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Vintage caravan renovation: five top tips

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Itโ€™s pretty safe to say that ex-Blockheads Carlene and Michael Duffy, of Cedar & Suede, are bona fide vintage caravan reno experts. From the gorgeous โ€˜Bumblebeeโ€™ to their latest project โ€˜Dollyโ€™ (pictured below), their caravan renovation prowess is unparalleled which is why we are thrilled to share some of their top reno tips with you today.

Carlene and Michael Duffy in front of their latest caravan renovation 'Dolly'
Carlene and Michael Duffy with their children and latest renovated caravan ‘Dolly’

From the importance of planning and clever storage to the judicious choice of materials, overhauling a caravan could be just the weekend project youโ€™re looking for but youโ€™d best start now to have it ready in time for summer!

Dolly
The divine ‘Dolly’ interior

Buy according to your skills
As with any renovation project (be it a piece of furniture or even an entire house), you need to work to your skill set and limitations. โ€œIf youโ€™re handy you could buy a strip-out that needs a lot of work but if youโ€™re an inexperienced renovator itโ€™s best to spend more on a van thatโ€™s in-tact and that only requires more superficial changes,โ€ says Carlene.

'Dolly' caravan
Dolly’s delightful dining space

Good planning is key
โ€œLike any reno you want to spend time in the planning stage achieving a functional floorplan and sleeping arrangements for you and your family,โ€ says Carlene. Mattresses aside, you need to think about how much time you will spend hanging out in the van and whether a dining space is important too.

Main bedroom
Main bedroom

ย Keep it light
โ€œThis home is transportable and therefore keeping all the materials lightweight is key for optimum safety. Use lightweight benchtops and cabinetry, as well as flooring and wall panelling,โ€ says Carlene.

Dolly
Bunk beds and dining area

Optimise storage
As with any tiny home, employing smart storage solutions is vital. โ€œWe include storage under the beds and under the dining banquette seats to store our camping chairs, tables, surfboards and everything else you can think of,โ€ says Carlene.

Storage is key
A decent amount of kitchen storage is vital

Design with holidays in mind
โ€œMost of us use our vintage vans for holidaying so creating a holiday vibe is key. Donโ€™t be scared of colour. These are retro vans that hail from the 1950โ€™s, 1960โ€™s and 1970โ€™s, a time when colour was king, so paying homage to the vanโ€™s origins in this way is only right,โ€ says Carlene.

Gorgeous kitchen details
Gorgeous kitchen details

If youโ€™d like to learn more, Carlene and Michael are delivering a series of caravan renovation workshops at Brisbaneโ€™s upcoming Reno Home Showย and they will be exhibiting โ€˜Dollyโ€™ there too.

Photography: Cait Meyers

Purchase tickets to Carlene and Michael’s vintage caravan workshop | New retro flat-pack interior kits for VW Kombi vans

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July 4, 2019

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Amy Collins Walker

About Amy Collins Walker

Amy is our regular feature writer, an experienced journalist and interior stylist living in Perth, Western Australia. Find out more about her styling work at http://www.amycollinswalker.com/

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Comments

  1. AvatarDakwerken says

    July 4, 2019 at 10:07 pm

    Really loved Vintage caravan renovation tips. Keep sharing!

    Reply

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