This Is Vanjoy, a Strikingly Minimalist Van Conversion That Can Be a Lot of Things at Once

Vanjoy is just the kind of vehicle that could turn such a dream into reality and do so with plenty of style. This is a Fiat Ducato conversion that serves as a functional concept, a one-off designed as a study into space-saving solutions, mobility, and multi-functionality.

Make no mistake about it, Vanjoy is as real as any of the gazillion van conversions you must have heard about already, including from us. It's also as unique as those unless we're talking about a series production model.

Vanjoy was created by Berlin-based designer Michael Hilgers as an attempt to create a modular space that would fit a variety of purposes for variable periods while also fitting in perfectly in the city landscape. Hilgers set out to create the all-in-one solution to many problems of the modern city-dweller, and he did exactly that with a build that's as striking as it's good at what it does.

As he explains, Vanjoy addresses "problems like the progressive limitation of living space, a sensory overload, the lack of parking areas and the growing desire for nature and freedom," by drawing on his own experience of a city-dweller. It helps that Hilgers is a famous designer with a special knack for multi-functional furniture. Thinking outside the box is second nature to him.

The project was announced in January 2018 and was completed in August of that same year. The actual build took almost four months of hard work to transform the Fiat Ducato into a dark, cozy, and strikingly minimalist space that reveals almost nothing of its full capabilities at first glance.

When it comes to van conversions – or any other type of mobile home, for that matter – the builder works against spatial limitations, forced to use creativity and whatever gimmick it comes up with to create a space that could supplant a brick-and-mortar home. In many cases, that home is meant for permanent residency, and the pressure for it to be a complete, comfortable, or even self-sufficient home is twice as high.

Because of the compact footprint of a mobile home, it's rare to find all-black or all-dark interiors. At most, builders will use contrasting colors with larger sections in darker tones to avoid creating the impression of an even smaller space.

Not Vanjoy, though. Let's put it this way: if producers on the darkest show on TV, Game of Thrones, were to cast Vanjoy in an episode, you might not be able to see anything of it, let alone make out its distinctive features. Under that seemingly plain blue exterior hides an interior in blacks and deep dark browns, but the irony is that, instead of coming across as claustrophobic or even morbid, it's actually warm, cozy, intimate almost.

The dark finishes also help to mask the highlight of the conversion: its transformability. In less than 4.5 square meters (48.4 square feet) of living space, Hilgers packed the features of several larger spaces, including constructions on solid land: an office, a home, or a recreational vehicle. The only – very glaring – exception is the absence of a conventional bathroom, with the concept relying solely on a dry toilet and an exterior shower for "emergency" purposes.

The interior consists of a hidden kitchen with a sink and one-burner cooktop, a pivotable Dometic fridge, and storage. The entire kitchen module is removable.

The space at the end of the van is occupied by the living room slash office slash bedroom. Using the principles of a Murphy bed and sectionals, Vanjoy can transform in a few simple moves. Almost every item of furniture, from the dining table to the double-bottom drawers, has multiple functionality or is modular.

Under the bed is the garage and storage. The video at the bottom of the page shows that it's big enough to fit a small folding bicycle, but it would probably take up most of the space there. Additional storage is available inside – almost a surprising amount of it.

Hilgers never revealed specifics about the build, like the total cost of the conversion or the capacity of the water tanks, but he did say in replies to vanlife enthusiasts that it could go off-grid thanks to a solar panel array and gel battery. Focusing on these details would mean missing the point because Vanjoy is a study in meaningful variability, and multi-functional spaces and objects. And it's a successful one, too, since it's been on the road since completion.

As Hilgers himself explained, this striking conversion is a "multi-functional travel tool that, besides functionality, serves one simple purpose: to enjoy the beauty of traveling in its entirety, without any unnecessary distraction." Unless you count as distraction having to think where you’re going to go number two, it's mission accomplished.

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