Refurbished Caravans
“It’s like a hotel room on wheels!”
Willow & Seed Caravans
Refurbishing caravans is our take on sustainability for the travel industry.
A lot of the vans we deal with often look like a bad mullet from the 80’s!! No matter what year they were made, it seems that the trend has always been to put horrific upholstery and wood lining boards as far as the eye can see. We aim to bring each van back into the “naughties” and give them the second life they deserve. Each one has its own personality and layout differences, but one thing is for sure, we only buy vans that are in good shape inside and out, which means no leaks, no rust and no major replacement parts.
In our design, we ultimately aim for a cosy and inviting feel, because let’s face it, relaxation is key when you’re out and about on holidays. We keep what we can and build on the footprint but no surface is left untouched.
Each van has proven to be quite popular so keep an eye out for the next one to drop on FB Marketplace because they are often sold within 24 hours!!
The Corona Van
THIS caravan was my baby… Over the lockdown period of Covid 19, I needed a project to keep me sane. I would do homeschooling in the mornings and then by the afternoon when I was about to tear my hair out, I would go outside and replenish my soul with creativity. This was the first time I ever got to really dig deep and build something from scratch. I built all the cabinet doors, the bunk beds, the main bed and the internal screen door/window between the bedroom and kitchen. When we were finally allowed out of lockdown, my Dad came down to help with hanging the doors and Mum did all the new upholstery. I replaced all the light fittings, the tap, sink, oven, fridge, bench top and a fresh coat of paint… oh and who could forget the new blinds and sheers!?! They finished it off nicely.
Matts Van
This caravan was a challenge from the very beginning. It had two single beds with a tall cupboard in between them. We had to make this into a king size bed for it to be attractive for buyers so we removed the cupboard which left us with gaping holes in the wall panels and a huge gap between the upper cabinets… and to make matters worse the ceiling was curved!! We took this as an opportunity to create a feature out of something that was otherwise ugly by constructing battens that ran up the wall and curved up onto the ceiling. It looked awesome and there was also a cute little shelf we put on it at the end to finish it off. It got the royal treatment with new paint, upholstery, blinds, tap, sink, undermount bin, lighting, electrical points and a wall mounted tv. The dining table and bench top were constructed from Tasmanian oak and the bench had a solid shelf that ran the length of it to hide the vent from the fridge.
The Wolfey Van
This caravan was made on behalf of the Wolf family. They required a caravan to park at their piece on land up in Echuca for guests to stay in. It originally had 2 single beds which we made into a giant Californian king bed. We changed out the door handles, and painted everywhere with a charcoal feature wall at the back. This lent itself to a more industrial vibe, so we opted for black accents with the fittings and fixtures and a tan colour for the upholstery. We arranged for the bed to be made into a pull up bed with struts so they would have good storage options. The couch pulled out into another bed with screw on legs and one of the 4 season hatches got swapped out for a brand new AC unit and an awning was installed outside as well. It really was a ripper little van.
The Posh Green Van
This caravan was so elegant, almost too good to travel in!! My husband laughed at me because I was so keen to get started that I had everything pulled out ready to go within 20 min of it arriving in the driveway!! I pulled out the half walls and took out the return part of the bench seat to give us room to create two single beds for two children to sleep. These doubled as couches as well. The new table swivelled and could be easily removed to make way for the single bed arrangement. We did all the usual updating but this time we chose a beautiful green colour with gold accents. Even the under mount bin was gold! The added character of the VJ panelling and the gorgeous lighting really finished things off and made it sing.
The Free Wheelie Van
This caravan is green… again! But we love the green because it gives vans a very calm and soothing feel as soon as you walk into them. People have commented that it feels like they are in “a hotel room on wheels”.