Rustic Simplicity ......The Story Behind The Name

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If you only need one bunk…….

Here’s an idea of how to add one simple bunk for a small child. This space is really magical and was created for a baby hobbit we know!

The idea was that as the child grew, there could be a drop down section coming from the end that extended into the space above this little seat.

In this camper we left the 3 front seats in tact, and there were no extra travelling seats installed, so when the family of 3 became 4, sadly Seraphina had to go. The little bed was never extended. But she was loved and enjoyed while they had her and I’m sure she is not the last hobbity van for that little family!

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How to make comfy seats

In our first campervan we made a classic ‘2 sofas and table which fold down to become a bed’. The cushions that were needed to fill in on top of the table were used as back rests. This is quite an uncomfortable way of doing things because it creates a kind of ‘sit up and beg’ feeling, and you can’t really relax. After that we began to put comfort at the forefront of our designs. Finding other ways to store the extra cushions means you can just have scatter cushions behind you, and the space for sitting is bigger. In Luna, above, we were able to stow the cushions away in a cupboard.

In Coorie you can see we only need these two large tartan cushions you can see at the back of the camper, and they sit happily there, allowing plenty of space to spread out and relax in the seating area. Other ideas might be to have thinner mattresses and store them on top of each other on the bench seats, forming extra comfy couches.

The best foam we have come across is Ikea memory foam mattresses https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/morgedal-memory-foam-mattress-medium-firm-dark-grey-90283797/. They are medium firm, make great seats and beds and are very easy to cut with bread knife.

Whatever you choose, remember your comfort is important….it means you can enjoy more off season camping, even if the nights are drawing in, and, with a little imagination, some great food, a tipple or two of course, and a few well chosen games, the great British weather will not be too much of a worry!

More fun for kids

A few years back we were approached by a lovely family with this drawing. Could we build something along the lines of the pod campers that had began to emerge on the scene, but with our signature rustic style? The van of choice was a sprinter and we took on the challenge with enthusiasm and more than a little trepidation!

Here is the van, who was lovingly called Derby, framed out so you can see how it all fits in…we had to drop the level of the bottom bed a little so that the parents had a bit more leg room.

And here is the finished design….I’m sure you will agree it worked out just fine! The advantage of this build is that the kids can climb around the back, inventing all kinds of adventurous games….So much more than a couple of bunks to sleep in…treehouses, pirate ships…..well you can see I’m just a kid at heart!

Two additional safe travelling seats were added. And the ubiquitous compost loo can be see next to Harris.

This family has also grown since the build….but happily doggo Selkie soon found a little nook and settled in!

Split level living

Coorie Doon is just one example of how you can split the levels in your campervan design, making for a very relaxed and roomy camping experience. In this van the storage is phenomenal. There are large hatches under the floor at the rear of the van, as well as a large clothes drawer that pulls out under each seat. Raising the seating area creates a large boot space, and we can fit our 2 folding bikes in there.

We love sitting up in the raised seating area, looking out at the view…the more observant among you will be able to make out Glastonbury Tor through the back doors! Coorie is an xlwb Peugeot Boxer. The bed is lengthways.

Luna is even higher with 3 steps up…she is a hitop xlwb Peugeot Boxer, with the bed running across the van. We built her with keeping her in mind, but changed our mind about the bed orientation as I prefer it if I don’t have to climb over James to get out for any nighttime forays! Nevertheless, she remains one of our all time favourite builds!

If you can possibly wangle it, you can sit up in bed in the mornings, watching the sun rise over the hills, tea in hand, whilst your other half sits in the dining area, leisurely reading maps and dreaming of the day ahead……I know we don’t deal in perfection….but in my opinion that’s about as good as it gets!

In all of our builds we start out with comfort in mind and work from there. We find that a kitchen can be ‘fitted in” to whatever space is left after you get the bed/seating area right, and there is often room for an additional dining area. We fit a toilet in under one of the seats…either a bucket loo or a compost one, and have a portable shower, or in the case of Coorie an ingenious tap swings out to the side and can be used for hair washing or showering if you are wild camping…simply boil a kettle and pour it into the water container for warm water.

James and I hail from an era of simpler times, when daily showers were not considered essential, and when camping was just that….getting back to basics in nature. A warm wash in front of the fire was the only way of keeping clean in the wee ‘but and ben‘ where we started out on married life, and I think we probably still subscribe to that…timeless simplicity, and the need to relax and not overthink it.

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Making it special for kids part 1

The possibilities are endless!

We had the privilege and actually fun commission to build a six berth van for David and Lynsay from Quirky Campers during the first lockdown of 2020.

They have a small boy and even smaller twin girls. The main consideration with this build was to make sure everyone, from the smallest to the tallest had a comfortable place to sleep. Storage was also important, and of course, everyone needed a safe travel seat. There are so many stories to share about this build, so check in regularly and we will reveal all!

