Julian's Split screen..

Bespoke seating with the best storage...

This gorgeous van belongs to Julian, and the only thing missing is the upholstery.

Julian is having all of the seating and lining work done in leather by
Bromsgrove Auto Trimmers. The intention is to use it for weddings, so a gorgeous interior is a must..


This is what it looked like before I started working on the interior.

Note the masking tape, with lines marked on to show what and where..

First thing Monday morning Pete the upholsterer, and I went through the design of the seating to make it the right height, the depth of seating to work and the angle of the back to be comfortable. The height of the backrest was to sit in a panel detail line, just under the windows.

By the end of the first days work I had the floor down, a master pattern made,

10 backrest sections made and all was good.

and a few days later..   Done..

The cream "Old English" Formica around the bottom,
and in one piece.. so no unsightly joints

The forward seating has the largest storage compartment and as I talked it through with Julian, I suggested that I would line this area out with a soft carpet, for the happy couple to put any items in. That would save things rolling around the floor area.

This corner area is useful for all sorts, the lid/seat squabs have the ply cut-outs screwed to the underside to stop the seats moving around and stiffen them up. It also makes fitting the upholstery too easier, you can't beat a hard base for the upholsterer.

The aft storage floor is not ply lined and good for tools and a jack

Pete and I chose to do the seat cushions with a full, lightweight ply base to make the cushions very crisp and the backrest removable in two parts allowing him to finish the upholstery on the bench and then fit after. I just had to ensure a 2.5mm gap all round each board. This method also allows the base unit to support the whole cushion board and the largest aperture.

Here is the leather covered seating with piping, looks great doesn't it. This photo was taken before the van was completed, so it could only look even more gorgeous later, beautiful.

It didn't take long to do, and by working with Pete, what took me a few minutes longer to do, saved Pete more than double his time..

Hope you like.

All the best

Jamie