Tag: caravan renovation

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Design Designers Interiors Addict Interviews The Block

Michael and Carlene’s latest vintage caravan is for sale!

You absolutely loved former Blockheads Carlene and Michael Duffy’s last vintage caravan renovation so when we heard that they have put another one on the market, we had to take a tour. Experts at vintage caravan renovations, this one, named Dolly, is a retro baby blue dream. At 22 feet long, the 1970s caravan is the largest the interior design duo has renovated, making it ideal for a family.

Carlene and Michael Duffy with their children and Dolly

“We sourced and renovated her in 2017, not to a specific brief. It might have taken six months in total. Walking inside Dolly feels like a holiday. There is something simple and calming about small space living and yet by van scale, Dolly is a whopper!” says Carlene of the van that features beds at both ends (including a gorgeous brass-trimmed bunk), as well as a fully functioning kitchen area, dining nook and plenty of storage space.

Dolly caravan
Dining and kitchen
Carlene Duffy
Carlene on Dolly’s queen bed

The renovation includes the Cedar & Suede designers’ signature brass accents combined with pastel tones and quirky prints. “We love Dolly’s fresh, retro, coastal vibe,” says Carlene who maintained as much of the original van as possible throughout the restoration.

Dining area
Dining area

Painted in Taubmans’ Crashing Waves and Big White, the caravan features timber-look vinyl planks on the floor and a combination of renovated and new elements within. The dining area features a resurfaced collapsible table (in Laminex Carrara), freshly sprayed gold table legs as well as newly upholstered bench seating. “We love combining gold with pastels, which are a real nod to that retro, coastal vintage feel. For us, the idea is to retain the character where we can. So, if it’s salvageable, we refresh it and highlight that,” says Carlene.

Kitchen
Kitchen nook

The kitchen nook has a matching Laminex benchtop, white subway tiles, brass tapware and the couple replaced the original, amber-coloured glass from the front of the kitchen cupboards with brass netting. The kitchen also features a gas stove top burner and Dometic 12 volt/24 volt RV refrigerator.

Dining and bunk area

As for the sleeping arrangement, there’s a queen-sized bed up one end a bunk bed at the other. The queen bed features handy under-bed storage with gas struts.

Bunk bed
The gorgeous bunk bed features original brass details

Dolly is registered, weighs just over 2 tonne, has electric brakes and a 12 volt deep cycle battery. The van is available for pick up from the Gold Coast and, based on vintage van market research, all offers over $30k will be considered.

For more on Dolly

Vintage caravan renovation: five top tips

It’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 ‘Bumblebee’ to their latest project…
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DIY RENO ADDICT

Vintage caravan makeover with amazing interiors

It’s taken longer than expected for Steph Spaninks and husband Matt to finish transforming vintage caravan Belle but it’s been worth the wait. Although it’s rather cruel that the pandemic cut short their much anticipated first trip!

They bought Belle (because all made-over caravans need a name, don’t you know?!) at the end of 2018 for $3,000 and she was “stinky, gross and run down” with free dead mice!

“The chassis (frame) however was in good condition, which is an important thing to look for when buying a vintage van otherwise you will have extra costs fixing or replacing the chassis,” Steph says.

AFTER
BEFORE

“Matt is very handy, I love interior design and we like to have a project on the go! We also love to travel! At that stage we had a one year old and thought that caravanning and a young family go together nicely. In saying that, I like my creature comforts so if I was going to get into caravanning it was going to be done my way!”

AFTER: Exterior
BEFORE: Exterior

Although the couple naively thought it might take six months, it took 16 months to finish the complete rip out and rebuild. But to be fair, they only spent weekends working on her and Steph got pregnant part way through with their second child which saw productivity, understandably, drop!

While cutting to size and installing the new 3mm ply walls was the hardest part, it was a clever trick with vinyl flooring which they think made the biggest difference to the end result.

“We got vinyl peel and stick planks from Bunnings, cut them in half and laid them in a herringbone pattern,” Steph says. “The parquetry floor adds a sense of luxe to the van and elevates the whole feel of the interiors. The floor is definitely my favourite part.”

Steph and Matt did almost all the work themselves, only outsourcing the electrical and mechanical work (new suspension, axle and electric brakes) and getting the exterior spray painted. “You can DIY paint the exterior, however by the end we had renovation fatigue, a newborn and just needed to get it done!”

The impressive, marble-look bathroom

Having a bathroom in the van was a prerequisite so when designing the new floor plan, they had to work out how they could fit it in the 16-foot van and still have decent kitchen and floor space.