As you can see from photo 3 at the top, each bunk has its own little porthole, and a light…David asked us to install a master switch so he could control lights out…..essential if they wanted to enjoy any adult time in the evening!

To save fights over who got which bunk, we made tiny little cupboards which I wood burned with some of their favourite things. Puffins and penguins, flamingos, rainbows, secret magic castles and magicians all found a way in, and each child could easily settle into their own individual space. We added luminous stars to the ceilings…a low tech but enchanting addition! Each child could take their own curtain from a hook to hang over the porthole at bedtime, they got a cup holder, and could also cover the moon, sun or star cut out to transform the space into a secret den.

The bunks looked great once Lynsay dressed them with the beautiful bedding…plants twined around the openings at the end, which, incidentally came about by happy accident! (We had a bit of a crisis about weight towards the end of the build, so we started to remove what we could, and making those huge spaces at the base of each bunk was one idea). Now the kids can climb around, and access their beds when mum and dad are busy at the other own of the van.

So, yeah, these were a really fun part of the build! If you are doing something similar, can I offer you a word of advice? If you are fairly well built, like James and I, you might want to do all the fiddly bits before you close off the bunks with a wall! Climbing around these spaces after they were built was a real labour of love!

The great news is your family can enjoy spending time in Frida…they had this van built for sharing, click here for details.

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#vanlifeuk #vanlifestyle #vangoals

Moana the campervan

Vanspiration

Laura’s beautiful van, Moana, was to be our final commission before we moved on to creating our own designs after making 23 for other people. We had already built Morag for Alice, her sister, and met Laura at Camp Quirky, the hand made campervan festival run by Quirky Campers.

It was an exciting prospect as these would be our only ‘sister’ vans.

Both girls had very definite but different ideas!

Where Alice went for a LWB Boxer, Laura chose a MWB Movano. The vans are quite different in shape with the Boxer being, as the name suggests, a ‘boxier’ van, quite square at the top.

There was to be a fixed bed, and importantly, a space for Lugo below…one of those cute little dog dens!

There is a third bed by the side door, formed by folding down one of the seats and pulling out part of the other. Storage is good, with plenty of boot space, as well as cupboards on each side of Lugos little bed that can be accessed from inside.

So this MWB van has everything. Sleeping and safe travel for 3. There is also enough seating and dining space for 3 people.

Solar power runs the fridge, usb lighting and charging points, as well as the simple shower accessed from the back doors. There is also a leisure battery which charges up as you drive. That is about as technical as our builds get….keep it simple is our mantra!

James has built a beautiful rustic kitchen using recycled whisky barrel wood, which is set off really well by the copper verdigris sink sourced from Egypt. She wanted a simple copper pipe tap, so we bent one to shape….it compliments the sink beautifully.

We built top cupboards and shelving into the sleeping area. And incorporated some of Laura’s collection of recycled coffee sacks into the space.

More top cupboards went into the kitchen, along with a rack for her collection of coffee tins.

Laura and I had a lot of fun with the fabrics she chose, using more coffee sacks for a kitchen blind, and adding a few eclectic African samples into the mix. Her theme stretched from the Amazonian rain forest to the seashore, and we played with the fabrics, transforming the cab, and moving forwards into the rest of the van.

Laura explained that Moana means ocean in Polynesian with water and tropical/colourful vibes being part of her. We enjoyed a few video calls as we planned how to use each piece of fabric….although she couldn’t actually be there in person, Laura was able to have a really meaningful part in how it was all put together!

We love to see what happens to the vans after they leave our workshops. We worked closely with Laura to make sure we gave her the look and feel she was after, but the real fun with any van begins after they go to their forever home. Then they are dressed up, fiddled with, and transformed usually into an enchanting space where imagination knows no limits!

I’m sure you will agree that Moana has more than a touch of magic about her!

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The fixed bed fixation!

To fix or not to fix?

These three vans, Peggy Flora, Seraphina and Sassanach all have fixed beds…they are also all Peugeot Boxer vans. In the design the fixed bed came first, followed by the other considerations such as extra seating. Each of them also has a loo, and they can have a portable outdoor shower that works from the back doors. They have also all gone for the pull out table under the bed. They carry 3 passengers safely, sleep 3 and can each seat 3, showing that a lot is possible, even if you are someone who loves a fixed bed!

When you choose not to fix

These three vans demonstrate what happens when you choose to forgo the fixed bed. In Frida…the one with the bunks, the parents bed has to be made up each day from the seats. It takes 3 1/2 minutes….I’ve timed it! So who doesn’t have that in their life when they are camping?! Look what the family gained…a wonderful storytelling couch! A place where they can all sit and eat, and as an extra bonus in this one, the kids can be put to bed. Frida is an H3L3 Citroen Relay. She is now a 6 berth.

Florrie is an ambulance. She also has no fixed bed, and you can see the bunks are optional, quite easy to put up and take down at will. She also has a wee cab bunk, making her a 5 berth van. She is plenty big enough for the whole family to relax in with this arrangement, and there is a little dining area by the side door, so some can sleep late and others can sit quietly with their morning coffee and contemplate the day!

