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The Caravan Renovation | Seating In A Caravan

I did the whole caravan renovation during lockdown one and the children got good use out of the old caravan cushions in the garden! They built a new den out of them every day and used them to build sofas in the playhouse. It was such a great escape from the home schooling to go and paint for an hour every evening. I also find that in times when it feels like everything is out of my control, that a decorating project is brilliant for staying sane. I couldn’t conquer coronavirus but I could totally transform an old caravan. 
 
The caravan before: just a reminder of the before pics that I took when I went to see her at Swindon Caravans. 
 
 
Firstly, the foam. I know a lot of people just recover the existing seats but this caravan was 15 years old and the foam completely flattened when we sat on it. I wouldn’t buy a house and sleep in someone else’s old bed and it is so nice to snuggle up knowing the only bums that have sat on our bed are ours! Especially for the front seating where it is the lounge and the bed. It is expensive though so it’s a choice to weigh up in your renovation budget. I had a whole excel spreadsheet worked out before we bought the caravan and this was a cost I knew we wanted to factor in. 
 
I ordered new foam cut to size from efoam.com. There are loads of places online and I found the prices to be pretty similar. I replaced the two bunk bed mattresses and all the seating at the front that converts into a double bed. Top tip: ignore the advice to buy firm foam for the front seating! I ended up having to buy a piece of medium foam to go on top when we make up the bed otherwise it was too hard. 
So far so easy…
 
The hardest part of the project so far was sewing the new covers. I made covers for the four long cushions that make up the front seating and oh my goodness I found it difficult! I like sewing but they were really difficult to get right. I used long zips along the back edge to make the covers removable. All the fabric I used was fire retardant and suitable for use in upholstery. 
 
I ordered so many samples before I finally decided on these two fabrics. I ended up making the bunting for the caravan out of all the discarded fabric samples I had amassed. The tweedy weave fabric was from John Lewis and I used that for the base seat cushions. The fire retardant velvet is just so gorgeously soft and lovely. It’s the vintage velvet from Just Fabrics in the shade Powder. I adore it but it was NOT easy to sew straight! 
 
 
And finally a chance to see the cushions inside the caravan. 
 
 
The renovation was nearly complete… 
 
Still to come, the bathroom and lots more details.  
 

Elizabeth Haworth
Published on 29-01-2021
Elizabeth is a mum of two small boys. Her interests include bird watching, reading, interiors, DIY and craft. 2020 has been the year that she has joined many young families in embracing caravanning for the first time, starting with a full renovation of a 15 year old Sterckeman Starlett caravan.