo! SERIOUSLY! I felt like I was talking to a psychic. You’ll have to ask for her and see if she can tell your fortune after she matches you with your latex layers. Tell her I sent you so she doesn’t think you’re a wacko.  😉

Just in case you order and don’t get the perfect comfortable combo, they have a 90 day Latex Exchange policy so you can swap out layers until you get the perfect balance.

Laura also told me that they normally ship to US and Canada, but if you live elsewhere in this great big world, just call them to get your shipping quote.

Don’t just take my word for it!

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen the picture of our mattress I posted.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

I thought I was one of the only people that knew about this awesome DIY mattress, but was surprised that Sherry & John (essentially the king and queen of DIY blogging) from Young House Love also had one. They bought theirs about five years ago.

Want to learn more about Savvy Rest and latex mattresses?

From information about how latex is made — to a point-by-point comparison of latex vs. memory foam, the Savvy Rest blog has loads of information about their products. These are just a few of the articles from their blog:

Or you can get social with them by visiting Savvy Rest on Facebook, Savvy Rest on YouTube, Savvy Rest on Twitter, or Savvy Rest on Pinterest.

How exactly do you put together a DIY Mattress?

After you order your mattress, the pieces are delivered to your doorstep. You simply bring it inside, unpack it and assemble your Savvy Rest mattress.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Assembling a Savvy Rest Serenity Mattress:

Start by pulling out the bag containing the mattress casing.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Open the bag and spread out the casing. The zipper opening should be in the front.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Your Savvy Rest mattress should be placed on a platform bed with slats or a Savvy Rest box spring made with slats. (Or in our case we created a makeshift platform of 2×4 slats on top of our old queen box spring until our bed is built. How’s that for inventive?!)

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Locate the box that contains your base latex layer(s). It helps to have an assistant to lift the bag out of the box and maneuver the latex layers.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Lay the first piece into the casing. (Our mattress is a split Serenity, which explains the two separate pieces for each layer. To move your latex layers, it is recommended to gently lift a corner and create waves by lifting and lowering the foam to slowly wiggle it into place (this video shows you how to carefully move the layers.) You never want to tug or pull on the layer, or you’ll risk tearing the latex.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

For a split king or queen, lay the second piece snuggly against the first half. Make sure the latex foam corners line up perfectly with the casing corners and the edges line up with the piped edges before you move forward.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Lay the second layer on top of the first. Be sure to line it up with the first layer.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Continue until you have all three layers of latex foam fit inside the casing.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Check the fit and make any last adjustments before zipping up the casing.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Gently zip the casing closed. Go slow and push the latex foam away from the zipper as you zip.

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

When you reach the end, you are minutes away from the best sleep you’ve ever had!A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

Our bed looks like this for now (except with a crumple of unmade sheets and blankets) until I finish building our bed frame. Be sure to stick around to see all the updates on our master bedroom makeover!

A DIY Mattress?! How I Chose a Savvy Rest Mattress | Pretty Handy Girl

August 2016 Update: We’ve been sleeping on our Savvy Rest Serenity mattress for 2½ years now. I have not had any regrets about our decision. In fact I want to replace our boys’ mattresses with Savvy Rest latex mattresses soon. I did want to give you an update and hopefully answer some of the questions I’ve received. First, yes, we still love it! The top layer did soften up slightly after the first year (but seems to have remained the same firmness since then.) I would recommend choosing your middle layer a little firmer once you find your perfect configuration. I realized, after my back stopped hurting, I was craving a little more support. I swapped middle layers with Pretty Handsome Guy because he can sleep on anything (or anywhere!) We do try to flip or rotate our top layers every six months. I’m not sure if this is necessary, but it just seems like the right thing to do.

We’ve slept through three hot North Carolina summers now and I can tell you that the mattress is not hot like the memory foam mattresses. We did add a waterproof cover with wool padding to protect our mattress. I’m not sure how that factors into it being cool.

