Germaine was an exciting project for us, as it was for a couple from Australia who wanted a van conversion with the intention of riding mountain bikes and exploring the U.S. We started this business while traveling around Colorado for the Big Mountain Enduro mountain bike race series- with Tom’s intention to challenge himself with a race series that was new to him, and with my intention of exploring a state with scenery that was new to me.

These clients wanted a space that was functional for their needs, while aesthetically pleasing and homey feeling. They reaching out to us, inspired by the Playa del Sol van, wanting to take their own twist of a light gray New England cottage style interior.

The largest challenge in this design process was space. This conversion is in a Sprinter 144. Luckily, they were open to and it worked for them to sleep side to side. We were able to create more space in the kitchen by using vertical space to add a pantry, and add counter space with a pull out cutting board.

For the countertop, our clients went with a gray butcher block, which perfectly tied together the  warm tones of the pine ceiling and the cool gray vinyl floor. We also used this for the dining table, and outdoor table.

By creating a functional, tiny kitchen galley, we were left with enough room in the garage space for large framed mountain bikes, which need about 64” of length. Their garage space includes their water system, storage, and two bike trays. Each bike tray has space for two bikes, giving them enough room to either haul four bikes, or use the trays for additional gear storage.

Another fun addition to this van is the patio space. Attached to their Aluminess rack is a Fiamma awning, which gives them a nice shaded “patio” area when camping. We partially enclosed the step to give them more interior dining seating, which also allowed for us to add a flip up table on the backside of the bench seat for outdoor table use.

The outdoor table is the perfect spot to set up a margarita station, because who doesn’t love a refreshing margarita on a camping trip?

For more photos of this project, check out our gallery.