Molly Haas
In early 2021, a potential client reached out to Catherine Hooper of iSPY Home Design with an unconventional ask: renovating a vintage RV. The client's mother had driven the dated van from Nashville to her daughter's home in Oakland a few months prior. It was there, in her daughter's backyard, that she parked the retro (but sadly, falling apart) RV.
While a crumbling van might otherwise be a massive inconvenience—especially one parked haphazardly in your backyard—its presence actually provided a welcome escape from the main home as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on. The client decided that the RV would become a multi-functional backyard refuge, meant for overnight guests, working-from-home, and entertaining. "Business spot by day, happy hour destination by night," as she and her husband describe it. "I was impressed with their gusto and happily took the project on," says Hooper.