A Room of One’s Own: the kitschy-chic caravan giving staycations a glitzy new guise

It’s not exactly just one room, but we think a caravan makes a charming exception to the rule. Renovated by a trio of friends from Margate – Whinnie Williams, the interior designer behind the brand Poodle & Blonde; Anna Hart, a travel journalist; and Emma Jane Palin, an interior stylist and writer – the caravan guesthouse is based in Kent’s Birchington-on-Sea and brings together the group’s shared love of the Palm Springs aesthetic, mid-century design and maximalist retro embellishments.

Growing up, Anna, Emma and Whinnie all spent their summer holidays in caravans. Talking together about those childhood trips, “we realised we all had these crazy formative memories,” Emma says. “They seemed to involve so many people’s firsts: first kiss, first holiday fling… Those places are the site of so many emotional moments that were central to our coming-of-age.”

When lockdown hit in 2020 and the trio found themselves reconsidering their careers, they began looking for a new project to take on together – and Club Jupiter was born. After three months of renovations, they had transformed a “fifty shades of beige” caravan into a retro dreamland, bringing together the kitschy charm of British seaside holidays and the fantasy escapism of a tropical Californian summer.

While we have bent the rules slightly to include Club Jupiter in this series, we haven’t broken them, for Emma, Anna and Whinnie all do have a room of their own, designed individually. Wander through the calm light-filled living room and you’ll reach the three bedrooms. The Jungle Room, designed by Anna, pays homage to Graceland, with posters of Elvis and a natural palette of bamboo and rattan fit for the King himself. Whinnie’s Lonely Heart Saloon combines retro allure with her love of Westerns – think pink rodeo wallpaper and a cow-horn sculpture she inherited from her dad. Next door, with sequinned walls and a mirrored ceiling, Emma’s Space Disco room recreates the glitz and glamour of Studio 54. And all are united not just in their maximalist magic, but in their sustainable approach – as Emma explains as we quiz her on the singular appeal of caravan travel.

“When we first bought the caravan, everything was very beige – we named her Crème Brûlée. But she did have good bones and some original features that we wanted to retain. We kept the sofa, which we reupholstered in Poodle & Blonde velvet, and the kitchen, adding new doors that we repainted. For the ceiling, we used wooden tongue-and-groove cladding, which completely transformed the space, making it more earthy and warm.

“We also took out all the excess cupboards that dominated the living space, as we knew no one was going to be here full-time, needing the storage. And we wanted to make the room more open-plan, to emulate the architecture of Palm Springs.

“The work took three months. It was just the three of us and our builder, who lived on-site. With a caravan, you have to build from the outside in. Rather than fixing a screw to the interior of the wall, you fix it to the exterior. It forces you to think inside-out.

“Another thing we had to really consider was weight: things in a caravan can’t be too heavy. The fireplace is actually made using thermoform – a material usually used in set design. You have do things differently in a structure whose walls move – everything else has to be able to move with them.

“The name was born after the first night we stayed in the caravan together. We’d all brought lots of records and books with us, which we leafed through, pulling out words we liked. Club Jupiter was the one that landed: a space-age disco cabin.

“We built the framework for the beds using the storage we’d taken out. We were conscious of waste from the off and we were doing things on a budget, so we tried to buy second-hand and used regenerative materials. The floor is Marmoleum, a rapidly renewable material; the paint all came from Coat, a carbon-neutral company; and we got the colourful sinks and loos from eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Every decision was made consciously and, apart from a few styling bits, everything was bought second-hand or from Poodle & Blonde, which sources everything as responsibly as possible.

“Anna, Whinnie and I wanted to bring a sense of our own distinct design sensibilities to the spaces, which was we chose to create a bedroom each. The living room is the calm before the storm, while the bedrooms are wild and playful, because while Club Jupiter is meant to feel like a home-from-home, it’s also a fantasy. Whinnie has her Western-themed bedroom, Anna’s is based on Graceland and mine is the disco room. It’s nothing like my own bedroom, but I love the impact it has. As the rooms are quite petite, each feels like its own little world. They exist discretely, yet they are connected to one another through their shared Americana aesthetic; all three of us are really inspired by the Madonna Inn in California.

“We wanted to mash up the British seaside holiday with a bit of maximalist pizzazz, to end the stigma around caravan holidays. They’re associated with those from older generations, or people who can’t afford to go abroad, but that shouldn’t be the case. We think they’re really desirable and fun – and a UK holiday is wonderful. The park that Club Jupiter is in is brilliantly retro and you can still go down to the clubhouse on a Friday night for karaoke or bingo. But you’re also right in the middle between all the buzz of Ramsgate, Westgate and Margate. You can drive to 14 different beaches within 12 minutes.

“I love the connections we’ve created with people who’ve stayed, through our guest book and the cork pinboard wall in the bathroom. Kids have drawn pictures for us, people have left photos of them celebrating turning 30, others have left notes about what they’ve won at the arcades. We love those little moments that we can look back to together. When people share the memories they’ve created here, it makes it feel so worth it.”

Further reading

Club Jupiter

Club Jupiter on Instagram