Ever fancied having the freedom just to head off in search of adventure, not burdened with luggage or even lumbered with a car and a caravan but instead taking your own four walls and vehicle with you, all in one handy package? 


Echo: From left: Jose, Cecile, Regina and Gary with their ebay award certificate From left: Jose, Cecile, Regina and Gary with their ebay award certificate (Image: Vanpuravida)

 

If the 200,000 followers on Essex-based Vanpuravida’s Instagram page are anything to go by, you are not alone. And this award-winning company sprung from a dream that its directors, Cecile Hauderbourg and Jose Gonzalez Martinez, first followed for themselves before realising others might want to do the same.

 

Echo: Touches of copper are everywhere - here on the sink, and in the copper piping from which the blinds hang and on light switches and cupboard door handlesTouches of copper are everywhere - here on the sink, and in the copper piping from which the blinds hang and on light switches and cupboard door handles (Image: Vanpuravida)

 

Cecile is from Brittany, France, and Jose is from the Costa Brava – and clearly wanderlust is in their genes, as they met in London in 2011. 

Settling there, they both had busy jobs, with Jose an electrician and Cecile working as an NHS midwife. 

 

Echo: The kitchen-area splashback is both heat and water resistant and looks like tiling but without its weight. The blinds are held in place by leather ties. The kitchen-area splashback is both heat and water resistant and looks like tiling but without its weight. The blinds are held in place by leather ties. (Image: Bruno Giesteira)

 

Cecile said: “We wanted a family ourselves, but it wasn’t happening, so in 2015, within nothing to tie us down, we set off on a three-month motorbike trip across Asia. I’d  backpacked in the past using buses and trains to get around, but this was the first time that I wasn’t dependent on public transport. The sense of freedom was amazing – we were soon ready for another trip!

 

Echo: A door slides open to reveal Miss Mokum in all her glory. A door slides open to reveal Miss Mokum in all her glory. (Image: Bruno Giesteira)

 

"Doing the work ourselves meant it was far cheaper than buying a camper van would have been – Jose has lots of practical skills and I’ve  always had a keen eye for design. And it was worth doing because our goal was to travel around Europe in the van for a year.

 

Echo: The loo is an essential, of course - and it's lid means it can be used as a step up to the bed when required The loo is an essential, of course - and it's lid means it can be used as a step up to the bed when required (Image: Vanpuravida)

 

“Sourcing fittings and furnishings is quite an art – we like to avoid things designed specifically for motor homes, so, for instance, I’ll spend time seeking out compact home showers that might work in a van conversion.’

 

Echo: The wine cooler ensures the couple's supplies stay nicely chilled The wine cooler ensures the couple's supplies stay nicely chilled (Image: Vanpuravida)

And creating a bespoke aesthetic for clients isn’t always straightforward, given essential considerations.

Cecile said: “If you’re to drive a van easily, you’re looking at a maximum 3.5-tonne weight, all in.”

Echo: Cosy - the bed is held in a slatted box and can by lowered at the push of a button. When it’s raised, there’s room for a dining table underneath Cosy - the bed is held in a slatted box and can by lowered at the push of a button. When it’s raised, there’s room for a dining table underneath (Image: Bruno Giesteira)

Consequently, Vanpuravida was recently named winner in the Luxury Van Conversion category for its work on Miss Mokum, a Fiat Ducato van they converted for a Dutch-English couple, Regina Post and Gary Whitaker.