Ruby is a LWB Boxer like all of the ones at the top, but laid out with no fixed bed. Her owner, Amanda was a definite fixed bedder, until she tried Ruby. She bought her with the idea that she could have the best of both worlds, leaving the bed up when she was camping by herself, but found that she really loves the space to chill by taking 3 minutes to put the bed away each day. Her husband often comes along too now, as he finds the extra space to sit and stretch his legs makes all the difference to a comfortable camping trip!

In more recent times we have tried out a new design…again the bed is not fixed, but takes only minutes to set up!

This bed is laid out the same as the one above, although it is oriented lengthways and is 6’ 2…I didn’t need to cut the 2 standard single mattresses by length.

So…to fix or not to fix? That is the question! And I think you can probably tell which side of the fence we are on!

#rusticsimplicitycampervanconversions

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Our rustic workshop

The Rustic Simplicity Workshop

We do not have a posh workshop with everything in its place…far from it! Our workshop is probably as rustic as our campervans and a whole lot more untidy!

James knows where everything is, and I refuse to have a hand in anything except basic sweeping up….it’s more than my life is worth!

The physical workshop is a side issue though..here is where the real magic happens!

The magic of an artisans hands

There is no substitute for the hands of a master craftsman. They know the wood, shaping it, coaxing it, paying attention to what it tells them it wants to be. They understand it’s amazing capacity for change and also its limitations. All of this only comes with experience.

James learned basic joinery at his fathers side, but his working life has been first as a sheet metal worker, and then, incredibly, he did nothing more creative than clean windows…..for 25 years! (Some might argue that cleaning windows is an art!). The wonderful work with recycled oak came later in life, and sometimes we are absolutely astonished when we step back to consider what it has led to.

A perfect day in the life of us over at Rustic Simplicity goes a bit like this:

Smoke rises lazily from a smoky sawdust fire just outside. The heady aroma of the finest malt whisky permeates the workshop and the raspy tones of a Bob Dylan ballad can be heard above the sound of hammers and saws. There is laughter and good humour….after 43 years this does not diminish which is a bit of a miracle in itself! We will both be busy, yet not pushed or stressed…..this is the absolute ideal state of affairs….it happens…sometimes!

Any of you who have been here when we are working to deadline will see a completely different scenario! We will be rushing around, each absorbed in their own ‘important’ task, which we will require help with and which we know should be done ahead of the other one’s insignificant one! There will be a small argument brewing under the surface, which we both know is only down to the stress of the moment, and will blow over the moment we are finished.

Every busy working day is rewarded with the feeling of satisfaction at a job well done…..we will relax with a meal and a couple of glasses of ‘not wine’, which is our favourite tipple these days, watch trash on the tv, or maybe I will write up a blog post….we count ourselves lucky that after a life of working hard serving the public, this is where we are now. Being able to design and create rustic campervans as we do is a wonderful way to spend our time, and if we can temper it with the odd bit of travel, so much the better!

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Creating a rustic simplicity campervan

Beautiful hand built campervan with curved ceiling. — Doobry/Skye

At the time of writing, we have just said goodbye to one van, which we love dearly, and are thinking about the endless possibilities of a new build. Doobry has been a really special build. He was built alongside Frida during the first lockdown of 2020, giving us something meaningful to do on the weekends, and taking our minds off the fact that we could not take the trip of a lifetime that had been so long in the planning.

Popular layouts

We had just finished building quite a few vans with fixed beds along the back, a side kitchen, and fairly small seating areas in the space that was left. These were lovely, and seemed to be the popular choice among our commissioning customers. You can see examples of some of these over here

Doobry seemed to demand something completely different from us….he had a lovely organic, curved shape, which just cried out for special treatment….and before we knew it, he had a beautiful, curvy arched ceiling, which looked absolutely amazing!

We couldn’t bring ourselves to spoil the shape with top cupboards, so we dreamed up some underfloor storage in place of it. Huge drawers pull out from the side door. We built the kitchen at the back, fitting a full cooker, a beautiful Mexican sink, and a deeper, more practical hidden sink on the other side. We sent to Mexico for some lovely mosaic picture tiles, and to Turkey for some Kilim cushions. Fairy lights, Moroccan lanterns and hanging lights add to the magical feel. And the storage space is phenomenal.

This van went on through a strange set of circumstances to travel Scotland with the Outlander stars, Sam Heughan and Graham MacTavish, for their spinoff series, Men in Kilts. He is my absolute favourite van so far, and it was a wrench to lose him……I found myself curious and also a little anxious to find out where his adventures would take him next!

And so we move on to a new project. Once again creative sparks will fly, and a new campervan will begin to take shape. We never know how they will evolve…they just make their own way into the world…..seemingly independent of us, as we allow the beautiful wood to tell its own story………I’m pretty sure the other builders of rustic vans among us will know exactly what I am talking about!