Kyla Mackenzie and Louis Foster have perfectly combined practicality and adventure with their super cool home on wheels – a Unimog. With the help of Resene they have transformed the interior into a fun and vibrant homage to the Northland bush, painting the surfaces in a nature-inspired palette of primarily greens and oranges.
The couple met on Tinder a few years ago and, along with their three pups, are “a bunch of beach-loving, sun-chasing outdoor enthusiasts who love to get away from the city (and other people) and enjoy nature,” says Kyla. Attracted by the freedom of life on the road, they renovated and sold their home to fund their dream truck build. “Our vision was to have all the necessities (and more) of a well-built home on the back of a truck that can take us anywhere!”
Wondering what a Unimog is? They’re troop carriers in the field and thanks to their high weight capacity, make the perfect base for an off-road camper. This one in particular is a 1988 Mercedes-Benz formerly in use by the Australian military, and the couple have been documenting their reno on their Out The Gate Off-Road Instagram account.
To keep costs low and customise every element to suit their exact requirements, Louis and Kayla have done the majority of the build themselves, creating a warm, inviting and perfectly proportioned abode. “The vision was to have all the best parts of a home in the truck – a full-sized bed and shower, full-sized bench and sink and enough storage to fit all our miscellaneous adventure gear,” says Kyla. “This meant being creative with design and layout and thinking of some out-the-gate ideas.”
Louis drew inspiration from his years building architectural houses and the couple made an effort to use native and locally sourced (often recycled) timber to add warmth to their home.