Several people have asked if we feel the split. Not at all. The case keeps the laters firmly butted up against each other so you can’t tell even if you try to find the seam.

Finally, a few people asked if they had to drill holes in their platform bed for ventilation (like I did when I built our Farmhouse Bed with storage drawers.) The answer is no, if you have a flat platform bed without holes, you can purchase a Savvy Rest Bed Rug (affiliate link) that will improve the air flow for your mattress.

 

September 2018 Update: 

Yes, we are still sleeping on our Savvy Rest Serenity Mattress and still love it! The only downside is I’m hesitant to travel anywhere because I’ve become a mattress snob and can’t sleep as well on some regular mattresses. I have been thinking about replacing my top layer with a firmer layer just so it will push back against my body more. But, I’ve been holding off because I think most of the soreness I feel when I wake up is because I’m putting my body through some major physical challenges while working on the Saving Etta project!

Modified King Size Farmhouse Bed with Storage Drawers | Pretty Handy Girl

I hope that helps answer your questions.

PHGFancySign

Disclosure: After lots of research, I selected a Savvy Rest latex mattress because I was impressed with the product.  I approached them about working with me. They agreed to partner with me. I received a complimentary mattress, but I was not told what to write or share. Please know that I am very selective about which companies and products I chose to work with. And I will always disclose partnerships and sponsored posts to you the reader.

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  1. melle e
    melle e says:

    this looks amazing. and i’m up at night, miserable on my 6 year old very expensive Simmons Beautyrest mattress. I have an added memory foam topper that’s several inches thick, but it’s SO HOT! Even just laying the cell phones on the bed literally heats the mattress there! don’t ask what the laptop can do to a memory foam topper for heating it up! LOL! And with a neuro condition that affects my ability to sweat AND to regulate body temp?
    UGH!

    If only I didn’t have this ridiculous latex (and natural rubber–you should see what the tire store does to me! haha) allergy. Like can’t even eat tropical fruit… or have balloons in the building it’s so bad. (seriously, my kiddo came home with a balloon from some event one weekend. I started having breathing troubles and was needing to use my epipen even at one point. turned out, he had stuffed the balloon into a cabinet, which he thought would let him keep his balloon because it wouldn’t be where it would touch me… haha. my heating system intake was near the cabinet and the flow of air through the intake near that hidden balloon was blowing latex particles or fumes or something, whatever, literally ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE. hahaha. omgosh. weeks. it was WEEKS before we found it. every time i walked in the door my lungs and throat closed up, skin stung like a chemical burn, and my throat swelled. stupid latex allergies.)

    I would almost be willing to try for a sample of it, because it’s encased. But I had a pillow. a foam pillow. We thought it was memory foam and every time I laid on it, I would wake up in just awful shape.

    Finally one day, I realized. Foam. Latex. Now I look because some memory foams are latex…

    Reply
  2. Aubrey
    Aubrey says:

    This is now on top of my wishlist! Our old one just didn’t seem as comfy as it used to be. Being able to mix foam layers allows me and my hubby to still get decent sleep without much discomfort. I just hope I can find them here in the Philippines or a similar product, as having customized products can be quite costly. Or better yet, DIY!

    Reply
  3. Karen Marie Kedzuch
    Karen Marie Kedzuch says:

    Brittany,
    I remember talking about your DIY mattress. Savvy is a very interesting product. Great post on how you researched, tested the product and put it together. Those boxes in the hall way sure look comfy now!
    Karen Marie

    Reply
  4. Becky
    Becky says:

    These look AMAZING! I have horrible back issues and I will definitely be checking out their site! Thank you for this fabulous giveaway!

    Reply

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  1. […] forget to enter the Savvy Rest Latex Pillow Giveaway! It ends tonight, so hop on […]

  2. […] latex layered mattress. Who knew that this DIY mattress would last us for decades! (You have to read about this mattress, it will probably be the last mattress you ever buy!) Given the length of time we’d be […]

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