Off-Grid Van Conversion

This renovated Ford Transit 250 cargo van has been self-converted by an artist-designer into an off-grid camping and remote working vehicle for her family of three, plus two dogs. The primary intent was to create a healthy space that resonated with the wild surroundings in which they'd be traveling. Electing to use quality materials that meet all EPA Indoor Air Plus certification requirements while keeping a budget of $3,000 for the conversion required some creative reuse and recycling. The van is fully insulated with sheep wool and uses roof-mounted solar panels with a solar generator to power lights, pumps, fans, and charging stations.
To keep the small room feeling bright and airy with five bodies residing there, the designer kept to the bare essentials, without too many cabinets, shelves, or furnishings, and used a monochromatic palette in natural finishes of wood, grass, bamboo, and lime-based plaster. Portola Paints’ Roman Clay on the walls and arched ceiling give the space a cave-like, but luminescent feeling that responds to the Western locales where it will reside. Most interior elements were crafted by the artist from items on hand or found locally. Construction materials were pulled from trash bins at her job sites. Her friends at Lada Cube (a company manufacturing sustainable wall systems) donated several sheets of blemished Baltic birch 9-ply panels that were headed for recycling, from which she constructed the cabinets and furnishings. Giving a sentimental nod to her adventuring grandfather, she sewed window coverings from his 1950’s parachute when he was a pilot for the US Air Force. Light fixtures and accent panels were made from remnants of wallcovering samples she had in her studio --the sconces are made from scrap wood and Weitzner twill-weave raffia and the cabinet accents are Organoids Natural Surfaces’ Alpine hay and wildflower mix. The cabinet hardware and some of the utensils were carved from twisted, fallen trees in the designers' own backyard from the February 2021 Texas ice storm.
Cabinets in the front of the van house a battery-operated recharging pump and faucet with six gallons of water storage, a small sink, one large drawer for dry foods, and a slide out drawer for a Yeti Cooler. Rucksacks are tucked into storage areas under the beds and a boot box doubles as a bench by the side entry. In the back of the van more space is available for gear, a propane cookstove, a recharging hand shower with additional water tank, and a large area for the family's two dogs to sleep comfortably.