An active family gave their retro caravan an energy-charged Resene renovation.
For the Woollett family, a busy day is a good day. They try to choose a new destination every holiday, and come armed with an arsenal of bikes, paddleboards, boogie boards, dive gear, fishing rods and kayaks alongside their Resene-painted caravan, enough to keep Brooke, her husband Allen and their two growing boys Logan (13) and Ryan (11) busy from dawn to dusk. “We’re active relaxers, and we try to make lots of plans on holiday so we’re too busy to be on devices,” says Brooke. “The boys love the outdoors; I grew up camping in my family’s pop-up caravan, so it’s nice to give our kids the same classic Kiwi experience.” True to form, when renovating their 1978 17ft Oxford caravan this active family chose an energetic colour scheme with Resene Adrenalin as the hero — although it was a close call between that and Resene Hyperactive. “I wanted retro ‘70s colours, but also to have a vibrant pop, I didn’t want it to look muddy, brown or peachy. I wanted it to be a true orange and be really zingy,” says Brooke.
When they bought the caravan it needed a full renovation, including a full exterior and interior Resene paint job, new flooring, cabinetry and the squabs recovered. Luckily, Brooke and Allen are no strangers to hard work; she’s a photographer while he’s a joiner. When they’re not working they keep busy on their mini lifestyle block in Kelson, Lower Hutt.
Renovating the caravan after school and on weekends was fun and the whole family got stuck in doing up the ‘70s wonder. “The hardest part was getting over the musty smell, which at the start made us all gag. Once we removed the carpet though, the renovations started being satisfying,” says Brooke.
For the exterior, Brooke and Allen went with a modernised version of the original colour scheme using Resene Acrythane 805 (a professional vehicle paint) tinted to Resene Adrenalin, Resene White and a custom Resene peach for the bottom panel colour – for a similar colour, try Resene Awaken. Allen applied Resene Adrenalin using his airless sprayer, although the home DIYer could use Resene Uracryl applied using a brush or roller.
For the interior, Brooke chose classic beachy blues and whites with Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen tinted to Resene Juniper, paired with Resene SpaceCote Flat White on the ceiling and a fawny grey Resene Titania on the trims. “I wanted a ‘beachy bach on wheels’ and I went for Resene Juniper as it was more of a retro blue,” says Brooke. “I tied in more coastal colours with Resene Titania on the trims, vinyl flooring in a driftwood colour and the pale blue squabs to create the feeling of a beach getaway.”
Allen’s joinery skills came in handy, while Brooke chose the paint finishes according to his skills. Knowing he’d apply the cabinetry paint with his sprayer, she opted for Resene Super Gloss enamel in Resene White. “I love that sleek look and I knew Allen would be able to achieve a gloss finish really well.” The boys were keen to learn some reno skills from their parents; Ryan helped hang the curtains and Logan lent a hand stripping out cupboards, sanding, hanging new cupboards and even trying out his dad’s paint sprayer. “This was a family effort, and it was lovely for us to complete this project together,” says Brooke.
Top Tip:
• If the exterior of your caravan is aluminium or fibreglass then opt for Resene Armourcote 221 and then finish with two coats of Resene Uracryl 403 for a tough durable finish.
• For timber or galvanised steel exterior surfaces opt for Resene Hi-Glo waterborne gloss.
