What do glamour model Melinda Messenger, football legend Ossie Ardiles and a unique spring system have in common? Furniture News’ Paul Farley knows that the Swedes make some of the best beds – but just had to ask Kevin Slade directly what it takes to be invited to DUX’s party …
In June, Swedish bed and furniture brand DUX threw open the doors of its Marylebone showroom to members of the press, an array of celebrities, sporting partners and trade professionals, to unveil the result of a collaboration with Danish audio wizards Bang & Olufsen.
‘The world’s most opulent headboard’ is a solid oak (also available in walnut) model flanked by composite stone side tables, featuring integrated Beosound Level speakers. Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, head of industrial design at Bang & Olufsen, describes the partnership as pushing “the boundaries of design and technology, redefining luxury with integrated audio and sleep solutions”.
As a statement piece, the headboard says a lot about DUX’s pioneering attitude and its ability to deliver beyond limitations. As a commercial prospect, it is priced at £41,750, making it the world’s most expensive headboard, too.
It may be a fitting centrepiece for a room packed with celebs, but all its pomp and bombast cannot overshadow the core principles of the brand behind it, says DUX’s avuncular director of growth, Kevin Slade.
“Tech has been in the bedroom for a long time,” he explains, “and furniture producers are going to continue to find ways to integrate technology in their products. But I think they need to stop and think about what they’re trying to achieve – tech needs to be used in the right way.”
Having spent much of his career in consumer electronics before joining DUX five years ago, Kevin admits that he “loves a good gadget”, but he’s a purist at heart, committed to the principles of healthy sleep and delivering an unmatched experience through his product.
“If our brand integrates technology, we do it seamlessly, and put heritage first,” he explains. “Brands can become confusing if they integrate technology and don’t communicate it properly.”
This particular headboard, then, is not just a publicity stunt, but a considered marriage of two complementary Scandinavian household names that happens to take the notion of ‘luxury’ to an extreme.
“DUX Group’s chairman is not a fan of the word ‘luxury’ being used to describe our range,” adds Kevin. “He believes that DUX should be accessible to all – a ‘premium’ product.”
Read the full interview with Kevin in September's issue.
