I've had some really poor nights' sleep on sofa beds, cheap, creaky beds and lumpy mattresses and, yes, sofas. Some of these I can excuse – I mean, a sofa's for sitting on. Sofa beds I don't have so much sympathy for. They generally sit in a room where a sofa is little to no use, and then when folded out for a guest to sleep in, the sleeping platform and thin mattress are far from flat, or comfortable. Sofa beds are rarely the right answer to any question, in my opinion.

So, when I had the idea for PIVOT, there was no way it was going to be a compromised bed. I wanted to beat regular beds at their own game. The first two prototypes were more standard in terms of their sleeping platform – wide, softwood bed slats, like many cheap beds, which sagged in the middle. We always knew this wasn't good enough so, for the final product, we totally changed things.

You know those thin, flexible wooden slats which most beds have? Why do you think they're like that? Is it because they're flexible? Because they are good for your back? No, I'm afraid not, it's because they're cheap. That's right, the bed industry has been selling you a lie. Beds should not be flexible, they should offer a completely flat platform to allow your mattress to do its job. And they shouldn't creak, rattle or bang.

Designing the product so it could only be used with a unique type of mattress –  otherwise known as 'the Apple model' – was never on the cards. We'll stick to making this great product and offer you, dear customer, the ability to use your existing mattress, or a new one of your choosing. With our perfectly flat, non-sagging platform, your mattress is perfectly set up to succeed. Mattresses are a very personal choice, so you should be able to make that choice.

As you may imagine, given its dual purpose, PIVOT Bed has an incredibly strong frame. Many times stronger than a traditional bed. Apart from the outer frame, it has two lengths of very strong, hollow-section steel across the middle (these are part of the dip-bar bracing), where most of your weight is and where most beds sag. We have a strong steel spine to the bed, which enables us to solve the 'cheap, flexible slat problem' a completely different, and much better way.

We use high quality, birch core plywood panels, CNC-cut into four quadrants, with stylish cutouts for mattress breathability. The light coloured layers of wood and darker glue layers create a pleasing decorative effect. Oh, and when we say "birch core" we don't mean "birch plywood" like is common in the US – this is often just a thin veneer of birch wood, with any old wood used for the core, and it's not strong, doesn't stay flat and isn't very pretty. This is all expensive, but we're not trying to compete with anyone, we're producing a one-of-a-kind, premium product which will last a lifetime and we've stayed true to that goal throughout the development process. Our guiding question has always been "what's the right thing to do?"

So, now that I've explained the relevant design points, is it comfortable? Well, yes. Yes it is.