Madam Plush had a fairly schizophrenic interior when I took delivery recently.
The old consists of fine Japanese carpentry used for an elegant lounge, a kitchen bench with a sink and lovely wood and brass door knobs, and a toilet. The wall and door surfaces look enamelled and everything is solid.
There are some touches that might be a bit overdone for a Western eye, but having travelled through Japan, I appreciate the gestures like tasseled curtains and ornate ceiling lights, they have a way of softening the clean lines of the woodwork.
And with typical Japanese ingenuity for small spaces they’ve tucked in a surprising amount of storage nooks.
Upstairs, in the ‘penthouse’, the walls and floor are carpeted. There’s a popup and a small skylight, and if it weren’t for my buggered knees it would make a fine bedroom.
It will now be transformed into an storage attic which frees up more room below.
As it is the lounge is easily converted to a near king-size bed.
I’ve decided to restore the Japanese section as best I can, and everyone who has climbed onboard for a sticky beak has been impressed.
The front of the bus behind the driver’s seat had a strange open cupboard built with chipboard, already swelling from spills on its untreated surfaces, which housed a 110-litre 12/24v fridge and a small gas cooker.
Needless to say it is no more. Instead there is a big open space which will hopefully soon become my office.
This Road Warrior cannot afford to stop working yet, and thankfully technology has come to the rescue in more ways than one. Power, size and cost being the major benefits.