Stearns & Foster Mattresses Overview

Note: This is not a review. This is our plain-English explanation and overview of current Stearns & Foster mattresses.

If you’d prefer to watch rather than read, watch our Stearns & Foster 2023 Mattresses Overview video

Table of Contents

Nobody does more in-depth mattress reviews than GoodBed — which means there's a lot of information here! Use the links in this table of contents to quickly jump to the sections of this review that interest you most.

Stearns & Foster 2023 Mattresses: Shared Features

All 19 models in the lineup share some common materials and attributes.

We want to give a shout-out to the Stearns & Foster website, which is well organized, with easy to find information on each line and mattress. There's also a store locator to find a local retailer.

Intellicoils

First is a propriety coil design called the Intellicoil. This situates a shorter, narrower coil inside a wider, taller coil in what we typically refer to as a coil-in-coil design.

The idea is to create variable resistance, so that heavier parts of your body don't sink too deeply, while lighter parts sink in enough. Stearns & Foster has been using this Intellicoil design for a few years.

The entry-level Studio line uses a more basic (though still high-quality) pocketed coil, and the Lux Hybrid series uses a different support system entirely, but all of the other lines use the Intellicoil system.

Depending on the mattress line, the coils are arranged in different ways. In the Estate and Lux Estate line, the coils are arranged in a standard grid, while in the higher-end Reserve lines these coils are slightly offset. This effectively fits a larger number of coils into the same space.

All 19 of the mattresses use smaller, firmer coils around the perimeter of the bed for edge support.

Ventilated pocketing

The coils are all wrapped in fabric pockets made of a perforated fabric intended to help with air flow through the bed. The image below is of one of the edge support coils.

Side-panel air vents

All Stearns & Foster mattresses for 2019-2020 also have the company's signature air vents along the side. There are another air-flow feature, helping warm air escape, and cool air enter the mattress.

Functional handles

All models also have handles incorporated into the side panels, and these are not merely decorative. They are sturdy and functional, and are covered under warranty should they break. There are 8 total handles, two on each side (queen and king sizes).

Signed label

Another unique feature is a hand-signed label, an actual signature from the crafts-person that worked on the bed. On the Reserve line of mattresses, an additional metal plate is included on the label. The others are instead printed with the mattress name. But all have the hand-signed signature.

Covers

Each of the covers in the Stearns & Foster line feature Tencel. This is a super-soft fiber made from wood pulp that's harvested sustainably. The Studio collection employs a 100% Tencel cover, while the other collections use a Tencel blend.

Now let's get into the differences between the four lines.

Studio Line

The entry-level Studio collection is comprised of two mattresses: one is a tight top and the other is a Euro pillow top. The mattresses use more standard coils, and there are 1,072 of them in a queen size. The mattresses feature stronger coils around the edge, called Duraflex.

Below the quilt is a 1/2" layer of memory foam. It's not enough to give the mattress that slow memory feel one associates with memory foam.

The tight top mattress is 14" tall, while the pillow top version is about 14.5" tall. Both have a lot of bounce.

Stearns & Foster calls both a Medium; we found both also to be about a Medium on our scale, with the tight top version being closer to a Medium Firm.

From a cushioning standpoint, you don't sink deeply into either mattress. Rather, you get more of a feeling of floating on top of your mattress rather than sinking deeply into it.

Both mattresses feature covers made of 100% Tencel fibers. Tencel is a plant-based, sustainable material with moisture-wicking properties.

Stearns & Foster Estate Line

Next up from the Studio line are the company's Estate mattresses. There are 5 models, with all models having an Intellicoil support unit, arranged in a standard grid pattern, along with the firmer edge-support coils with ventilated pocketing. There are 1,504 coils in the queen size mattresses.

Among the tight-top Estate models, there's an Ultra Firm, a Firm, and a Soft. Then there is a Firm Euro top and a Soft Euro top. The tight-top models measure 14.5" tall, with the Euro top models about 15" tall.

