All Images Supplied by MasterStroke by Resene

Our "Renovation Roadtrip" in Nelson led us to purchase a 380 Zephyr Caravan in 2019. It is an iconic Kiwi caravan made in Dunedin in 1978. While it had history and charm, it also had water damage, bowing walls, a sagging floor, uncomfortable mattresses, and a very tired interior! Despite the problems with our classic caravan, we saw more potential than problems. In addition to recreating the vintage vibe, I wanted to add our personality and style preferences.

When it came to our Caravan Renovation, paint played the biggest part in the transformation. We repainted all of the exterior, interior walls, ceilings and trim. As well as painting all the original cabinets and even the fridge!

The secret behind an excellent paint job (and I literally mean behind) is the primer and undercoat. We used six products to ensure every surface was ready for the top coat. For the exterior colours, we selected Resene Black White and Resene Double Canterbury Clay. And for the interior, we selected Resene Quarter Black White and Resene Mishka. All the product details are at the bottom of this blog.

When it came to the look and feel of the caravan, we designed it with the intention to keep the cute retro look but also made statements with modern features and some clever upgrades. The mustard pops alongside deep beige undertones and the subtle greyed lilac blues paired together to create a cohesive retro-inspired colour scheme. We updated the lighting and the curtains in the same style.

My favourite thing about the Vivid Stars is the pattern and colouring of the floor tiles. Water-resistant and ultra-durable, these tiles are perfect for holidays. The vinyl wrap on the bench top instantly transformed our rundown bench surface. The sticky back plastic is designed to cover surfaces, not just to transform the look, but to make it water-resistant, easy to clean and can withstand 75°C heat! And if all of that wasn’t enough - it was the most cost-effective and time-effective option for our floors and bench surface.

Finally, we did the final touches. The Hammered Brass Handles, Pulls and Knobs completed the retro and fab look! What I love about this range was the different profiles, from small knobs for the wall cabinets to large handles for the wardrobe. And brass provided the perfect look! We added some brass and oak wall hooks for extra storage and reupholstered the mattresses with another fun pattern.