Heaven on Wheels

Choosy actors choose designer Jane Hallworth’s dapper caravan for on-set repose
by Mayer Rus / photographs by Roger Davies
February 2010

When it’s not being rented, Hallworth’s 1955 Spartan
aluminum trailer lives in a warehouse in Fillmore.

Among the cultivated furnishings are a pair of rosewood tables from
Blackman Cruz and an English Art Deco bar cabinet.

Amenities include a full Miele kitchen and signature
Blackman Cruz bronze-and-walnut stools.

Floors and wall panels of reclaimed rosewood create a warm
counterpoint to the trailer’s metal exterior.
Missoni blanket from Pat McGann.

The bathroom features steel tiles from Ann Sacks and,
left, hardware by Antonio Citterio for Hansgrohe.

People with sophisticated tastes generally construe the term luxury trailer as an oxymoron. There’s certainly no shortage of mobile homes tricked out with all manner of modern conveniences, high-tech gimcracks and swiveling bucket seats large enough to swallow a baby elephant. But luxury? The answer is almost invariably no.

Jane Hallworth’s 1955 Spartan Aircraft Imperial Mansion All-Aluminum Trailercoach dares to defy the stereotype. Completely reconstructed and re-imagined, the caravan sports an array of elegant, unexpected details and finishes, including an interior skin of sumptuous reclaimed rosewood, sleek modern hardware and a full Miele kitchen. Hallworth, an interior designer with a loyal following among the pillars of the young Hollywood set, first realized the potential for an upscale mobile dwelling after remodeling a trailer for Drew Barrymore a decade ago. Then in 2005, she purchased an old Spartan coach on eBay and, after an intensive rehabilitation process, christened it the Bobby Dazzler as a tribute to her late father, Robert. (It’s also a play on the expression in northern England for a jaunty, fancifully dressed person.)

It was Kirsten Dunst who gave Hallworth the idea to install a bathtub for relaxation between shots on the set. The designer was up for the challenge, adding a deep soaking tub fashioned from a 1940s stainless-steel commercial sink.

With a host of such pragmatic, stylish details, the motorcraft appeals to a specific clientele—low-key actors such as John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill, who apparently prize quality over size and glitz. Tom Hanks recently engaged Hallworth for a private commission after seeing the trailer.

“My point of reference was Aristotle Onassis’ yacht, the Christina O,” she says. “I wanted this trailer to be completely shipshape—a real jewel box. She’s not the biggest one out there, just the most refined.”