Silentnight Studio Eco mattress review

The Studio by Silentnight collection features four vacuum-packed mattresses, of which this Silentnight Studio Eco mattress model is the most affordable option. 

Silentnight is a well-respected mattress producer (some might argue the best mattress brand known, too) that has long impressed for its quality sprung mattresses and crowd-pleasing bedding. This is the first time Silentnight has dipped its toes into the lucrative mattress-in-a-box sector, so we were excited to find out what the brand’s unrivalled experience and mattress-making knowledge could bring to the table. 

The USP of this mattress has got to be its stellar eco-credentials, thanks to Silentnight’s specially developed comfort layer made from fibres from 100% recyclable plastic bottles. That doesn’t sound terribly soft but, trust us, it is both comfortable and cooling as well as being a sustainable living option. 

We tested the Studio Eco mattress for three weeks, checking for sound sleeping (naturally), support, motion transfer, temperature regulation and overall quality and ease of use.

WHAT’S THE SILENTNIGHT STUDIO ECO LIKE TO SLEEP ON?

While this mattress is indeed vacuum-packed in the same manner as all mattress-in-a-box options, it doesn’t actually come in a box. Instead, the Silentnight Studio Eco arrives safely wrapped in plastic, which saves you the effort of getting it out of a box without accidentally cutting through the mattress (harder than you’d imagine). And also saves you the effort of disposing of several trees’ worth of cardboard. Winning. We tested a double and it was just about light enough for one, not particularly strong, person to carry upstairs. The king size would require two people.

Once upstairs, we carefully slit the plastic bag open—noting the fact an eco-proud product was wrapped in very thick plastic, but it can of course be recycled—and the mattress unrolled very quickly. We recommend placing it on your bed base first, as it wasn’t very easy to manoeuvre in its initial floppy state. We left it overnight to fully expand, as recommended, but it was ready to go in about three hours. 

To test the support and tension of this mattress, we used a hefty 56lb/4st weight and positioned it around the bed and right to the edges. It sank by 6.5cm on the edge, and just shy of 7cm in the middle. This indicates the support isn’t completely evenly spread but it’s pretty close. At this level of sinkage, you shouldn’t feel trapped in the mattress as if you’ve fallen into quicksand, as can be the case with all-foam mattresses. 

On with the actual sleep test. First impressions were not great. When you initially lie down on the Studio Eco, it feels a little hard and unyielding. This experience was likely exacerbated by the fact we had previously been sleeping on a very plush sprung mattress with a deep gel topper. Fortunately, the situation massively improved. The longer we lay, the comfier we felt, and we went off to sleep unusually quickly, sleeping right through the night, which is rare. 

Now, it’s hard to properly assess your sleep if you’re too busy being asleep, so in the morning we did a mock motion transfer assessment, which essentially involved one person lying corpse-still, while the other practised horizontal disco moves. The results were truly impressive, especially given we were on a double (and used to a super king) and is quite possibly the lead reason we slept undisturbed. If your co-sleeper is prone to thrashing around at night, you won’t feel it, at least from the mattress tipping or reverberating beneath you. We can’t make any promises re noisiness or duvet stealing!        

The rest of the three-week testing period continued to prove a huge success—by which we mean consistent and undisturbed sleep was achieved night after night. There are a few niggly downsides to this mattress, which we cover further down, but on pure sleep success, it’s a very impressive product.

WHAT DOES THE SILENTNIGHT STUDIO ECO SMELL LIKE?

There is a very slight off-gassing smell when you first unwrap this mattress but it doesn’t linger. In fact, it was completely undetectable within 24 hours, which is possibly due to the omission of memory foam in this mattress compared to most hybrids but definitely a welcome result.

HOW FIRM IS THE SILENTNIGHT STUDIO ECO MATTRESS?

Silentnight advertises the tension of the Studio Eco as medium firm and we found that to be a fair assessment. Firmness is a personal thing but, generally speaking, the heavier you are, the firmer the mattress you’ll need. And, true to form, the heavier of our two testers found it less firm than the lighter. A medium firm mattress is the most popular choice generally, as it suits a wide range of body types and sleeping styles. We found this mattress most comfortable when sleeping on our side, but it was also comfortable on our back and front. 

WHAT DO YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY?

This is a very reasonably priced mattress and starts from £359 for a single, although it’s worth noting that there isn’t any memory foam in it (you’ll need the Studio Memory for that). Like all Silentnight mattresses, the Studio Eco comes with a full manufacturer’s guarantee against defects for five years. Any replacements required are like-for-like or a current equivalent. Crucially, it also comes with a 60-night comfort exchange guarantee, which means the mattress doesn’t need to be broken or defective, just not to your taste. This means you can exchange it for another similarly priced mattress rather than get a refund. Since Silentnight isn’t short of mattresses to choose from, presumably even the fussiest sleeper will eventually find a good match. Admittedly it’s not as long as many bed-in-a-box mattresses, which generally offer 100-200 nights, but you should know if any mattress suits you within 30 days.

WHAT IS THE SILENTNIGHT STUDIO ECO MATTRESS MADE OF?

The Studio Eco mattress contains sustainable fibres—specifically recyclable plastic bottles. Silentnight claims to have saved more than 105 million plastic bottles from ending up in our oceans, so far. The excellent cooling properties of the Studio Eco are, according to Silentnight, down to this new high-tech fabric, Eco Comfort Fibres, that boasts a 3D cross structure with airspaces. 

As you move in the night, the air under your body circulates, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter. This layer also provides softness. We tested this mattress when the outside temperatures were pretty low, so we’re not sure how much the mattress had to do with it, but we definitely didn’t overheat when sleeping on the Studio Eco. The core contains a single layer of 1,000 mini pocket springs (18cm tall) that provide balanced but responsive movement. This is the entry-level in the Studio range, so it does not contain any expensive memory foam or gel. 

WHAT DID WE NOT LIKE?

Having tested mattresses by all the big mattress-in-a-box players, we can say that the Studio Eco doesn’t offer quite the same sturdy feel. It’s a little unsupported on the edges, and quite light. A point proved by the fact that it moves, very gradually, down the bed, requiring it to be pulled back into position once a week or so. It doesn’t have any handles, which makes it tricky when you come to rotating the mattress (from top to bottom, it doesn’t need flipping). 

WHO IS THE SILENTNIGHT STUDIO ECO BEST FOR?

All sleepers, especially lighter body types. We tried it in all sleeping positions (on our side, back and stomach) and found it offers comfort and support, no matter how you roll. The cooling performance also makes this a great choice for children, who tend to sleep a few degrees hotter than adults. We tested this mattress on a 10-year-old hot head, and found she was significantly less sweaty during the night than usual and slept much better for it. The tightly rolled packaging is also perfect for anyone living in an apartment or home with narrow hallways and there’s no box to put out for the recycling lorry either. 

IS THE SILENTNIGHT STUDIO ECO WORTH IT?

Yes, it’s easily as good as the leading mattress-in-a-box brands, and approximately half the price! Sure, there’s no memory foam, but memory foam can be a bit of a Marmite ingredient. Many people find it too unyielding, too smelly, too sweaty and too environmentally concerning. If you are one of these people, or even if you just want a bargain for your spare bed, then you could do a lot worse than the Studio Eco.  

WHAT IS ORDERING AND DELIVERY LIKE?

As a rolled mattress, the Studio Eco comes with free, safe delivery, without contact, to your doorstep. Delivery is between 9am-6pm and you can choose your preferred date from a calendar-style menu when you order. You’ll get a text with a specific four-hour time slot the night before, which is updated an hour before the expected arrival time.