Hi Bobbie,
It can be a difficult choice when you have tested and particularly like a premium mattress with more complex layering that isn’t easy to “duplicate” but is also not good value based on the design and the materials that are in it (at least by most people’s definition of “value”)
The Green Sleep Dolezza is actually a Dunlop latex mattress (not Talalay). It is certainly a beautiful mattress that uses high quality materials but is also very costly compared to other mattresses that use similar materials in similar amounts. As you probably know … it has 4 layers as follows …
1.5" Dunlop - soft quilted with 3 lbs/sq ft of wool.
3" Dunlop your choice of firmness on each side
3" Dunlop your choice of firmness on each side
2" Dunlop - firm
In addition to the @ $4400 cost for the mattress (queen), if you tested the mattress with the dowel base then this could also be a significant part part of how it felt for you and the mattress would be different on a firm foundation (unless this was what you tested it on). This means that to have the same feel and performance you would need to spend an additional $1600 for the foundation.
Because the layering and construction is fairly complex … about the closest you could come to “approximating” this mattress with another mattress would be testing other mattresses with 9" - 10" of latex that used similar amounts of wool or with a wool topper or with component mattress with about 8" - 9" of latex in layers that are similar to the bottom 3 layers of the Dolcezza with either a soft 1.5" - 2" topper quilted with wool or a latex topper and a wool topper over that which had a similar amount of wool. Because the ILD’s and layer thickness may not be the same and the component mattress would have separate layers rather than being quilted together … this would be an approximation but it could provide the same pressure relief and support/alignment at a significantly lower cost (in the range of 60% of the Dolcezza or less) even though the more subjective “feel” would be different. I would also make sure you had tested the Dolcezza without the foundation so you had a clear idea whether the additional cost of the foundation or a similar foundation was justified for you.
Post #2 here has more about “matching” another mattress and I would tend to avoid the temptation of using the subjective “feel” of any mattress as a target and use more objective methods of assessing other mattresses against a common set of “standards” such as those in post #46 here.
As far as Natura, They are a Canadian manufacturer that makes a wide range of mattresses that tend to use good quality materials. They recently went bankrupt (tried to expand too quickly and be all things to all people) and were purchased by Spring Air Sommex. Most of their mattresses including the one you are looking at (assuming the layering you listed is accurate) tend to use good quality materials but they too are also more costly than many other mattresses that use the same materials in similar amounts. I don’t know the specifics of the mattress you are looking at but some of their mattresses also use a fair bit of wool in the quilting. As far as the latex it is in the same range as the Dolcezza at 9" (although it is Talalay which is a different type of latex). For the most part based on the pricing I have seen at most retailers that sell them … I would also put them in a “good quality but not good value” range.
There are many other options in the Boston area though that are listed in Post #2 here and many of these carry latex options that are more reasonable than the mattresses you have looked at.
There are also online component mattresses available (including SleepEz who you talked to) that have very good value and some of the members here that sell these are listed in post #21 here.
If I was in your shoes I would follow the steps in post #1 here and include some of the other retailers/manufacturers that are close to you in your research and possibly one or more or the online manufacturers as well as an option and value comparison. When you are down to 3 - 5 finalists or so then you can choose between them based on all the tradeoffs that are part of your own personal value equation. Once you have tested some better value choices at other manufacturers or retailers you will also have a much better frame of reference and context to help you decide if the extra cost for similar materials is worth the difference in price for either the Dolcezza or the Natura Twilight.
I know I personally would have a very difficult time justifying that kind of price when there are so many other great options available but in the end that’s a decision each person would need to decide for themselves based on what is most important to them.
Phoenix