Starting anew

I've been thinking and re-thinking about the interior of my camper van since returning to Florida last July. I sketched out a motley assortment of ideas, designs, and thoughts on what worked while I was on the road -- and what definitely did not.

I continued refining these designs on paper, sitting in my van for hours at a time, visualizing and mulling it over in my mind. It took several weeks to finalize the layout on paper. This time, I said to myself, I would build it right. It would be high-quality, well-made, and efficient.

The first thing I did was gut the interior -- all the way down to the insulation. A deep cleaning of the van was definitely in order, so I did that, and then I checked all of the solar wiring to see what needed to be adjusted or repaired.

After that, I built the frame for the new bed. Mind you, the "old bed" was nothing more than a camp pad and a mattress topper supported by some plastic storage bins. Let me tell you: that did NOT work for me. It was quick, easy, and horrendously messy. Taking apart my bed to get to my clothes was the epitome of poor design.

The new bed is still the same twin-size, camp pad/mattress topper combo, but it is sturdy. has easy-access storage, and doesn't drive me insane. I'm calling it a success. I'll be constructing a padded headboard for it in the future. This is going to be quite the cozy camper van.

I'll have more to share with you soon. I can't wait to show you my cabinets. As of this write-up, the lower cabinets and counter top are complete - stained, sealed and all. I still want to cover the shelves with some noise-dampening material, such as felt. They look fantastic, if you don't mind me saying. In the future, I'll be adding smaller cabinets on top of them, rather like a built-in entertainment nook, with a dedicated charging station and all. Here's a preview, and another shot of the bed (and Poquito, my mother's Chihuahua):

Note the vanity license plate hanging on the bulkhead. :P