On our scale, we judged the Ultra Firm tight top to be Extra Firm. Both of the Firm mattresses (the tight top and the Euro top) we rated as Firm, and both of the Soft models we judged to be Medium on our scale.

The Estate models all include the company's Tempur-Indulge memory foam, made by sister company TempurPedic. Most of these models have 1.5" of the memory foam (with 3/4" in the Ultra Firm tight-top mattress).

All five of the Estate models have excellent edge support, and all have plenty of bounce. The Euro-top versions have a little more than average cushioning depth, and all have an average amount of memory feel, certainly more than the Studio models.

Stearns & Foster Lux Estate

Continuing up the line, there are 5 models in the Lux Estate line of Stearns & Foster mattresses, ranging from two tight-top models in firm and ultra-firm, and three pillowtop versions in firm, medium, and soft. The tight top models are 14.5" tall, with the pillowtop models at 16".

The Lux Estate beds use the same Intellicoils mentioned above, but with some additional added features including a layer of supportive latex, a cooling Tencel cover, and microcoils. Counting these microcoils, there are up to 2,044 total coils in a queen size Lux Estate mattress.

Further, all five of the models also include Tempur-Indulge memory foam (up to 2.5" of it in the pillow top versions).

In terms of softness, the Ultra Firm tight top is indeed very firm; we call it an Extra Firm. All of the other mattresses fall into the Medium range, except for the Soft pillow top, which we judged a Soft on our scale.

You get a little more cushioning depth than you do on the Estate mattresses, and because they have more memory foam, you also get more memory feel.

Stearns & Foster Lux Hybrid

The Lux Hybrid collection from Stearns & Foster represents the biggest innovation, a unique coil and foam combination that we have never before seen.

On top of each pocket spring, instead of full sheets of foam, are individual columns of foams. It's an interesting arrangement that results in a lot of conformance, where the comfort materials really hug your curves. It also allows for a lot more vertical air flow compared to a sheet of foam.

There are three models in the Lux Estate Hybrid collection, and all are quite soft. The Medium version, which has 1.5" of Tempur-Indulge memory foam, is a Medium Soft on our scale. The Firm, which has 2.5" of memory foam is the firmest of the three, but still a Medium Soft on our sale. The Soft, which also has 2.5" of memory foam is a Soft on our scale.

The covers of these mattresses are upgraded, and include some phase-change material, a coating that gives the cover a coolness to the touch, in addition to Tencel. 

All of these mattresses have a fair bit of memory feel, and it's a slow memory foam, so you do get some of that melting feeling. These are probably the least bouncy mattresses in the Stearns & Foster line; the foam goes a long way in dampening the bounce from the springs below.

Also of note: If you are a person that has mobility issues, we did find that all the softness and conformance means you sink in quite a bit, and it can be a little more challenging to change positions.

Edge support also takes a hit. Sitting on the edge of the bed was unstable, though laying right on the edge was much better.

These mattresses are all 14-14.5" tall.

Stearns & Foster Reserve

The pinnacle of the Stearns & Foster mattress brand is the Reserve line. There are four models in the line: a Medium tight top, firm and soft pillow tops, and the Duet, which features a flippable mattress topper. The tight top models measure between 15" and 16" with the Duet topping 17" tall.

We judged the Medium tight top and Firm pillow top models to both be a Medium Soft on our scale. The Soft pillow top version we found to be a Soft (but close to a Medium soft), so in terms of softness, the three are very similar. The covers on these three are 50% Tencel and 50% polyethylene fibers.

The fourth model in Reserve line, the Duet, has an extra feature: a 4" tall, removable and reversible pillow top wrapped in its own cover. It's made of a 2" piece of latex sandwiched between two one-inch layers of latex. On either side is a different type of cover. One side features a 50% Tencel and 50% polyethlene fiber blend, for a subtle cooling effect. The other side is made of 50% Tencel and 50% wool. The idea is to flip the topper depending on whether you want to feel cooler versus warm and cozy.