Ford Transit Custom Campervan Build – Part 12: Installing a Bespoke Kitchen with USR Design

It’s been a rough few months on the van front. The children’s initial excitement has fizzled out a bit – understandably, given that Vangelina’s been more of a driveway ornament than an adventure-mobile. That said, they still beam every time we do the school run or whip out the bike rack. They love her. But I think they’ve missed having actual stuff to do on her.

Meanwhile, I’ve been busy haemorrhaging money. First came the wet belt debacle (again), then the turbo decided it fancied early retirement. My van budget didn’t just get eaten – it got devoured, digested, and spat out onto a credit card. So now I wait patiently for payday to roll around, hoping to clear the debt and start saving for the fun bits again.

My husband? He was ready to throw in the towel. Fix it, flog it, forget it. He was sick to the back teeth of the mechanical melodrama. But me? I’m a blindly hopeful bird. Behind my façade of cynicism and dramatic sighs, I’m secretly quite positive. I’ll keep flogging the proverbial horse until I’m absolutely sure that yes, it’s dead. 😂

Enter: Kitchen Excitement (and a dash of chaos)

On the day we got the OK that the turbo was sorted, we headed straight to USR Design in Stoke-on-Trent to collect our (mercifully pre-paid) kitchen units. Cue a flicker of excitement! Although, true to form, things didn’t go entirely smoothly with this either – and I’m convinced my van’s bad luck rubbed off on poor Phil at USR. But more on that in a sec…

Finding a van kitchen has been a full-blown nightmare. Honestly, it felt like no one wanted my money 😂 Transit kitchens were easy enough to find, sure – until you mentioned “long wheelbase.” Then the options vanished faster than my savings. Most suppliers turned out to be hours away, or only offered two or three colours, and expected me to settle for boring black or some warm wood that would’ve clashed with all the cool greys I’d used. No thanks.

Weeks passed. I tried Google, eBay, left voicemails, emails… Nothing. Eventually, I dusted off my ancient Facebook login (kept alive purely for Marketplace) and stumbled across USR Design. The reviews looked promising, so I messaged the owner – and he actually replied! I nearly fell off my chair!

Not only was Phil happy to do a custom colourway and bespoke build, but he quoted less than most places were charging for a bog-standard precut kitchen. AND he was only 30 minutes away. I couldn’t believe my luck!

We chatted, I told him what I wanted – mid-grey units, cream splashback and worktop, top cupboards over the sink, a curved end unit behind the driver’s seat, and a roller door on the wardrobe section. No plans, no drawings. Just vibes and a deposit. He said it’d be ready in six weeks…

The Curse Continues… Sort Of 😅

Several weeks in, Phil messaged. His computer had crashed and wiped everything – years of designs, custom builds, gone. Inevitably, it would delay things a bit. Luckily (if you can call it that), Vangelina was still dealing with her own incontinence issues, so I wasn’t in a rush. But I did feel awful, like my van was now infecting others with its misfortune.

Then, just as the turbo was nearing completion, Phil messaged again: the kitchen was ready! We had a week off coming up, so we planned to collect it the same day we picked up the van…

We arrived early at USR Design, expecting a quick slide-in job and to be home by lunch. Instead, we met Phil (lovely chap, total van nerd) and saw the cabinets – and I was blown away. Everything I’d asked for was there, beautifully built, and finished in exactly the colours I’d imagined. Even better? Every drawer and door had self-locking, soft-close catches. At no extra cost!

Because of the lost data, Phil needed to scribe the units on-site to make sure they fit properly. And before we knew it, he and his colleague were fitting, fettling, aligning, cutting, and securing everything. We were there for nearly five hours while they worked their magic.

The boys were absolute troopers (despite me bringing zero toys or snacks – I didn’t realise we would be here so long – oops!). But we wandered to the supermarket, grabbed lunch and treats for everyone, and by late afternoon… we had a perfectly fitted, absolutely stunning kitchen in the back of Vangelina.

Falling Back in Love 💕

I think I might be falling back in love with her. If you’re looking for an affordable, bespoke, and beautiful van kitchen, look no further than USR Design. Honestly, Phil’s attention to detail is phenomenal, and the customer service? Miles ahead of any other place we tried! 👌

So here she is, in all her kitchen glory. Exactly what I wanted. Eventually, the electrics and other plans will follow – I don’t know when, but I’ve got everything crossed that the tide is finally turning. 🤞

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