Easy RV decorating ideas for hominess
We have now decorated two travel trailers with the purpose of long term living situations. When taking a recreational vehicle or trailer in our case you usually have a very limited design choice. grey and brown are common color themes which are just muddied and blended colors. I live in color, I need color for peace and tranquility. So when we bought our first trailer for our property I didnt want this rental space to feel like you were passing through or on a weekend trip. I wanted it to feel like you didnt want to leave.
Lightening things up makes your space appear larger
Our first trailer was for a family that needed about a year rental. Renting to a single mother with three children to look after half time I wanted her space to feel like a retreat, a year vacation on the farm so the layout and the colors were important. We found a renovated trailer painted white with a farmhouse style sink! This was a perfect blank canvas. We painted the bathroom counter a coffee brown and eventually reupholstered the cushions at the table in a striped jean. while being used as a guest bedroom I added a bright green dresser I chalk painted and replaced the knobs for a more eccentric artsy upcycle look. We hung white linen curtains and placed small succulent pots throughout.
Treat your small space like a painting
Our second trailer was definatly an upgrade in size and layout, but there was no upgrades in the design so we truly had to imagine what it could be. After choosing to paint the walls white I knew I wanted to paint the cabinets a relaxing green color. One thing about a trailer is that there is not much wall space for hanging artwork so decorating your RV in the form of appliances, backsplashes cubbard colors are a must! I still found ways to hang art, and add functional antique pieces. This small space should be seen as a whole, each wall, door, curtain, and counter needs to have the same style and color theme.
Dont forget the Fridge
The refridgerator is a large space that can be decorated so with my bohemian farmhouse style I bought magnetic strips and an old fashioned thick poster sign. This feels like a giant magnet, the fridge became a great place to show off some antique art.
Backsplash in Color
In the kitchen I made the backsplash a focal point using bright accent colors. This space is a painting! these glass stick on tiles turned out beautiful and I learned a new skill in cutting glass, I suppose I could have boxed in a wood frame over the windows to keep from having to cut the tiles in a curve, but I didnt think of that until later and I enjoy the look of the curved window.
Privacy and Window Treatments
With such a small space having so many windows keeps things light and open unless they are covered with brown shades and heavy curtains! After removing all the former curtains and rods I wanted to come up with somthing that would offer good light in places where you didnt need it to be darkened and yet have privacy without the bulky window treatments on every window. The large hallway window was the perfect spot to place stained glass looking cling on film from Lowes. It was easy to apply (although I still messed it up) all you need is a spritz of water and a good squeejy action to smooth out the wrinkles and release any air bubbles (I forgot the water first time around. I was wondering why it started peeling back in the top corner!) I have used the privacy film in the small windows next to the couch and near the queen bed as well. The rest of the windows were made out of drop cloth canvas or thrift store curtains as in the bedroom and loft sewed to desired length.
Vintage Pieces
Another way to bring in a homey look is to attatch larger mirrors in the hallway and bathroom. This opens the space up and gives a vintage vibe. We had an old entry way seat with mirror and hooks for coats, I loved this piece, but couldnt find the right space for it in my house it kept moving from wall to wall. the box was two big for the hall way but by removing the mirror and the lower hooks we had a beautiful piece for the hall and a place to hang your coat! I recommend attatching it with a long picture hanging kit for mirrors. I found a mirror in world Market that had a curve at the top and I fell in love with the size and wood color, I forgot to measure the bathroom but I had to have it! I was hoping it was the perfect fit and you know what, it just made it! that was a relief.
Rugs!
Rugs are the perfect place to add art. Whether you find a rug that actually looks like a famous painting or vintage pattern, Rugs can not only make a space look homey bit it can bring an element of design and tell people about your style. I love wool rugs for the antibacterial and natural elements. since everything is smaller in a trailer buying a well made Thick wool rug wont be as expensive at the smaller size but will add elegance and charm. I had my eyes on this World Market Rug for awhile but knew it would get lost in my house and not appreciated as much. When we started this design project I knew the rug would be worth the cost and shine in the trailer.
