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05 December 2024

Dh293,000 for the best nap ever

Published
By Reema Amos Dyes

(SUPPLIED)    

 
 

Few people would dispute the benefits of power napping as it has been scientifically proven by a Nasa study that a person’s reaction time can improve by up to 16 per cent and loss of concentration can be reduced by up to 34 per cent by having a quick snooze.

 

However, while most people catch forty winks on the sofa in their office, two German designers have invented a piece of office furniture that will help you relax, unwind and recharge your batteries in style.

 

The Napshell is a customised, handmade “room within a room” that comes with a comfort mattress, LED lights and a sound system with soundproof headphones.

 

Talking to Emirates Business about his invention, Nicolas Reber, designer and CEO of Napshell said: “We started the project in April 2004 and our intention was to create a piece of furniture that would help busy CEOs and business tycoons power-nap in an ergonomically designed space, which would give them the feeling of total security and seclusion. The Napshell is like a room within a room.

 

“My business partner, Markus Abele, had the idea during a workshop in Rotterdam at the beginning of our university project. Then seven of us worked on the project and built the first prototype, which we showcased at the OrgaTec 2004, an international trade show in Cologne.

 

“We got such a fantastic feedback from visitors and the press, both in Germany and globally, that Markus and I decided to start commercial production of the Napshell.”

 

The bespoke pod, handmade in the automobile city of Stuttgart, is constructed out of fibreglass reinforced plastic and has a high-gloss finish that is rarely seen in furniture. In fact, the look and feel of the surface reminds one of the exterior of a car.

 

The comfort mattress is covered with super soft natural nappa leather and is handmade with the name or company logo of the customer embroidered on it.

 

The Napshell comes with LED mood-lights that help a person to relax within minutes. “Our pre-programmed LED RGB-light system can be controlled by remote. The user can choose the light col-ours or use our pre-programmed red-green-blue light show, for a relaxing experience,” Reber said.

 

The pod is also equipped with a high-end sound-system, Pro Ject amp box stereo amplifier with AB 140 HE Polar high end coaxial speakers, Bose noise-cancelling headphones and an iPod.

 

However, the limited edition Lunar Eclipse Napshell, that costs Dh293,000, comes with a high-gloss finish, a leather neck pillow and two silk sleeping eye-masks.

 

Unlike the other Napshells that are made up of four pieces, the Lunar Eclipse is built as one piece and has the signatures of the designers on it.

 

“Lunar Eclipse is a limited edition version, with only 15 pieces being made worldwide. However, we always try to fulfil all our clients’ desires and can customise the Napshell to any extent. In fact, we have an order for a Napshell that will be covered with beaten gold,” said Reber.

 

But why spend so much money for a nap when a good old sofa in the office will do the job.

 

The answer lies in the design, says Reber. The shape of the Napshell was developed after extensive studies of the human form and the movement of the body. “So not only does the Napshell allow for easy entry and exit with a lot of elbow room, it is shaped in such a manner that it helps relax your spine and muscles, improves the circulation in your legs and comes with a mattress that is very comfortable for a wide range of people, whatever their shape.

 

“Also the design of the Napshell offers a person a feeling of complete security and the visual and acoustic effects within the capsule make it easy to reach a state of relaxation,” Reber said.

 

Do you need any more reasons to take a snooze in a Napshell? Well, I don’t.