Vivivanne - The Interiors
A mix of both disorganisation and never quite feeling finished has meant this post has been put off for a few months! Then there was an incidence with me being tired after my first road trip and accidentally deleting all the raw files of the images I took of the interiors before the trip! I’m trying not to dwell on it but the light was so perfect. Ne’er mind.
Having fitted the hob last week and ticking off the last few interiors switch overs I decided It. Was. Time. Time for the big interiors reveal. Even writing this I’m thinking ‘oh but I’m going to change the rug’ and ‘I’m probably going to install some magnetic storage tins above the kitchen’ but when I look back at pictures of the van in December I realise how far the van has come!
I've tweaked these interiors as to what works having tested everything on the first road trip. You can see the lessons I learned here. So let’s dive in.
Kitchen
The kitchen is very different to what I had originally planned as I planned to go really minimal and have a portable hob but more on that in a moment.
The van came with these mdf cupboards in it already. I had to remove them to strip the van and insulate and put them back in and they needed a fair bit of repair after that. I think these flat pack cupboards are ok but pdf is heavy and split/swells easily so they need sealing. I started by undercoating in a damp seal undercoat. I then painted with Cadet Song (my trademark shade - some of my home is in it too!). My sister was flabbergasted that I used a matt finish in a van but ain’t no shiny paint going in my van! Plus I find the v700 of the Valspar paint wears really well.
The van came with a cute little copper tap that I thought would save me a big job but actually it sill needed plumbing and when I did that I realised the radiator valve was hard to turn on with wet/dirty hands and the whole thing leaked. So I ended up buying the beautiful tap on eBay - I chose this specific model because I wanted one you could turn on and off without having to unscrew a handle. I have always had a bit of a thing about my hands being clean and the lever on the top of this tap allows me to use it by simply pushing it with the back of my hand. Also, it has a water flow regulator meaning it won’t spurt out. The sink also came with the van - it’s essentially just a mixing bowl that I drilled a hole in, sprayed with gold and fitted a draining plug system to.
The hob wasn’t a planned addition to the van - I used my Trangia and a portable gas camping stove but having had a bit of a scare with the camping stove and seeing photos of them blowing up in peoples vans I started to realise it wasn't a great idea to have something designed to use outdoors in a small space. Add to that I am a big cook and prepping food is a form of relaxation for me so I suppose I knew that I was going to want a more ‘proper’ set up. So when a friend was selling this hob on for fifty quid I jumped at it. A friend helped me fit it and I connected it up last week. The van is currently booked to have the installation done properly (don’t mess with gas folks) but so happy to have the hob in even if it does take the entire worktop!
Speaking of which - I knew I wanted a lighter worktop but knew white would mark and as I’m going to be doing some recipe shots I wanted something aesthetically pleasing too. I’d already been looking at fake marble effect worktops on Pinterest because I am desperate to get rid of my black one at home (I haven’t been brave enough to do that yet!) so I got to work with some ripped up sponges, glaze made from old paint in the cupboard and some acrylic using this tutorial. If you would be interested in a whole post on the let me know but I would say make sure you let the paint dry FULLY before trying to apply the acrylic - don’t make the mistake I did and be impatient because it resulted in me having to do the whole thing again!
The Bedroom
I mean, I love how I’m listing these ‘rooms’ like it’s more than a tiny space! But for the bedroom area I wanted to create a relaxing space where I could open up the back doors if it was hot and still have privacy. I am likely to have back windows put in at some point - I am the kind of loser that wants her dog to have be able to watch the world fall away while travelling.
I installed a curtain rail for some voile curtains I’ve had for years that doubles up as a clothes rail for anything that needs hanging up on a trip. And the only other addition to the bedroom area was a book rail for erm.. books.
I wanted bedding that complimented the cupboards and I spotted this lovely duvet cover on La Redoute. La Redoute do amazing deals every now and then so I got a 20% off it and I love it (so does Monty) - it’s crisp, luxury cotton and feels really luxurious. The pillows were spare I had around the house and essential for me to prop myself up for end of day journaling!
These curtains that block off the front of the van (cab) are working in progress! They need hanging properly and lining so they are blackout but are an H&M tablecloth(no longer in stock) cut in two. I was tempted to replace them but love the lightness and pattern on them, they just open up the space.
Storage
Most of my storage lives in the kitchen outside of the cupboards as the gas and water takes up most of the space under the sink. But there is also storage space under the bed that I use for Monty’s towels, my luggage bag and my toilet!
I wanted to keep everything to hand for when using the van for ease which meant getting around the rattling when driving. This took some tweaking and mainly it was swapping anything metal out for wood where possible and where it wasn't lining the metal with thin cork sheet.
It took a whole lotta searching to find something I could use as a pantry that fitted between the cupboard and the drivers seat. I found this metal caddy at Matalan and lined with cork and it works brilliantly to hold jars on the bottom two shelves and then on the top I keep cutlery and utensils. It works so well.
These bread baskets work BEAUTIFULLY screwed onto the windowsill to hold my enamel crockery (from Utility Brighton) and any spices that I use for cooking. I love that I don’t have to scrabble around for plates and bowls and because they are in wicker they don’t rattle. Perfect.
On the left you can see I had a metal wall unit for storage and it was fine but these two wood ones (smaller version of these) work much better for more storage and for lack of rattling! And the behind the seat pocket hanger is from The Futon Company. It’s so handy - I keep skincare, toilet roll, poo bags, my yoga strap, earrings and much more in there.
I’m yet to figure out what I’m doing with the space under the bed. I will probably add doors to it at some point but for now I keep everything organised with a few baskets from The Futon Company and one of these ultra useful zip up bags.
The Floor.
I was incredibly chuffed to be gifted a pack of flooring from my photography client Harvey Maria - I went for the Driftwood and it was so easy to fit with a tub of their adhesive. I really love it - it was so great to get it down as it felt like a real end step of the build. My plan is to seal it off around the step as at the moment I keep catching it! It is super easy to clean - especially with Harvey Marias floor spa kit. I finished off one box of the planks but if you are doing under your cupboard you may need two. At the moment I’m using a shower mat on the floor because it doesn't slip as Monty jumps up onto the bed but I am picking up a straw mat after I finish this post which I’ll secure with some velcro strips. Updated photos incoming!