Plants and tropical shower
Plants are another way to add a homey and comforting space. With such a small space hanging plants will be a great option. I added two black ceiling hooks and used a stud finder so that these hooks were anchored in. I was able to bring in larger plants this way allowing the counter and table spaces to be clutter free. The bathroom is a great place for plants especially tropical plants. If you dont have a skylight or window for natural light you may want to put in a grow light. the shower mist does well to water my purple plant. I love how it cascades down the shower for a natural tropical experience.
Artwork and photography
Last but not least is adding artwork to the walls. As a watercolor artist tiny paintings are a great excercise. I was able to add hand painted watercolors in between the living room windows. I also added a 5x7 in the bedroom. The addition of artwork or photography adds character, and old world charm. along with painting my own artwork I love to find pieces at the thriftstore to hang or repaint for a historic look with a modern feel.
RV remodel ideas- easy renovation tips on a budget
Learn how to modernize a travel trailer. This RV remodel will give you second thoughts on using this space part time! Just a few simple things you need to do to make a huge impact and create a feel of home or an artist escape.
Realistic Expectations
We started a park model travel trailer renovation as a way to earn extra rental income for our family. It was fun, challenging and a good education. Probably more challenging than fun, but we're proud of the final product; so far everyone who we have hosted loves it too! Often when we start a "family project" my mind creates unrealistic expectations for a timeline. Then comes the pain, for example, when I realized it was going to require two extra coats of paint over the two I had in mind. It became a mental game to stay with it coat after coat but in the end we learned valuable information to keep in our back pocket for next time (psst...wallpaper can be your best friend!)
How Do You Update RV Wall Panels?
There are absolutely more ways than one to cover a wall and we found painting is not always the best option, especially in a travel trailer. The three types I used successfully were:
1.) Good old fashioned wall paper
2.) Peel and stick removable wall paper
3.) Interior house paint
Good Old Fashioned Wall paper
I found the benefits of papering to be several; no paint mess/cleanup, fairly easy to hang once you have it down, no odor in a small space (especially if using the cornstarch method), and thiscan be a budget friendly option over some of the pricier peel and stick wall paper.
We hung a heavier weight paper on the wall facing the loft stairs and ran it all the way back around the windows in the loft for an upscale look. Our homemade paste recipe is simply a gallon of water and a cup of corn starch heated in a pan; stir it up till thick and clear in the pan then let it cool. Applying is so easy and it's non-toxic! No worries if one of the toddlers makes a mess and splatters or gets on hands or mouth - no drop cloth necessary either. One can definitely get away with a bit of a mess, since the cleanup is so easy plus floor and carpets won't be damaged or stained. For that reason alone I think I would almost wall paper everything! If I do another trailer, I would choose the least expensive paper not pre-pasted, just old fashioned wallpaper, make my corn starch mix, and just have fun.
(This update just in: After writing this part of the post I noticed some of the corners peeling back. Then I happened to find the directions to my heavy weight grass paper. Due to its thickness and grass material it needed a stronger than normal medium. So something to keep in mind when using thicker wallpaper, make sure you have the strong stuff...After buying the paste from the hardware store to shore up the corners, I also chose to paper the bedroom as well. I felt really good about the process and knocked the whole thing out in a couple of hours. I would have loved to use the cornstarch exclusively of course)
Painting the Walls and Cabinets
In some places I found painting slightly faster or just more customizable for example doing a wash with a color for a linen look. So the wall combinations in the loft ended up a wash of green, a wash of yellow, and wallpaper.
The trailer itself has taken weeks to paint. I wanted white as much as possible because it is the style now, but naturally white keeps everything looking open and fresh. Pinterest examples swayed me hard in the direction of using white in the main room. I love how it turned out, but it was hard work and the most time consuming!
