As a child, when Lauren Garcia would visit her grandmother’s vacation home in Aldinga, a small beach town in South Australia, she and her cousins knew where the best place to hang out was: a 1977 camper parked in the driveway. “It was always a great time,” says Lauren of those visits. Bought for $500 more than thirty five years ago, it didn’t move around much, but had plenty of space for sleepovers.

Fast forward to 2020, when Lauren’s mom asked if she was interested in sprucing up the beach house. Having previously owned an upholstery business, Lauren had an eye for restoration, and her husband, Chad Garcia, is an electrician by trade. So when the couple went back to Aldinga to make updates to the home, they took the opportunity to give the camper a makeover as well. “We had never done anything like that before, but we wanted to renovate a home eventually,” says Lauren. “So, we thought, maybe it’s a good little project to try.”

Before: Exterior

The caravan had definitely aged, so the couple started by checking the integrity of the chassis. “It was very good steel,” says Lauren. “We had it assessed, and we were told that the steel back then was a lot better than what they use now—much thicker, and sturdier. There was surface rust, but it wasn't corroded or anything, so it was still very safe.”

After: Exterior

Once the frame was determined sound and the brakes changed, the couple relocated the RV to their home in Adelaide and got to work. Lauren started the interior renovation by finding inspiration on Pinterest. This helped her choose colors, materials, and wood tones. Since the project was a learning curve for the couple, they took their time, working on weekends over two years, and did not expect perfection.

“I had this mindset where I thought, if we don't like it, we can change it,” says Lauren, which is what happened when they applied the first coat of paint on the cabinets. “It was way too vibrant,” she says. Instead, they added white paint for a softer tone.

Before: Interior

After: Dining Nook

After restoring important functional elements, like the four-season hatches that allow air circulation, they only tweaked the layout slightly by enlarging the bench and main bed, and adding storage wherever possible. Then came a new color palette of white and mint, which was paired with camel-colored accents in the dining nook upholstery, a wood screen that divides the nook from the bed, and a pendant light.

For the kitchen backsplash, Lauren used removable wallpaper with a terrazzo print to reduce weight. “Even the smallest tasks presented challenges because building a caravan is so different from building a home,” says Lauren. “There are so many weight restrictions.”

Before: Main Bed

After: Main Bed

The last step was to finish the exterior, a job for their cousin who specializes in fixing up old cars. “That was the most transformative moment for us,” says Lauren, who named the camper Marlow, which is painted across the side with the door.

“Marlow means to drift, or driftwood,” she says. “I liked the idea of it. It kind of resembled the slow life for me. I wanted us to really feel like we were unwinding and drifting along and wherever we end up, we were just going to be.”

Before: Bunks

After: Bunks

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

More Camper Renovations:

This 1969 Camper Receives a Chic DIY Revamp on a Tight Budget

This Chevy Camper Van’s Wonderous Wooden Interior Will Make You Look Twice

Project Credits:

Builder: Chad Garcia

Design: Lauren Garcia / @marlowthemajestic