(photo courtesy of Elddis)
A French bed layout is a good place to start if you’re looking for a fixed bed coachbuilt, especially if it’s a secondhand ’van you’re seeking.
French beds predate island beds (so there’s a wider price range of used examples) and they still find favour because the motorhomes tend to be shorter.
They are included in some British coachbuilt ranges, although they have fallen out of favour in most imported line-ups.
Be sure to watch our complete guide to motorhome layouts.
Words by Rachel Scholes and Peter Vaughan
The French bed layout
(photo by Warners Group Publications)
A French bed is a fixed double bed arranged lengthways against one side of the motorhome.
The design is most commonly seen in low-profile models, although it has very occasionally been seen in large van conversions.
Because most French beds share space in the rear with the washroom alongside, the ratio of bed to bathroom width is crucial.
A decent bed (such as the domestic standard 4ft 6in wide) leaves only around 2ft 6in for the washroom. However good the bed, the sleeper next to the wall will have to climb over their partner to reach the loo.
Then there’s the washroom door. Sliding or tambour doors often work best but you still need room to access the ablutions, so the bed usually narrows towards the foot to make space.
This ‘chopped off’ corner can see the sleeper on that side with a leg dangling; some are far worse in this area than others.
(photo by Warners Group Publications)
Another, less common, variation sees the washroom arranged behind the bed and across the rear, so then there’s more space for both the bed and the reasonably palatial ablutions.
Overall length of the ’van will be greater – probably 7.50m or more – so then why would you buy this and not an island bed model?
Lounges often feature side settees in British-built models, while continental brands are more likely to have a half-dinette.
Under-bed storage varies, too, with some models having water tanks, heaters, etc, in this area.
Perhaps a dying breed, the French bed features in the 2024 ranges of UK brands, Auto-Sleepers, Elddis and Swift, while Hobby and Knaus are amongst the few continental marques still offering this classic design.
