Renovation: to restore to good condition; make new or as if new again; repair.
to reinvigorate; refresh; revive.
Restoration: the act of restoring; renewal, revival, or reestablishment.
a return of something to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition.
Our vintage Shasta 16-SC is completely gutted. At some point in time, after removing the kitchen and most of the original furniture and storage, someone took a bucket of flat grey paint to the interior and covered up all of the birch. The dude was okay with this because he wanted to rebuild the entire interior from scratch. It makes for an abstract start, but I’m excited for the possibilities!
In my research, I’ve come to understand that there is a cult of purists out there that will be happy to let you know that you have taken a short cut when it comes to your “restoration.” I’m not sure I can stomach the critics’ snare, so I’m eager to announce that our Camper project is officially a renovation!
Here is a look at the ugly interior of our camper, the day we purchased it.
Ours will never look like the shiny golden birch of this original restoration.
Once we get to the place where we’re ready to work on this paneling, we’ll be painting the interior a nice clean and shiny white! Decisions like keeping the original cabinetry up top are up for debate. I’m leaning towards deepening that storage space and creating a top-hinged door – using the face of the cabinet as a nod to the original. I’m not really a fan of the cutout shape – I’d like to paint it the same color as its background so its a mere shadow. Does that make sense? (As long as it make sense to Heffe.)
Another option that might be less traveler-friendly but appeals to the stylist in me, is to create an open shelf with a lip and a rail, and then line the space with friendly storage like wicker baskets.
I’m interested to see just how custom bamboo shades can get, and what kind of cabinetry we can fashion out of some reclaimed wood! This entire project is about playing along with the opposing forces of the dude’s clean perfectionism and my negligence of reality!
Would love to hear from ya!Ramble On!
Gypsy
From Vintage Shasta Camper, post Renovation vs. Restoration
What do you think?