Today was the big day. More than two and a half years after purchasing our vintage camper, Wilma made her first post-renovation appearance. A week ago I was pretty sure we had bitten off more than we could chew and she wouldn't be done in time but we pushed through and got her done. We dropped her off in Brimfield yesterday and today we spent the day at the field getting her prettied up. This was the first time we got to see our new awning in action and how all of the pieces came together. It was really satisfying to see all of our hard work paid off. Despite the heat, it was a pretty fun day!
I had planned on doing a full post with all the details of our renovation but that's going to have to wait until after Brimfield. For now, you'll have to settle for some before and after photos. Isn't that the best part anyway?
Here she is in the condition we bought her in back in 2013. In fact, these are the actual photos from the craigslist post we responded to. As you can see, we made some pretty significant cosmetic changes to the interior and exterior.
And here are some side by side before and after photos (mostly of the dining area) which were really fun for me to look at. One of the biggest changes we made was painting the entire interior a creamy off white. I love how much it brightened up the whole place! I've seen beautifully restored campers with the original wood refinished but this was all fake paneling and painting it was definitely the way to go. We also replaced all the curtains and cushions and I'm so happy with how they turned out. Since I can't sew to save my life, my mom is responsible for those. She did an amazing job!
Originally, we had planned on replacing the formica counter and tabletop but that didn't happen and I think it was for the best. It was in great condition and I actually love that it's original. We did put a new metal edge around the table (and countertop) which cleaned it up quite a bit. We also replaced the ice box with a new fridge. That made the most sense for us, especially with two young kids. You can also see the butcher block stove top cover we made. It's one of my favorite things we did because it gave us so much more useable counter space.
In the picture below, you can see that we took down a light between the upper cabinets and replaced it with a clock. There is another overhead light above the table (out of frame) and we decided that was going to be enough light. The one between the cabinets was gas powered and kind of scared me (probably unjustifiably) so we took it out and the clock covered up the holes perfectly!
Once things settle down a bit I would love to share more details of the renovation, but I hope you enjoyed seeing the overall transformation. It's amazing what a little paint (and fabric, accessories, construction materials, hard work, tears, time and sanity) can do!
And if you are going to be in Brimfield this week, come see Wilma in person and say hello! She's set up at Hertan's right on the side of Mill Lane. I hope to see you there!
Thanks for following!
Kaitlin
P.S.
Thank you to the good home and Juniper Vintage for providing some of the great accessories in these photos!