I’m absolutely thrilled to share this next pop up camper makeover, as it is my very first Australian remodel! I’ve seen pictures of Australian pop up campers on Instagram and Facebook. They are quite elaborate, and I think there is a much bigger market for them over there. I’ve always drooled over all the options they’ve got. So when Cinde emailed me a few pictures of her Aussie remodel, I was floored… and I think you will be, too. It’s absolutely gorgeous, so I’ll let Cinde tell you all about it.
Cinde’s Pop Up Camper Makeover
I am from the beautiful Sunshine Coast, which is in Queensland on the east coast of Australia. We are lucky enough to live only minutes from some of the best beaches in the world. The funny thing about all of this is that I have never really camped as an adult. I did camp around Europe when I was in my twenties, but to be honest, I did not enjoy it. I loved the experience and Europe but didn’t love the camping part. In fact I hated the camping part. 😉 So much so, that even now that I have my own children–four boys, ages 4-15 years old–it never really occurred to me to try camping again until late last year. We had watched a documentary about a family camping around Australia. I am definitely more of a glamper, so whilst where they went, what they did, and how they did it didn’t overly appeal to me, the togetherness they shared and the memories they created did.
I started looking around at caravans and campers, much to my husband’s amusement. We had a modest budget, and with that in mind, I began looking at what would fit our family. That is when I discovered pop up campers. According to my husband, I became obsessed. I spent a lot of my free time researching campers, and I discovered that we had to sell our vehicle and buy a new one that could tow a camper in order to make this a reality. It was around this time that I discovered The Pop Up Princess on Pinterest, as I spent a lot of time looking for makeover ideas there. Actually, I think it was Larissa’s camper that really inspired me the most and gave me the confidence to get out and do this.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of “before” pictures, as my hubby started ripping out the interior one day while I was away. You can get an idea of what I started with, though. I am an interior designer, so I felt confident with colours etc., but I had never done anything like this before. Just the idea of doing this and taking the first step was a little daunting. Here in Australia, pop up campers are not cheap–new ones range from about $30000 – $40000 ($23K – $30K USD)–which means second hand ones are also expensive. In February, we were lucky enough to find one that suited us, a 1996 Jayco Swan, within a half hour drive of where we live and actually jumped right in and purchased it on the same day we picked up our new car. 🙂
It took us about five weeks to complete the remodel, though, as we did not work on it all the time due to other commitments. It was a lot of work–I won’t deny it. We painted all the original cupboards, which were originally a light timber grain finish, white using White Knight Laminate Paint. It is a paint specifically designed for painting laminate cupboards. It was a time consuming job, as we followed the preparation guidelines to a tee. We wanted a durable and long lasting quality finish. We also replaced all the door handles. So far it is holding up well, even with four boys. We did not do anything to the bench tops as they were a light grey fleck and in excellent condition. I knew they would be great left as is, and they would work in perfectly with my overall scheme for the camper. The ceiling had an ugly pattern on it, so we painted that white, too. We also cleaned and resprayed the vents to give them a nice, crisp new finish.
We covered the floor with vinyl stick on timber-look floor boards. We really love these. The colour is perfect and reminds me of a natural wood floor. They are also slightly textured so they feel awesome, too.
Next up was the upholstery. When we bought the camper I was not sure what I was going to do about the club lounge. It was attached to the camper, and I had no idea how to get it off. One day I came home to find my hubby had pulled it off, and it ended up being easier than I thought. I pulled apart the stitching of the original covers and used them as a template to cut new fabric. My 15-year-old son had the unpleasant task of removing the hundreds of staples which secured it. 😛 I also covered new buttons and added them to the backs, but I decided to just go for one row instead of the three rows that were there originally. I reused all the backs and zippers from original upholstery, as they were in very good condition. I just cleaned them up really well.
When I was choosing a colour scheme, I went with neutrals, as I wanted the camper to feel like both a beach house and a mountain hideaway. I used a grey tone tweed type fabric on all the seats and a lovely forest pattern for the cushions, which I also made and backed them in the upholstery fabric. I mixed these up with some lovely fake fur cushions that I had bought from Kmart.
I made the curtains myself and wanted to be a bit unique. I cut a few inexpensive king bed quilt covers from Ikea and some tab curtains in a lovely teal coloured indian cotton to size for my curtain panels. I hung them by reusing some of the original slide on tabs. Since I needed a few additional tabs, I also sourced new ones. These were just sewn right on easily with a sewing machine. I reused the tabs from the original curtains to make the curtain tiebacks, too.
Our camper has beds for six–two in each end, one on the dinette folded down and one on the club lounge. We-replaced the mattresses on the beds and bought new toppers for them. We also bought new bed linen to go with the grey, charcoal, black, white and teal/turquoise colour scheme. We wanted it to all tone with the canvas, which was in great condition. On the outside, it had a band of teal/green on it, so there was our pop of colour. On the plus side, it is such a calming colour! Our first trip was planned whilst we were still in the middle of the makeover, and we literally were finishing things the night before we left. Nothing like a deadline to keep you moving! 😉
We also had to buy all new camp equipment, as we had nothing, and that was quite the experience, too. We don’t cook inside, so we keep to relaxing and sleeping in the camper. We also have a full annex for outside to increase our living space and bed end flies, which protect the bed ends and give more privacy.
I did not even know if I would like camping when we first bought the camper–and that was also a bit scary–but so far I am really enjoying myself. We have been away four times since the beginning of April, and my two youngest boys absolutely love it. My 15-year-old needs to be convinced to go every time, though whilst he is away, I know he enjoys it. It has been a great opportunity for us to go away more, and it enables us to really spend time as a family.
Wow, right? Cinde’s remodel is utterly stunning! I love the color scheme, and it’s cool to see that pop up campers in Australia aren’t all that much different from those in the States. Gorgeous job, Cinde! Thank you so much for sharing your makeover with us. 😀If you loved seeing Cinde’s Australian camper makeover, you’ll really want to see our next reader feature. I’ve got another Aussie makeover coming later this week, so keep an eye out for that one! It is equally stunning. 😉
Happy Camping!
Marla says
I agree the camper looks like both a beach house and a mountain hideaway. The color scheme is perfect. Great job Cinde and family!
Lucy says
So inspired by all your renowned I am giving it a shot myself. I have never done any DIY before so it will not be as good but gonna give our 1991 Rockwood a shot! Hope it looks half as good as yours! Camping Canada!
terri says
Cinde,
that is such a beautiful makeover. I love the way you have the tiebacks, and all the draperies done. Did you add the wood finish behind dinette or just paint it out? I couldn’t tell, but either way it is gorgeous.
T
Glenda says
Love it!
Gladys says
Love the colors! I chose those Ikea duvet covers for our camper beds and I can’t wait to get started with the our makeover. Thanks for the inspiration, Cinde and Larissa!
Janene says
Lovely make over we have just purchased our pop up can you tell me where you buy new cabinet handles thanks