Inside Casper’s stunning new Sleep Shop with nap pods and pillow testing stations
Midday snoozes are encouraged
The city’s sleep scene has just become a bit dreamier thanks to Casper’s permanent new location at Queen and Spadina. The company launched in Canada in 2014, pioneering the delightfully simple “mattress in a box” philosophy and creating an innovative model that has won numerous awards for its outrageously comfortable design. After hosting a ton of creative pop-ups and even a cross-Canada nap tour, the brand decided to open its second Canadian Sleep Shop, one that would make shoppers forget everything they know about typical mattress stores (dreary warehouses, bad lighting, pushy sales staff). The Casper team found a former Lululemon on Queen West and spent months gutting the space and building a bright, welcoming shop that showcases their entire lineup of luxuriously practical bedroom essentials. These days, they sell everything you need for an insanely awesome sleep, including fine bed sheets, super soft pillows, linen duvets, dog beds and even stylish bed frames and nightstands.
Of course, anyone can still order everything they need online, but this physical space is more for the kind of shopper who has to feel every sweater in the store or gets uncomfortable buying something over the internet without trying it first. “Our goal is to give people the opportunity to try the product wherever they’re most comfortable,” says Nicole Tapscott, VP and GM of Casper Canada. “Whether that’s at their home for a 100-night trial or in a store where they can put their feet up for a 30-minute nap.” Whatever you’re trying at the store, you can trust that Casper’s engineering team has thoughtfully refined and obsessed over every detail, so its quality is unquestionable.
Inside the shop, products are artfully displayed along the walls and in beautifully designed bedroom pods, which elicit serious home décor envy. And, as a bonus, you’re actually encouraged to nap in them! A.k.a. there’s no need to worry about a frowny sales staff while you’re getting comfy under the covers. Shoppers can book half-hour naps online or simply pop in on a work break for a few quick zzzs. “The store is the antithesis of what you’d expect to experience when you go into a typical mattress store,” says Tapscott. The ultimate goal? To make people feel the same way about mattress shopping as they do about picking out a sparkly new top or a cute gift for a friend. The store opened on December 7, and here’s what it’s like inside:
Inside, the space is meant to feel comfortable and inviting. While most of it was designed in-house, the brand also worked with local artist Kellen Hatanaka on a series of murals that spans the entire length of the shop. The idea was to tell the story of daytime to nighttime. The front of the shop features light colours and an abstract painting of a man waking up and having his coffee. As you walk through to the back of the store, the colours gradually darken and the walls show figures in various phases of alertness.
The designers used lots of natural woods and fibres, and added strips of mirrors above the flooring to create the illusion of floating shelves.
Each nap pod has a funky art installation above the bed. Since this is the “morning” section of the shop, there are fried eggs. The lighting in all the nap rooms is gradient, meaning the lamps start out bright and slowly dim throughout your 30-minute nap.
On the bedding wall, “mattress mannequins” show shoppers what their beds could look like with various combinations of toppings. For instance, “Dream Bed No. 3” has the Airy Linen Quilt in coal, the Cool Supima Duvet Cover in white and the Cool Supima Pillowcase set in white. The luxurious, garment-grade Belgian flax linen line is the newest, having just come out in September. It’s ideal for giving any bedroom a beach house vibe.
Casper’s standard pillow is one of its most popular products. It’s basically a pillow within a pillow: the inner pillow is super supportive, plus it’s surrounded by an extra-fluffy layer to give you that melting-into-dreamland feeling.
342 Queen St. W., casper.com
. The Casper team found a former Lululemon on Queen West and spent months gutting the space and building a bright, welcoming shop that showcases their entire lineup of luxuriously practical bedroom essentials. These days, they sell everything you need for an insanely awesome sleep, including fine bed sheets, super soft pillows, linen duvets, dog beds and even stylish bed frames and nightstands.
Of course, anyone can still order everything they need online, but this physical space is more for the kind of shopper who has to feel every sweater in the store or gets uncomfortable buying something over the internet without trying it first. “Our goal is to give people the opportunity to try the product wherever they’re most comfortable,” says Nicole Tapscott, VP and GM of Casper Canada. “Whether that’s at their home for a 100-night trial or in a store where they can put their feet up for a 30-minute nap.” Whatever you’re trying at the store, you can trust that Casper’s engineering team has thoughtfully refined and obsessed over every detail, so its quality is unquestionable.
Inside the shop, products are artfully displayed along the walls and in beautifully designed bedroom pods, which elicit serious home décor envy. And, as a bonus, you’re actually encouraged to nap in them! A.k.a. there’s no need to worry about a frowny sales staff while you’re getting comfy under the covers. Shoppers can book half-hour naps online or simply pop in on a work break for a few quick zzzs. “The store is the antithesis of what you’d expect to experience when you go into a typical mattress store,” says Tapscott. The ultimate goal? To make people feel the same way about mattress shopping as they do about picking out a sparkly new top or a cute gift for a friend. The store opened on December 7, and here’s what it’s like inside:
Inside, the space is meant to feel comfortable and inviting. While most of it was designed in-house, the brand also worked with local artist Kellen Hatanaka on a series of murals that spans the entire length of the shop. The idea was to tell the story of daytime to nighttime. The front of the shop features light colours and an abstract painting of a man waking up and having his coffee. As you walk through to the back of the store, the colours gradually darken and the walls show figures in various phases of alertness.
The designers used lots of natural woods and fibres, and added strips of mirrors above the flooring to create the illusion of floating shelves.
Each nap pod has a funky art installation above the bed. Since this is the “morning” section of the shop, there are fried eggs. The lighting in all the nap rooms is gradient, meaning the lamps start out bright and slowly dim throughout your 30-minute nap.
On the bedding wall, “mattress mannequins” show shoppers what their beds could look like with various combinations of toppings. For instance, “Dream Bed No. 3” has the Airy Linen Quilt in coal, the Cool Supima Duvet Cover in white and the Cool Supima Pillowcase set in white. The luxurious, garment-grade Belgian flax linen line is the newest, having just come out in September. It’s ideal for giving any bedroom a beach house vibe.
Casper’s standard pillow is one of its most popular products. It’s basically a pillow within a pillow: the inner pillow is super supportive, plus it’s surrounded by an extra-fluffy layer to give you that melting-into-dreamland feeling.
342 Queen St. W., casper.com
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