I'm really pleased to be able to share with you another 'favourite space', this time it belongs to Stacey Bancroft, graphic designer and co-owner of Darcy the Caravan Bar. It's no surprise then that Stacey's favourite space is in fact Darcy. It's easy to see why, he is super cute, and he's a bar! :)
Stacey and her husband, Mark, were living in Melbourne and on holiday in Cambodia when the idea for Darcy was conceived. With time to relax and switch off from their normally busy lives, it was Stacey who started brainstorming the idea, and draughtsman Mark immediately jumped onboard. Once back in New Zealand, he threw himself into the project and started trawling TradeMe for the perfect caravan.
They found Darcy and began renovating him in March 2015. That required gutting the caravan, putting in a new floor and bringing him back to life. With the help of CedarVille Joinery & Building they added the pine bench and cedar window. Mark and Stacey lined the walls themselves in ply, and they then got Darcy professionally painted. Keeping the colour scheme neutral means Darcy will suit any event, whether it be vintage, sophisticated, bohemian, country or town.
By the end of November 2015 Darcy was ready to go to his first party and is available to hire for your special occasion - a wedding, birthday, work or any private function. Pop over to his website to find out more.
As always, I had a few questions for Stacey so we could get to know her a bit better...
What do you love most about Darcy the Caravan Bar?
I love the clean Scandinavian feel of Darcy. He is such a great blank canvas for any kind of style. It is so much fun dressing him up for events. It's my favourite part of the job.
Were there any hiccups along the way with the renovation?
Once he was all finished, we went to get his Warrant of Fitness and he failed!!! But after a new drawbar and some rust proofing he passed with flying colours.
Do you have any advice for others renovating a caravan?
It takes longer than you think, so make sure you have plenty of wriggle room if you need it finished by a specific date.
What’s your favourite time of the day?
Gin o'clock.
Who or what inspires you?
All of the wonderful creative people we have here in the Hawke's Bay. After living overseas in large cities I am loving being back and involved in such a great community of creative people. I enjoy meeting up with, or bumping into people and finding out what is happening around here. It's so nice having that network. And for a business like Darcy it is the perfect way to get his name out there.
What are your reading at the moment?
I have had the 5th book 'A Dance with Dragons' from the Game of Thrones series on my kindle for over a year now. Whenever I manage to get a minute to read it, I love it! After living overseas for 8 years and having to take public transport all the time, I read so much. But now that we are back in New Zealand I miss my compulsory reading time on the tram or tube.
Sweet or savoury?
Sweet!! I am particularly partial to any kind of french pastry.
Favourite drink?
Champagne. Especially when there is something to celebrate.
Favourite thing you own?
My husband's nana's spoon collection. When she passed away a few years ago I went around her house and took photos of all her amazing bits and pieces. I was particularly taken with her spoon collection she had on the wall. She had made the wooden case that they sat in. That year Mark's mum gave me the collection for my birthday. I felt very honoured to receive it. It now features in our living room where everyone can see it. There are spoons from all over the place including, Bonnie Doon, Australia (made famous in the movie The Castle) and Fantasyland, Hawke's Bay.
Top of your wish list for your home?
We just bought our house in January and I cannot wait to put in some french doors off the dining room. Once we have done that we can buy a new dining table with money we were gifted for our wedding over two years ago. I cannot wait!!
As you can imagine, Darcy is very social. If you want to follow him and see what he's getting up to, he has his own Facebook and Instagram page. You can also follow Stacey's graphic design and styling business, The Blushing Teacup on Facebook and Instagram.
A wee thanks to Lushka Flowers for the beautiful foliage in the shoot. Last, but definitely not least, many thanks to the incredible photography skills of Florence Charvin.