The biggest mistake people often make when shopping for their bedroom furniture is spending too much time and too much money on the furniture itself – the dressers, light fixtures and end tables – while not enough on the most important thing in the room: the mattress.

"That’s beginning to change," said François Lefebvre, sales director for Matelas Bonheur, Montreal’s leading mattress and bedding centre. "People are now willing to spend more for comfort."

That just makes sense. You spend all night on the mattress and it has enormous impact on how you feel throughout your day, yet leave your room in the morning can’t take your furniture with you. The sleep you did or did not have on your mattress, however, will certainly accompany you throughout your day.

"It’s really the most important part of the bedroom," Lefebvre said, "and once people sleep more comfortably elsewhere – bet it in a hotel or a friend’s home – they are shocked at how bad their own bed is, and they come here looking for comfort and a good night’s sleep."

At the 15 Matelas Bonheur stores, they will have come to the right place.

The bedroom is not only a sleeping area, it is a part of your lifestyle – and an important part of your life, with most people spending an average 20 years asleep. Matelas Bonheur is very conscious of that, which is why selling comfort and a good night’s sleep means much more than just any one product.

"It’s the whole experience," Lefebvre said. "There is not one mattress that’s right for everyone. We help you find the right for you; we are the experts and can accommodate any budget. We’ve been doing it for 20 years."

Matelas Bonheur’s latest innovative product is the unique and revolutionary Zedbed line. Manufactured here in Quebec, Zedbed adjustable beds are the newest generation of adjustable beds featuring design-oriented looks and are flexible enough to fit in to any contemporary decor. These are not your grandmother’s adjustable beds!

More of a "lit de détente," these finely crafted beds with interesting finishes, headboards and footboards, feature high-quality premium mattresses, including the visco-elastic memory foam that takes the shape of your body and reduces discomfort. It is a boon for side-sleepers, helps circulation and relieves pressure points to prevent backaches and soothe aching muscles. Further benefits come from raising the head of the adjustable bed, allowing you to get out of bed without assistance and without straining your back.

The TEMPUR^® material was developed by NASA to relieve the enormous g-forces experienced by astronauts during take off. After 10 years and millions of dollars in research, the material was released to the market. Using your body temperature and weight, the material conforms exactly to every curve and angle of your body. By reacting to specific range of temperatures, the material becomes soft where you want it and firm where you need it, supporting your body in perfect alignment.

Moreover, TEMPUR material absorbs motion so you don’t feel your partner’s movements and sleep more soundly. Each of you supported independently and will not roll together like you may on your current mattress. Your partner’s movements will never disturb you again!

Today, TEMPUR is recognized by over 30,000 medical professionals as the "pressure relieving" material, funded by governments worldwide including Canadian governments ADP, AADL and a multitude of insurance organizations. Most recently Tempur-Pedic has been awarded the Ease-of-Use Commendation by the Arthritis Foundation.

So whether your choice is the ultra-modern and high-tech memory foam of a fully adjustable innovative Zedbed and TEMPUR-PEDIC mattresses conceived with NASA material, Matelas Bonheur is the only address you need. With everything for the bedroom in store, each of the 15 stores runs the gamut from futons to kids’ beds, pillows to sheets – and of course, the all-time favourites: Sealy and Serta.

The legendary Matelas Bonheur expertise essentially guarantees that "if you bought one from us, you will buy another and even refer a friend," Lefebvre said.

"We will come to your home and install your bed, haul away your old one and do whatever it takes – all the little extras to fulfill our full-service pledge, and make your experience special."

The Gazette, Montreal, Thursday, October 27, 2005