Interior designer Samantha Platt renovated 13 homes with her husband Herb during 28 years of marriage but, when covid hit, they changed direction and started transforming tiny homes, specifically caravans. These days, they’re travelling Australia in the most perfectly made over vintage van called Carter, while spending half of the year in Europe. We couldn’t wait to find out more about this dreamy sounding life change!
Their first tiny renovation was Hunter, a 1973 Viscount Royal, and the experience was enough to swear them off caravans for life. “I disliked van life immensely for the first week and thought we would sell our pride and joy after that trip,” Samantha explains. “Skip forward a few months and I had renovated and flipped two more vans called Daisy and Clementine with a friend.”
By this stage, they had decided to fulfil a lifelong dream to retire early and they took their Viscount up and down the East Coast of Australia for nearly a year. An Instagram follower bought it off them in Byron Bay during lockdown and so the search began for their next project, a Toyota Coaster.
“We purchased Mr Pemberton within a week and headed for Stanthorpe QLD where we renovated it on our friends’ property. We took a six-month trip overseas to Europe and Asia and then came back and did an entire lap of Australia, driving 28,000km in 11 months. Ironically, we sold the bus halfway through our trip to a camper we met. We delivered it to her at the completion of our lap and picked up our latest project, Carter, which we had purchased sight unseen in the same week as we sold the bus.”
Carter had been in storage for six months and the pair realised they had perhaps once again bitten off maybe more than they could chew. So back they went to their friends’ home in Stanthorpe and the build began.
“It took three months, working full time, and this time we built it to be the ultimate off grid machine, complete with an outdoor kitchen, impressive off grid power and solar setup and the sweetest pink interior. We once again headed overseas for six months and upon our return, travelled for just a few short months before our son decided that he too wanted in on the action.”
So mum and dad (who had vowed they would never build another van) embarked on probably their most ambitious build yet, taking a 2021 LDV long wheel base van and turning it into his dream home on wheels called Penelope.
But their true love and now home (at least for half of each year), is pink-themed Carter, pictured. Complete with wallpapered fridge, fluted glass doors on an appliance cabinet, a porcelain sink, a terrazzo style floor and a large slide-out kitchen, it’s definitely not your average van.
“I adore incorporating art and patterns,” Samantha says. “The entire van is painted green and pink (which my husband loves just as much as me) with the exception of the ceiling. The double-sided upholstery on our dinette seating is a standout and my vintage inspired light over the dining table is powered with a remote control puck light. We installed a huge slide-out outdoor kitchen, complete with a sink, gas hob and seperate fridge. We have an outdoor shower where we shower by moonlight or under the fairy lights and our impressive electrical system and solar panels mean that we never ever have to stay in a caravan park again.”
Samantha has a very engaged and loyal Instagram following, who she adores. “I am known for my tiny house tips and tricks and above all else my love of mixing pattern and colour. I am obsessed with wallpaper and none of my sheet sets match, I love to mix my linens for a bespoke look.”
Samantha and Herb are now on lap 2.0 and currently in Tasmania for 3.5 months. They plan to return to the mainland next month, travel up the East Coast and then return to Europe for another five months in August, to catch up with family and hopefully enjoy a white Christmas.
They’re so invested in their new lifestyle they’ve even sold their permanent home, although they initially just rented it out. “I loved our apartment in Newstead, Brisbane and it was always our plan to return there,” Samantha says. “But we decided to sell it last year as we know we won’t ever go back.
“A vintage caravan is a much smaller investment than a new modern van, so with just a few thousand dollars, this is achievable for anyone. We do however have other investment properties, so we are still in the housing market. I’d never want to be out of it totally as you never know what curveball life can throw at you.”
Her tips if you’re inspired to follow her lead and live a tiny home life on the road? “Keep an open mind and never say no to any adventure that presents itself. Tiny home living is more than just travelling around the country in a small space. This is our home and travelling is the part of our daily lives that keeps it interesting for us.
“There is something so cathartic about only carrying and owning what will fit in your tiny cupboards. It’s made us appreciate nature more and the material possessions that we do have are even more considered due to our restricted space. I do not buy an item simply for its aesthetic purpose anymore, but when I do buy something we need, I ensure that it is aesthetically pleasing.
“There is a huge difference in this type of mindset. We have never been big spenders on material possessions, but like everyone else, we had homes that we filled with furniture and decorative items, because we thought that was the dream! Our home is simply too small for that anymore and let me tell you, it’s such a liberating feeling in a time when consumerism is at an all-time high. Living a full-time travelling lifestyle is now the dream.”
Follow Samantha and Herb’s adventures on Instagram
