Beso Furniture's Van Bed

Freddie Bowles, designer and maker of the Van Bed talks about using Button-fix for furniture designs and products in his campervan.

As experienced joiner Freddie said, ‘When you are making things, ideas pop into your head’. So it was with the initial concept for his design for the Van Bed. Several factors gave truth to the saying that necessity is the mother of invention. Firstly, his van was needed both for work and fun. Secondly, waking up in a van on a cold morning to find out a deflated inflatable mattress is not a good start to the day. Thirdly, he wanted to make a product available to other recreational vehicle users and create a successful business. As the brief for the Van Bed evolved from these basic needs, it became apparent that a strong and reliable fixing was needed for the elegant assembly of the folding surfaces. Buttonfix  Type 2 was the obvious choice, providing a comforting snap when locking the panels together.

The first prototype of the Van Bed used Button-fix Type 2 with green Buttons, but as the design evolved, the blue Buttons were adopted and fixed with M4 bolts and Nylok nuts.

The range of Van Beds includes a sofa bed, and a wide chair, both of which fold down into a bed.