NI bedmaker’s fantastic designs guarantee sweet dreams for stars’ children
A BEDMAKER based in Londonderry has been making dreams come true for the children of celebrities.
The unique fantasy beds made by Fraser Anderson have caught the eye of former glamour model and entrepreneur Katie Price and nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow.
Both have commissioned the 48-year-old Scotsman to make spectacular ‘castle’ beds for their children.
Father-of-six Fraser was a high-end cabinet maker for Harrod’s before meeting his Derry-born wife and moving to the north west to set up Anderson’s Themes And Dreams, a business manufacturing kitchens and garden and bedroom furniture.
A master craftsman for 27 years, his elaborate pieces, created in a workshop just minutes over the border in Donegal, are in big demand in celebrity land.
“Peter’s wife Bella has been following us on Facebook since last year,” said Mr Anderson.
“Bella came on and asked us about a product of ours. I didn’t actually know she was Peter’s wife at first. She wanted beds made for her children, Rosabella and Angelo.
“She sent me a message, we developed an idea, we presented designs and we took it from there. We worked on them here in our workshop in Burnfoot and transported them to England to the Stringfellows’ home.
“Bella and Peter are really amazing people. Peter is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. The big castle we built for them took seven days to build on-site, so we were chatting away every day; they made me lunch and multiple cups of tea. They are just lovely people, just the same as everyone else.”
But Stringfellow wasn’t his only celebrity client that week. He also shipped a handmade castle to the home of Price and
fitted the beautiful design in her daughter Bunny’s room. “With Bunny’s bed, we also had to assemble on-site so were there for a few days. I have four rooms to do with Katie and she wants some outdoor furniture done also. It’s the same as the Stringfellows. They just wanted beds to begin with — now I think they want a mini-Disneyworld in their garden,” he explained.
Far from being dazzled by his star clients, Mr Anderson says they are just ordinary mothers and fathers wanting to make their kids’ dreams a reality.
“It’s the same working with non-celebrities as it is working with celebrities,” he said. “They are just people, there are no airs and graces with them. They are just normal people. They are some of the nicest people I work with.”
He says his prices are reasonable, so everyone — celebrity or not — can afford them. The beds cost from £695 to £2,000 depending on materials used.
“We can make just about anything. We’ve done everything from indoor treehouses to fullsize Transformer beds to themed castles. We have made villas complete with tiles on the roof. They are not super-expensive,” he said.
“We try to keep it so that it is affordable to everyone, not just exclusive items.”
Although he is in big demand with the celebrity set, he is just as busy making beds for regular customers.
He says it was his own children who inspired him.
“I’m really busy doing plenty of work for non-celebrities,” he added.
“With the celebrities posting my finished work on their social media sites, that side of it seems to have just taken off.
“I started making children’s beds for my own four daughters when they were small — princess castles and the like.
“I was doing this before I was even thinking of doing it as a business.
“Then a few years back a customer asked us to make one for her child; we did that, then that led to another and another and it just spiralled from there.
“Who knows where it will lead?
“I’m back in England in the coming weeks to do more work with both Katie, as well as Peter and Bella.”