Check out this ultra-creative camper van build— Wow

By Cheri Sicard
In the video from Nate Murphy at the end of this post we meet Kirby, who shares a tour of “Baltica,” his 15th camper van build. Some vans feel built. Baltica feels shaped. It leans hard into Scandinavian style, curved forms, and exposed Baltic birch edges. The result is a one-of-one build that looks more like a small piece of architectural art than a camper.

Kirby named this van “Baltica” because of the exposed Baltic birch edge throughout the interior. While his last van leaned psychedelic and funky, this one moves in a calmer direction. The look is cleaner, lighter, and more Scandinavian.

A lot of that style came from chairs he started building last year. He carried those slatted and curved ideas into the van, especially in the shower, shelves, and bed area.

Near the sliding door, the front bench sets the tone. It was inspired by a friend’s van from 2018, where a simple seat by the open door became a place to watch the waves. Here, that idea also adds big clothing storage, a small cubby, and soft lighting. A partition behind the front area also helps a lot in warm weather, because it keeps heat from pouring through the cabin when the door opens.

The see-through shower is the standout feature

The shower is the piece most people will remember. It uses slatted wood ribs on the outside and plexiglass walls on the inside, so the space feels open instead of boxed in.

Kirby built the structure with a threaded rod running through each piece, then used 1-inch coupling nuts to space the slats evenly. Inside, there’s a full mirror, a shower head, a wand, and a Laveo dry flush toilet. The shower measures 40 by 28 inches, so it gives more elbow room than many van bathrooms.

The clear enclosure adds light and depth, but privacy still comes from the van itself and the window covers.

The kitchen mixes clean surfaces with clever details

The kitchen keeps the same curved, sculpted look. One of the strongest details is the sink bowl, which blends into the Corian solid-surface countertop so it reads as one piece. Red accents on the faucet, handles, cushions, and outlets break up the pale wood in a subtle way.

Under the cabinet sits a 40-gallon fresh water tank, plus filtered and instant hot water. Above, a curved overhead cabinet was formed by kerf-cutting the wood and using steam to help bend it. Its frosted plexiglass door glows at night.

There’s also a hidden pop-up compartment with a gas strut and magnetic lock. Below the sink, Kirby used his signature slanted cabinet faces with lighting above each one, so both the doors and the storage inside are easy to see.

Across from the kitchen, the van adds an Isotherm 70L fridge, a full electrical cabinet, and even a 3D printer. The battery bank uses three 314Ah batteries, or about 960Ah total. Instead of a fixed cooktop, Kirby cooks with an air fryer he pulls out when needed. A magnetic 360 fan can also snap into powered mounts on either side.

The rear lounge turns storage into art

The back of the van is where the parametric design shows up most clearly. Both bench seats stay mostly open for storage, with systems tucked tightly into corners. One side currently holds a snowboard and clothes.

Custom round windows replace the usual square look, which fit the soft corners used across the van. Below the shelf line, Kirby built wave-shaped wood forms in CAD, then backlit them so the shadows show off their depth at night. A hidden full-size table lifts up on a custom ironing-board-style mechanism, and a magnetic projector mounts to the ceiling for movie nights.

The floating shelf above the bed is also backlit. Each piece had to be marked with dot patterns to keep the CNC parts organized. The bed slides across, locks into notches, and ends up around 72 by 70 inches. A 3-by-4-foot skylight, high overhead cabinets, and wide views out the windows keep the rear from feeling cramped.

At the very back, a large arch ties in the heat vents, speaker, 120V outlets, and curved cubbies below.

Baltica works because the design never feels separate from the function. The shower, storage, bed, lighting, and utilities all follow the same curved language, so the van feels whole from front to back. Baltica proves a van can solve practical needs and still feel like art.

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