Introducing Marigold (soon to be the best exotic Marigold hotel / caravan)!!

Lily & Violet Vintage has been all about the shop just recently and we have not been spending as much time as we would like with our beloved fleet of vintage caravans :(

There are just not enough hours in each day to do all the brilliant stuff we want to do!!!

So this week we thought we would talk caravans and introduce you to Marigold (the newest addition to the family). And telling you about her will remind us of the work we still have to do…..and we can’t wait!!

Marigold - Just Rescued!!

Marigold is a true rescue caravan who came to us in the back of a skip!!  She is a very sad case of ‘caravan neglect’ and when we eventually re-home her it will be a very happy day!!! 

Marigold’s previous owners were past their caravanning days and didn’t really know what to do with marigold - so they left her - ignored and lonely :(

Marigold is a very exotic fold down caravan - a 1960’s Portafold to be exact.  She has been languishing at the bottom of a garden for many, many years and has a very impressive array of flora and fauna living and growing in and around her!!!  

A member of the Marigold family

She is a bit of a haven for spiders at the moment (making her a bit of a no-go area for Lisa!!).  And, she also has her very own bird life living inside!! - little Robins are nesting in her!!! That probably means that we will not be working on her for some time - at least until the robins have flown the nest! - much to Lisa’s relief (due to the spiders not robins)!! It also gives us time to plan what she is going to look like…..

We do seem to attract Robins and it is a bit of an ongoing theme for us.  Perhaps we were a bit too hasty in declaring our love of the Poodle…..a robin wouldn’t have worked though (although it does have its own flash of red - which we like).

Marigold is a 1960’s plastic construction that basically comprises of a trailer that forms the floor, 2 fold in sides, 2 fold in ends (one with the door) plus the roof. The roof was made with ‘wings’ and looks a bit like a ‘50s American car - this was so that you could store your all important dinghy in it…..an absolute caravanning must have for every family!!

The good thing about clip together plastic is that rust and damp are not an issue so, thinking positively, this should be just a repair and paint job.  It could never be that easy could it???

Obviously, this sort of construction is going to have an impact on the final ‘look’ for Marigold.  Lisa was loving the idea of a big chandelier but what happens when Marigold is folded down??? Can you hear the tinkling crystal…

Check out the gold quilted walls!

The inside of the caravan is really pretty special!! Marigold needs an awful lot of work but she still retains her gold quilted walls which were probably very sumptuous at one time.  When she is ‘ready for bed’ and her seats are converted, she turns into one gigantic bedroom - ok. gigantic is probably overstating it just a little!! 

So, what colour do you think Marigold should be?? At the moment we are thinking (predictably) oranges, yellows and golds. But we are open to suggestions - maybe she should have a woodland theme and we could paint in trees to replace the actual trees we remove… Or maybe she should be a vision of gold - simple!!  

And what about the inside? - should she have a retro feel (more in keeping with her era) or should we give her a complete makeover?? 

We would love to hear your ideas and you can take a look at the Lily & Violet pinterest boards to see our latest thoughts on the subject!! We have a little time before Marigold is due her revamp, so get your thinking caps on and let us know what you think!!

Mary & Lisa x