We just bought a 1969 Kit Companion and we're fixing her up! Meet Billy.
In the three months since the accident we have spent almost everyday looking at vintage trailer restorations online. Even before we found Billy, we had 1000’s of Pinterest DIY projects, images, and products saved, just waiting for the moment we could bring them all together in real life. Now that we have her, it’s time to figure out what the hell we’re going to do with her!
A quick google search of “Vintage Trailer Restoration” will bring up thousands of images of sweet-as-can-be trailers, painted in pinks and done up like dollhouses, chandeliers swinging from the ceiling. Aside from being a little girly for our taste, most of them had two major problems; they were either too ambitious, or not practical for actual travel. Because we live in our trailer everyday, we want it to feel bright, comfortable and organized. We have to be able to pack it up and hit the road at a moment’s notice without anything breaking or falling.
It was either this; way too feminine and fancy for what we needed or....
This:
A bit more searching led us to these absolutely beautiful restorations:
The Nugget by Vintage Revivals
Image from Indeed Decor
The Nugget by Vintage Revivals
Feeling crazy inspired, our minds started moving a million miles a minute. We almost ripped the whole thing apart to start from scratch before we remembered the two things working against us : time and money. We don’t have the luxury of spending months on this project, or the resources to outsource the work. Everything we take on has to be something we can do ourselves or with a little help from our friends.
Within a couple days we came up with a list of things we had to do to. It was LONG.
1. Paint the interior.This is absolutely crucial. As of right now it's a greying woodgrain veneer, water stained on the seams and flaking off the ceiling. After seeing a partially restored Kit in San Diego, we know what a coat of white paint can do to brighten up a space.
2. Paint the exterior. While we could probably live without doing this, as the paint isn't in terrible shape, it just feels kind of blah. Our last trailer had so much personality and looked adorable in photos, and we want this one to be the same. Also, the rock guard over the front window is completely destroyed and covered in moss. Fingers crossed we can clean it up.
3. Replace the flooring. The floor in this thing makes me want to die. Marbled metallic linoleum would be bad enough, but after 45 years of stains and scratches, it's straight up hideous. Vinyl planks seem to be a good balance of aesthetic / durability / ease of installation.
4. Dining Table. Again, we could probably live without doing this, but whoever had this thing originally cut the table in half for some reason, and now its a little small for a mobile office as well as really ugly.
5. Lighting updates. We fell in love with the original copper and milk glass fixture above the kitchen, but the rest of the lights either don't work, don't match, or are kind of sketchy. We're on the hunt for some cheap and cool ones that are solid and don't take up too much precious space.
6. Upholstery. The cushions in the front bed are slip covered in a ill-fitting checkered print, and the back bed is a torn brocade fabric that seems like it came from somewhere else. We're hoping the foam is good underneath these covers so we can cover them up with this incredible fabric we found for $6/yd!
On top of all this big stuff, there are tons of adorable little touches we want to add - wallpaper, shelving, knobs, art, throw pillows... the list goes on and on.
Here's to hoping we can handle all of this ourselves! Wish us luck!