Hi everyone
So after much time she is finally ready, Yay! The renovation and makeover of my vintage caravan is now complete, the scene has been set and the photographs taken, all that is now left is the big reveal, hope you enjoy looking at her as much as I do, I’m thrilled…..
For those of you who have been following her story since my introducing Brigitte post back last February, you will remember the motivation and creation of Brigitte came about as a result of my love affair with St Tropez and it’s Boho chic vibe, immortalised by the french screen siren and former resident Brigitte Bardot. Brigitte or BB , as she is often referred to in St Trop., brought this small fishing town international fame, following her risque film of the time, shot in and around the town and beaches of St Tropez, ‘When God created Woman‘ ‘Et Dieu… crea La Femme’ back in 1956. It tells the story of a promiscuous teenager in a small fishing village. The perfect roll for the ultimate sex kitten in the ultimate setting.
After having spotted a gorgeous little campsite, on Pampelone, the famous 1 mile golden stretch of beach of St. Tropez, we decided a few stolen weeks this summer just had to happen. This could have been easy, we could have just purchased a caravan, packed up and drove off, but hey, wheres the fun in that? Besides you know me, well you are probably starting to by now, if their is a renovation opportunity I’m sure as hell not going to miss it!
I decided that a vintage van was definitely the way to go and initially the inspiration was hippy chic so very St. Trop! but then, after searching for inspiration images of BB in St Tropez in the 70’s, the caravan is an Abbey 1974, I came across the perfect photo of BB in her beloved waterfront home ‘La madrague’ This was it, this was the concept image.
Sadly this is the best quality image I can get but as you can see the space is cool and white and the gorgeous flowing plants and trees are the stars of this show. She has added rugs and furniture in natural jute, hessian and wicker and there is a touch of feminine pink and I would kill for that white embroidered dress she is wearing! Obviously I couldn’t hang plants everywhere in a caravan owing to space, so I decided on this bold wallpaper design the gorgeous Summer Tropical Bloom by Sian Zeng which would give the feel of ‘La Madrague’s’ gorgeous plant filled terrace and even has that touch of pink in the hibiscus flower, it also features the cheese plant as in the photo. There is not currently a fabric in this design so with the help of Sian I managed to get the design printed onto a lovely linen/cotton mix. I’ve added a touch of gold to the mix as I think those are gold bracelets she is wearing and if not I think a subtle touch of bling adds a bit of BB class
I’ve added a wood effect floor, Church Pine by Harvey Maria, to represent the tree trunks in the image background and the Calacatta marble Formica represents the stone paving.
We got rid of the original bench/bed….
As well as the little cupboard you can see to the right which contained the porta Potty, yuk! and made a permanent double bed, with lots of storage underneath, ok it’s not kingsize but it is a double, I know it doesn’t look it in these wide angle lens shots..
..and added a super compact shower and WC No more communal loos at festivals, yay!!
We’ve added a neat little vanity unit with sink by the bathroom.
The table, originally in rather ugly wood effect laminate, we have covered in another stunning Formica Hammered Brass from their DecoMetal range.
We kept the original enamel sink from the old kitchen, sadly the old oven gave up so we had to replace this and the fridge, bit of a shame as I did like the retro feel the old ones have but upside is the new ones work so much better 🙂
The new formica marble effect sets that lovely sink off a tad better, don’t you agree?
Plus a handy flap down surface for extra work surface in the kitchen..
So moving on outside..
Yes we had her vinyl wrapped in the same design!
Check out the amazing bespoke awning by Emma at Threadform I showed her this pic
And she improved on it!
I had great fun styling for the photoshoot last week, working with my super talented daughter who took all the photos…
Now I must give credit and thanks to all the lovely people who helped me with their enthusiasm and talents to turn my dreaming into a reality.
English Caravan Company -The lovely Richard & Lynn Stark responsible for the replacement and repair of all the nasty bits, fitting of the shower and WC, all the new electrics, water heater etc..and all the carpentry
ItsaWrapuk.com – Full colour digitally printed vehicle wrapping, what a team, thanks guys!
Threadform.com – Bespoke quality Canvas structures, thank you to the lovely Emma who designed and hand made the fabulous awning from a photo I liked.
Sian Zeng.com – the wonderful Summer Tropical Bloom wallpaper and design for the fabric and vinyl wrap
Jane Berry – who worked so hard to get the seating covers made despite feeling poorly, thank you Jane.
BJ – who hung all the paper and probably went a bit stir crazy doing so, best wallpaperer I know, is that a word?
Peter Briscoe – My darling multi talented Dad who tirelessly works on all the bits and pieces I throw at him on all my projects and tries so hard to get it just the way I want it, responsible for pretty much everything else!
Richy – My super duper husband who not only puts up with my wild ideas but indulges me in them and I so love him for it, thank you darling MWAH X
And to B.B. for the inspiration X
We will be setting sail soon and I hope to bring you some travel news and updates of life on the beach, this will depend on internet connection but at the very least I will posting fun stuff on my socials so stay tuned.
So what d’ya think?
keep in touch
Jx
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