Issey
Issey is passionate about reclaiming materials, "one woman's junk is another woman's treasure." She's always been a keen maker of many things. She's an advocate of the simple life and loves helping people create tiny and big homes on wheels.
Shelly
Shelly grew up in her dad's cabinet-making workshop and this is where her passion for carpentry began. She's got a keen eye for creating beautiful spaces and is happiest when she is in the workshop tinkering with tools and Handkrafting campervan conversions.
Kika
We were given Kika when we were away living in our big bus in Portugal. She was a lost puppy.
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She is kinda the reason we thought building campervans might be a good idea!
The Handkrafted Family
The Handkrafted Process​
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"Our Handkrafted stamp is bringing reclaimed pine floorboards back to life, the old pine is full of character and is light too. You'll see this wood featured in all our builds. Our conversions are handkrafted, cosy, practical and with a 'rustic' feel, though that doesn't compromise the finish."
Every project, every campervan, and every van owner is unique, which is why we work with every client on a one-to-one basis to design a conversion that's completely bespoke. Our experience converting and living in vans has taught us that if the design process is done properly then the build will be straightforward and smooth. Layouts and designs are hand-drawn (and re-drawn) using a scale ruler until you're happy with what we've created together.
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Inspiration​
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"We spend time giving life back to beautiful salvaged planks of wood and relishing in the process of watching wood come back to life again."
"We believe that cosy, rustic, unique, bespoke and practical aren't mutually exclusive. It's part of our passion to integrate the old with the new, the rustic with the precise, and the cosy with the practical.
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It's you and your van that inspires us. We love being along for the ride and listening to what you need, want, and where you're planning to go - this helps drive the design process more than anything else."
“As soon as I saw you, I knew adventure was going to happen”
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- Winnie the Pooh
The Handkrafted Journey...so far!
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Issey and Shelly met in 2010 through friends in the quirky, beautiful city of Bristol and have been almost inseparable ever since.
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Shelly came to Bristol to visit some friends and never left. She's the third generation in a family of carpenters and still uses some of her Grandfathers tools in the workshop and learnt almost everything she knows from her Dad. Shelly loves the design process, is a precision thinker and in her spare time loves a game of squash, playing the guitar and reading a crime novel.
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Issey came to Bristol to study and stayed after she dropped out to pursue her passion to become a massage therapist and bodyworker. Issey's Dad helped with their first-ever van conversion, Joy the Bus, and has since been an extended member of the Handkrafted Camper team always with his nose to the ground for materials waiting to be reclaimed.
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Issey and Shelly moved to Portugal for two years to travel, live, work and explore in their bus but eventually felt the pull back to Bristol. They returned in 2018 with the newest member of their family, Kika, their beautiful rescue pup and their purpose and passion, Handkrafted Campers came to life.