Soft furnishing colours in vans

Ours is beige and browns but I opted for hard wearing leather upholstery for the very reasons you highlight. The seating has lost some of it resilience after 12 years of use but it is looking almost as good as new.

peedee

When we bought our caravan we could have had it in various cloth colours and designs (3 if I remember rightly) and either a light or a darker wood for the furniture. We chose the lightest possible combination for the same reason that Tammygirl mentioned. Even at home everything is white or light beige wherever possible.

We had two dogs when we brought our motorhome, down to one now, we had the carpets taken up and we use a foam yoga map as a runner and very soft to walk on. We used a second even thicker one at night for one of the dogs to sleep on. We also brought some cheap throws to cover the seats the dogs were allowed on. No carpets makes it very easy to sweep up any dog hair.

Contemporary interior design fabrics and walls for homes tends to be light in colour, with plenty of creams and greys, with just accents being dark. I imagine that leisure vehicle manufacturers find that those theams sell best.

Some interesting replies and photos.  My present van, a 19 year old, Eldiss Autoquest, is upholstered in a dark orange geometric type design, which is actually quite attractive and tends not to show any marks (although I do cover it with sheets) and was very popular with Eldiss some years ago and is still in very good condtion. It doesn't  make the van dark at all but my van does have a lot of windows, including a large rear window, which many vans no longer have and I use a "miracle mat" type runner over the carpet. 

I admire anyone who does makes the effort to refurb/customise their vans and from the photos, they looked very attractive.  Unfortunately, in latter years, my get up and go in the DIY department, has mainly got up and gone! 

I suppose I will just have to bite the bullet if I do buy a newer van and put up with a lighter colour, although these days I suspect that most seating and carpets will be treated with anti stain chemicals.

Agree with you Jill.  When we were looking for a new caravan we always discounted anything dark as it looked so gloomy!  Much prefer the lighter shades and a throw or two if necessary. 

Throws always look untidy, you are forever straighten and smoothing them out. As far as I am concerned they are a pain in the butt.

peedee