“Matt came up with the idea to ‘build in’ the vanity and bench into the cupboard next to the bathroom to allow for maximum room in the bathroom without taking up more floor space. The faux marble waterproof ply board is from Bunnings which is the hero of the bathroom!”

AFTER
BEFORE
Nobody wanted to eat here before!

The young family attempted their first trip in March and headed north from Sydney, stopping in South West Rocks, Byron Bay and the Gold Coast. However, Covid-19 restrictions and border closures were looming so they packed up the van early and headed back home. “We can’t wait to get away again once restrictions lift,” Steph says. They may also rent Belle out on Camplify (like Airbnb for caravans and RVs).

Always keen for the next project, Steph and Matt are now working on a cubby house, sandpit and playground for their kids!

Follow their adventures on Instagram at @journey__home

Michael and Carlene’s caravan Bumblebee | Vintage caravan renovation: 5 top tips

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DIY Expert Tips Interviews RENO ADDICT

Vintage caravan renovation: five top tips

Dolly

It’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 ‘Bumblebee’ to their latest project ‘Dolly’ (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 you’re looking for but you’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. “If you’re handy you could buy a strip-out that needs a lot of work but if you’re an inexperienced renovator it’s best to spend more on a van that’s in-tact and that only requires more superficial changes,” says Carlene.

'Dolly' caravan
Dolly’s delightful dining space

Good planning is key
“Like any reno you want to spend time in the planning stage achieving a functional floorplan and sleeping arrangements for you and your family,” 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

 Keep it light
“This 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,” says Carlene.

Dolly
Bunk beds and dining area

Optimise storage
As with any tiny home, employing smart storage solutions is vital. “We 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,” says Carlene.

Storage is key
A decent amount of kitchen storage is vital

Design with holidays in mind
“Most of us use our vintage vans for holidaying so creating a holiday vibe is key. Don’t be scared of colour. These are retro vans that hail from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s, a time when colour was king, so paying homage to the van’s origins in this way is only right,” says Carlene.

Gorgeous kitchen details
Gorgeous kitchen details

If you’d like to learn more, Carlene and Michael are delivering a series of caravan renovation workshops at Brisbane’s upcoming Reno Home Show and they will be exhibiting ‘Dolly’ 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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Design Interviews Real Renos RENO ADDICT Styling

Michael & Carlene’s latest vintage caravan: Bumblebee

Michael and Carlene Duffy with their latest creation
Michael and Carlene Duffy with their latest creation

Bona fide vintage caravan renovation experts (and Block alumni) Carlene and Michael Duffy, of Cedar & Suede, are back with yet another amazing makeover – the aptly monikered ‘Bumblebee.’ Its combination of light timbers and dreamy yellow hues could win the hearts of even the most caravan averse.

Michael and Carlene Duffy with their latest creation
Michael and Carlene Duffy with their sunny creation

“I love the combination of yellow with light timbers and rattan. I always aim for our vans to feel like a beach holiday with pastel colour palettes and a fresh airy feel inside,” says Carlene who acquired the van last year when it was in less than fabulous condition.

“We facilitated and judged a vintage caravan renovation challenge for The Block last year and this was one of the vans that the contestants were challenged with renovating in eight hours. There was extensive water damage so we ended up replacing the entire front frame of the van,” says Carlene.

Dining area
Dining area

“This is our fourth vintage van renovation and the style is in keeping with our previous renovations – they always have a vintage flavour combined with the functionality of modern living. I decided I wanted this one to be yellow and the name Bumblebee is a nod to both a bee and the Bumblebee Transformer, because we transformed it,” says Carlene of the van that boasts a new professional automotive exterior paint job too.

Kitchen
The gorgeous kitchen

Kitchen tap
A brass tap adds some unexpected luxury to the kitchen

But fresh aesthetics aside, the 12 foot long caravan features all the mod cons to make road tripping a breeze including an on board water system, 12 volt lighting system, 12 volt deep cycle battery, a fridge and gas stove. The dining table converts to a bed (complete with new custom mattress and gorgeous bedding), there’s under seat and under bed storage and a great sized wardrobe too.

The bed features a new custom mattress and gorgeous bed linen
The bed features a new custom mattress and lovely bed linen

And as for her favourite part of the overhaul, it’s the gorgeous rattan cabinet fronts. “I guess it’s not a detail that you’d expect in a vintage caravan.”

Cedar & Suede caravan
One last look!

 Another Cedar & Suede vintage caravan reno