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Meet De Markies, the Accordion-Style Camper That Triples in Size at the Touch of a Button

How can you pack plenty of real estate potential in a very small footprint? In the case of RVs, that would be possible through slide-outs or pop-ups and pop-outs, which virtually create living space out of thin air.
The De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny home 15 photos
Photo: Eduard Böhtlingk
The De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny homeThe De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny home
The idea of expandable campers is not new, neither the pop-up nor the fully-expandable version. In real life, though, there aren’t many campers that can literally blow up to thrice the towing size, which is why concepts that play on the idea are proving so popular. The thought that you could tow an RV with a passenger car and then, at camp, the camper would explode into a full-on residence is extremely appealing to enthusiasts.

This dream is an old one, and it’s most beautifully brought to life in the De Markies, which translates into The Awning but is also referred to as The Accordion. De Markies is a design that dates back to 1985, or what young people today would call the Dark Ages, the early days of the Internet. It is the creation of Dutch architect and designer Eduard Böhtlingk and, to this day, it’s still getting plenty of attention, earning industry awards and, most importantly of all, getting showcased at events.

De Markies is not just a concept, since a few prototypes were built ahead of its entrance in the 1985 competition Temporary Living, which aimed to offer an answer to the question “How do you define living space in today’s mobile world?” Starting from the idea that awnings can create new or enlarge existing living spaces, Böhtlingk designed a camper that, with the help of awnings (sort of), expands to three times its towing size.

The De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny home
Photo: Eduard Böhtlingk
On the road, the De Markies is 2 x 4.5 meters (6.5 x 15 feet), but at camp, it expands to offer 27 square meters (290 square feet) of living space, more than enough to accommodate six people inside. It’s got the amenities for it, too: the De Markies has a sleeping area divided into two separate spaces, a generous living room, a kitchen with dining room, and a bathroom. To boot, it’s elegant and homey in a way in which few campers are. Sure enough, the styling is a bit dated, but it would be just the thing if you’re into vintage designs.

The midsection consists of a plywood and steel frame that houses the kitchen and bathroom. The furniture is collapsible to save space and to allow for all the creature comforts of an actual home. You get a dining table with seating for four, and a proper kitchen with oven and burner, sink, fridge, and cabinetry for storage. The bathroom has a toilet, sink and shower.

The sides open up in the manner of an accordion, with the walls serving as floor. One side is the sleeping area, so it’s covered by an opaque awning shield that offers privacy: you actually have two separate sleeping spaces here, making this the perfect family vehicle. The beds are singles, and collapsible as well.

The other side is the living room, covered by transparent and weatherproof plastic. This is the living room area, which can serve as a family slash entertainment room, or a lounge. Perhaps more impressive than the accordion approach to maximizing available space is the fact that both areas are “convertible.” Weather permitting, you can retract the awning and sleep under the stars, or turn the living into an open porch on which you take in the sun or the amazing views.

The De Markies camper blows up to thrice its towable size, is actually a very elegant tiny home
Photo: Eduard Böhtlingk
As noted above, the De Markies is an oldie. That said, in addition to the fact that it remains relevant – and pretty darn awesome – in 2021, it is still getting awards and plenty of attention. It won the Public Prize at the Rotterdam Design Prize in 1996, and the Urban Campsite award in 2015. In May 2022, 37 years after it was created, the De Markies will make an appearance at the Open House outdoor exhibition in Parc Lullin, near Geneva, where the theme will be housing, “be it temporary, mobile, experimental or utopian.”

With this much attention and the boom in sales for campers and tiny houses, one can only hope someone will come along and offer to turn the De Markies into a mass-market product.
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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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