RV Kitchen Area
Removing the cabinet doors and shooting them with an air sprayer went a long way to giving them a professional finish! It is definitely worth the price of a small air sprayer. My husband did two coats for extra measure after prepping(cleaning) and priming them. Make sure to remove all the hinges or replace them for a clean look. when painting the island look for water damage before painting over the wood, I learned that the hard way. The accent wall in the kitchen became my tile backsplash, here is a great way to have fun and add some pattern and color, I found these peel and stick glass tiles at our local Habitat for Humanities store.
Peel and Stick Removable Wall Paper
I can't emphasize enough the importance of cleaning the rv wallpaper surface when using peal and stick(p/s). I must have been tired and missed cleaning an area on a high wall above the bedroom door and it started to peal away a bit. (Time to get out that wall paper paste I bought!). It really pays to have a good exacto knife or blade that you can use in this process. I started out cutting exact measurements and soon realized how much faster and easier it was to overlap seams then trim excess. It's a nice forgiving method for hanging. And generally the p/s wallpaper comes off like a charm when it comes time to update! I found the p/s on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $8/role. It was a great savings, roles can go for as much as $100 dollars!
Wall Covering Summary
Next time I plan to do the p/s white or maybe in regular wallpaper with a fun light pattern for the majority of the walls. There is definitely a reason the walls in a trailer come wallpapered! One important detail whether you choose to paint or wallpaper is to clean those walls, I cannot emphasize this enough! Paint will not cover grime/oils and paper will peel. So prep your wall for the best wall makeover possibilities. Whichever way you choose to update the rv walls, stick wallpaper, stick tiles, white paint, spray paint? updating the rv interior walls will make a huge difference and bring new life to your rv renovation. to
Travel Trailer Trim
I would have taken off all of the fancy trim molding and replaced with natural stained wood as in the above picture. In the main living area we decided to paint it white so we'll leave that for now. You can see in the above we replaced the trim in the master bedroom with walnut stained pine boards this made a big difference and was an easy diy project that made the biggest impact in this small bedroom. They turned out so beautiful!
Plan Your Murals!
At first I thought I was going to be living in this trailer with half of my children and half in another one while we remodel our home. However, since then we decided to stay in our home and rent this out as I mentioned before. I imagined if I'm staying in this small space I wanted it to have a fun feel so I went slightly paint happy. l found a few ideas and went to town printing a Bohemian style design on each piece of furniture. Then I painted the walls a gray-purple. Haha, it turned out a bit eccentric and overwhelming.
A Hard Lesson for a Free Spirit
After it was all completed I surprised the family and boy were they shocked. In the end, I came to the realization it was not going to work. I ended up double and triple painting in places wasting precious time. I should have spent more time planning the room out, something I'm in the midst of learning to do. Whether using plain old paper and playing with color or more advanced designing application like Canva it will save time and money. This project was proof for me!
Though just a small space, the trailer renovation challenged me in many ways. Everything from design skills, artistic skills, and patience to forcing openness to try new things like hanging wallpaper. They say sometimes small spaces are harder, I think that is true!
In case you are wondering on timeline, I'd say it is definitely not a weekend project, more like several weeks. We couldn't work on it every day all day of course with family obligations but it can be done efficiently using a few of the techniques we learned. Fortunately, we did not have a hard timeline and could be somewhat flexible with how much time we put in. There were a few times along the way I had to apologize to my family for neglecting my other duties or letting the project overwhelm me. So I was reminded to stop from time to time and make sure to show love to everyone around while I shared the work and the joy of a finished project with my family.
Finishing Touches
The Best part of this RV remodel was the finishing touches. When We added new black light fixtures and replaced the fan with a small black fan It was a great way to make the space feel new. We replaced all the light bulbs and put in some vintage looking ones in the rv bathroom along with greenery. I love the fact our rv has a skylight in the bathroom, with all that natural light and humid environment my succulents love it in there! I also hung plants from the ceiling in the Living room. Of course buying the throw pillows, rugs, Bed comforters, and drapes were the highlight and I will go in depth with the decorating in a later post. The entire process was a lot of work, but in the end we found affordable ways to make this old travel trailer turn into a home away from home. The interior space is cute and comfortable. We find pleasure in knowing all our hard work has already paid off!