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Stickybeak of the Week: A Child's Playhouse With a Twist
Discover how a photographer with no background in carpentry built and decorated a traditional child's gypsy caravan in 3 months
From the moment his first grandchild was born, New Zealand landscape photographer Declan O’Neill decided to embark on a project that would provide fond family memories for years to come – he would build a child’s playhouse with a magical twist.
Inspired by a chair that had been played with by the children in his family for generations, and supported by his wife Gill, he began to brainstorm. “I wanted to give my granddaughter something that wasn’t made of plastic and may fall apart after a few years. I saw a photograph on Houzz of a playhouse in the form of a traditional gypsy caravan and immediately fell in love with the idea of building one for her,” says Declan.
Having grown up in Ireland, he hoped the project would speak to his heritage, so working out how to create the traditional roll-top of an Irish gypsy caravan was a good starting point. He had no carpentry experience when he began, just a clear vision and a strong cause, but he soon discovered what a powerful source of knowledge the internet could be.
“I had no idea how tricky it would be to create 1.5-metre diameter hoops from Elm planks,” Declan remembers. “The internet proved a lifesaver, as a simple web search uncovered an assortment of men with sawdust-covered beards who knew exactly how to fashion hoops and share their knowledge.”
Inspired by a chair that had been played with by the children in his family for generations, and supported by his wife Gill, he began to brainstorm. “I wanted to give my granddaughter something that wasn’t made of plastic and may fall apart after a few years. I saw a photograph on Houzz of a playhouse in the form of a traditional gypsy caravan and immediately fell in love with the idea of building one for her,” says Declan.
Having grown up in Ireland, he hoped the project would speak to his heritage, so working out how to create the traditional roll-top of an Irish gypsy caravan was a good starting point. He had no carpentry experience when he began, just a clear vision and a strong cause, but he soon discovered what a powerful source of knowledge the internet could be.
“I had no idea how tricky it would be to create 1.5-metre diameter hoops from Elm planks,” Declan remembers. “The internet proved a lifesaver, as a simple web search uncovered an assortment of men with sawdust-covered beards who knew exactly how to fashion hoops and share their knowledge.”
The exterior of the wagon is tongue-and-groove redwood. The roof is caulked and secured with silicon bronze nails.
“I discovered a New Zealand company that manufactured beautiful silicon bronze nails with rose heads, which I used to secure the roof and walls,” says Declan. “Unfortunately, the nails are relatively soft, so hammering them into elm proved to be more demanding than I had imagined! The roof had to be painted with a total of eight coats of paint and varnish before being nailed as I wanted the nail heads to glint in the sunlight and not be hidden by paint.”
“I discovered a New Zealand company that manufactured beautiful silicon bronze nails with rose heads, which I used to secure the roof and walls,” says Declan. “Unfortunately, the nails are relatively soft, so hammering them into elm proved to be more demanding than I had imagined! The roof had to be painted with a total of eight coats of paint and varnish before being nailed as I wanted the nail heads to glint in the sunlight and not be hidden by paint.”
The circus wagon theme of the caravan is all down to a discovery by wife Gill. Scouring the charity shops for items to dress the interiors with, she came home one day with a clown puppet and inadvertently convinced her husband of a new twist in the design.
“I suddenly realised we could have a lot of fun theming the caravan as a circus wagon,” Declan tells us. “I decided to paint the front door with a circus theme to tie it all together. Having spent so long on the carpentry, it was incredibly satisfying to decorate the outside and make it look beautiful.”
Indeed, these small discoveries create the magic found here. The teddy bear handles, for instance, were discovered on the bottom shelf of a hardware store and add to the playfulness of the exterior, along with the ‘Coco’ bell to ring.
“I suddenly realised we could have a lot of fun theming the caravan as a circus wagon,” Declan tells us. “I decided to paint the front door with a circus theme to tie it all together. Having spent so long on the carpentry, it was incredibly satisfying to decorate the outside and make it look beautiful.”
Indeed, these small discoveries create the magic found here. The teddy bear handles, for instance, were discovered on the bottom shelf of a hardware store and add to the playfulness of the exterior, along with the ‘Coco’ bell to ring.
Here is a closer look at the Dutch door handpainted by Declan to represent the circus theme.
Gill was also responsible for the soft furnishings, including the curtains, squabs and the mattress. The interior walls are lined with red hessian to create a warm atmosphere.
The hoops were cut from 40mm-thick elm using a band saw and glued into place before being cut to the right size.
The bed was made from slats, and it splits in two so that it can easily be removed when the area is needed for play time. The wall is handpainted with a sunny scene that the kids can enjoy, surrounding a cubbyhole that leads to…
…the ‘secret room’ under the bed. The walls are covered in a printed vinyl decorated with farm and marine animals. Declan admits to the versatility in the design, that the excitement of the project led to. “It could be a Noah’s Ark or a zoo or an unusual circus!” he says.
Another one of Gill’s charity shop finds. Naturally, a tea set is provided for entertaining!
Declan chose to build the undercarriage from totara wood that had aged for 25 years. The castors ensure the wagon can be moved easily.
A thermal barrier was added to keep the caravan cool in summer and warm in winter. It’s laid over the hessian and under the redwood roof slats.
Covered in earthy green and primrose yellow paint, a stool fit for a clown (and adorned with the word ‘Coco’ to prove this point) was added to the porch in order to allow guests to “watch the world go by”.
Now that the caravan is finished, Declan has been swamped by enquiries from people wanting him to build more, and so the photographer from Nelson, New Zealand, has started up his own carpentry firm, Heritage Wagons.
“I think people are increasingly looking for something that has been made by a real person rather than a computer-controlled, manufacturing process. They like the idea of something built to last generations. They appreciate the personal aspect of it – the fact that it has been built by hand and made with love.”
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Now that the caravan is finished, Declan has been swamped by enquiries from people wanting him to build more, and so the photographer from Nelson, New Zealand, has started up his own carpentry firm, Heritage Wagons.
“I think people are increasingly looking for something that has been made by a real person rather than a computer-controlled, manufacturing process. They like the idea of something built to last generations. They appreciate the personal aspect of it – the fact that it has been built by hand and made with love.”
MORE
10 Ways to Transform Your Backyard Into a Kid’s Adventure Zone
10 Dos and Don’ts for a Fun and Practical Playroom
Child’s Play: 18 Cool Ideas for Kids’ Spaces That Will Keep Them Busy
“The roof is made from redwood; the high tannin content ensures that it withstands the ravages of time, weather and insects,” says Declan. The rest of the caravan is built from a mixture of totara, macrocarpa, redwood, elm and pine. All the timber used was sourced from local sustainable forests.
He adds: “I was lucky to find a mill that stocked carefully-chosen, seasoned local timbers that could also dress the wood to my specifications. You feel a sense of responsibility to make something special out of totara planks that have been seasoned for a quarter of a century.”