Page 119 - homestyle New Zealand (February - March 2020)
P. 119
Small space —— DESIGN
She painstakingly stripped that purple not to have a stove (Matt prefers to cook Multifunctional design allows the
tint from the windows, reupholstered outside) yet adding a full-sized sink. 2m x 7m bus to feel bigger than its bones,
the cabin and, once expanding foam “I didn’t want a campervan bowl,” says but what’s really expanded is the family’s
insulation was installed beneath the roof, Renée. The black-coated stainless-steel experience. Halcyon snapshots fill
had the job of shaving off any bulges so Ikon sink (with a Caroma tap) is offset their Instagram feed (@surfbusproject):
the new timber cladding would lie flat. by a spruce benchtop and birch-ply bleached days of sun and sand, a foray
They couldn’t wait to line the ceiling cabinetry finished with Woca oil. The down a forest road, surfboards on the
with tongue-and-groove spruce timber, bus’s drawers and doors have routed roof deck, iceblocks on a grassy knoll.
which was central to their concept of handles that don’t protrude into the That the Surf Bus was completed
a minimal-chic interior. At first, they passageway and the windows have to budget is a feat worth bleating
grappled with a jigsaw of battens, trying blinds, not curtains, which roll up for about, but it’s so much more than an
to find the right configuration for the unimpeded visual access to the view. investment — it’s an asset in the true
cleanest look. “We didn’t want any There’s a built-in double bed at the sense of the word. “The girls couldn’t
visible screws,” says Matt. “Finally, we rear of the bus and the girls sleep on wait to get away in it,” says Renée.
came up with the idea of a pelmet that benches at right angles to each other “We thought we’d use it one or two
would reduce the visual clutter and that near the front. Each family member nights in a row but [on our last trip]
we could install lighting behind.” has a single drawer for clothing. To that stretched out to 10. We weren’t
With the flooring (interlocking vinyl keep the interior of the bus dry, they ready to come home.”
planks) done, it was time for the fun stuff: rely on outdoor showers, and their Instead, they went where the waves
putting in the ‘furniture’. Of course, the composting toilet is odour-free and and whim took them. And you can’t
Sternes broke with convention by opting easy to operate. put a price on that.
homestyle 117
