For many motorhome and caravan owners, a great getaway can quickly be overshadowed by a poor night’s sleep. It’s a frustration that Christchurch-based craftsman Kerry Fisher knows all too well.
After countless family camping trips spent tossing and turning on uncomfortable caravan mattresses, Kerry and his wife Lisa found themselves longing for the comforts of home after just a few nights away. With a lifelong mindset around problem solving, rather than simply accepting, Kerry decided to do something about it.
Custom Comfort, Crafted by Hand
Fast forward a decade and Kerry has established a thriving business, dedicated to ensuring a comfortable night’s sleep – whether at home or a hotel, by motorhome, caravan or boat.
The Bed Shed specialises in creating custom-made mattresses and bed frames, with an impressive range spanning everything from New Zealand pine to ply bed frames and the best-selling Bed Shed pocket spring mattresses.
Kerry is wholly dedicated to helping fellow travellers enjoy the comfort they deserve, wherever the road takes them.
A Business Born From Experience
The Bed Shed’s story began after the Christchurch earthquakes, when Kerry purchased a local bed frame manufacturing business known as Not Just Beds. For years, he honed his skills handcrafting wooden bed frames while continuing a career in management and sales.
The turning point came when an opportunity arose to purchase specialist machinery from a South Island mattress manufacturer. Suddenly, Kerry could create not only the bed frames, but also the mattresses themselves.
For the business, and for motorhome and caravan owners, that was a definite game changer.
“Trying to fit a standard queen mattress into a caravan isn’t always practical,” says Kerry. “That’s where custom-made solutions really come into their own.”
One Man, One Workshop
What makes The Bed Shed particularly unique is that every bed frame and mattress is made by Kerry himself.
There’s no production line, no factory team and no large workforce. From cutting foam and assembling components to finishing the final product, Kerry is hands-on throughout the entire process.
Working from a lifestyle property complete with workshop and showroom, he has chosen a deliberately small-scale approach that allows him to maintain complete control over quality and craftsmanship.
It’s an increasingly rare model in today’s manufacturing world – and one that customers genuinely appreciate.
Built For Life On The Road
Right: The Bed Shed specialises in creating custom-made mattresses and bed frames
While The Bed Shed supplies mattresses for homes and hotels, caravan and motorhome bedding has become a specialist area.
With RV bedding often requiring custom dimensions, curved corners, angled edges or unusual shapes to maximise available space, the complete flexibility Kerry has around creating bespoke products really comes into its own.
The Bed Shed can create mattresses to suit virtually any layout, ensuring owners don’t have to compromise on comfort simply because their bed isn’t a standard size.
His mattresses utilise pocket spring technology, providing individual support and reducing partner disturbance – an important consideration in the compact living spaces of many RVs.
The lower-profile spring systems are also ideally suited to caravans and motorhomes, delivering excellent comfort without excessive mattress height.
Proudly Made In New Zealand
Wherever possible, The Bed Shed uses New Zealand-made materials, including locally produced wool, foam and quilting components.
Each mattress is assembled on-site, allowing Kerry to tailor comfort levels, firmness and dimensions to suit individual customers and their travelling lifestyle.
For Kerry, it’s never been about building a large manufacturing operation. Instead, it’s about creating quality products that solve real problems for real people. And as someone who still spends his downtime exploring New Zealand in a Jayco caravan with his wife, he understands exactly what those customers need.
After all, when you’re travelling some of the country’s most spectacular destinations, a comfortable bed isn’t a luxury – it’s an essential part of the adventure.
