Our new family bed layout is very dear to me personally. I’m a camping enthusiast and father myself. I understand the needs of young families and wanted to create something that would offer real added value to all families on their camping holidays.
The Head of the Caravan Design Team, Christoph Semkow, has been working for Hobby for over seven years. Together with his team led by Samuel Salama, the camping enthusiast and family man has succeeded in creating a new, multifunctional children’s bed concept, the likes of which the caravan market has never seen before. In a joint interview, Christoph tells us how he came up with the idea and what it is that makes the new children’s bed area so unique.
How did the idea come about?
The idea of developing a caravan like this matured over several years and was something I had personally dreamed about for a long time. When I got the final “go-ahead” from our management team, we got straight down to business and the ideas just bubbled out of us. We were constantly sharing ideas with families and incorporated our own needs as well. Being a devoted father and camping enthusiast myself, I can identify with it perfectly.
What was your aim?
Basically, we wanted to create something new that had never been seen before on the market. What we mean by that is offering families real added value and combining all the things you usually only get in a much larger caravan in the children’s area. We wanted to develop a caravan that was as flexible as possible and that could also be reconfigured to suit the needs of each and every family.
You’ve certainly achieved your aim! How is the children’s area designed?
Yes, we really have achieved our aim, and we’re incredibly proud of and delighted with the result. In the new children’s area, the bottom bunk consists of three square cushions, which have a moulded fabric cover with grooves underneath to help the air to circulate as well as possible. These cushions can also be converted into a cosy seating area at any time, or simply removed, if necessary. There are two further levels above this, where another two beds can be inserted in no time at all. The upper beds consist of two support profiles, a roll-up slatted frame and the mattress. As a result, the area with the children’s beds can be reconfigured in nine different ways at any time.
What does that mean exactly?
Basically, before taking a trip, I can think about the way I’d like to travel and how many children I’d like to take along with me. I can set up the children’s area to accommodate one, two or three children. I can also configure it to have enough room for the dog, for example, if I want it to join us on our holiday as well. But I can also create a daytime layout at any time during my holiday by building a play den or a seating area in a few simple steps.
When will you take your first trip in the caravan?
As soon as we possibly can. My partner, young daughter and I can hardly wait to finally hit the road and go on holiday in it.
