You Probably Didn’t Know an RV Could Look This Good
A Florida designer renovates a used RV, building in a workspace that allows her and her husband to travel half the year
Nora Burba Trulsson
18 March 2018
Houzz Contributor. Freelance writer specializing in architecture, interiors, landscape, design and lifestyle topics. http://www.noraburbatrulsson.com
Houzz Contributor. Freelance writer specializing in architecture, interiors, landscape,... More
After Susan Small and George Landis relocated from Vermont to a condo in Florida, they realized they also wanted to spend time visiting friends and family across the United States. Landis proposed buying an RV so they could spend half the year on the road, but Small resisted at first. She worried that she couldn’t keep up with clients of her residential design business, Dreamhouse Enterprises, and balked at the relentlessly dreary interiors most RVs presented. The couple explored the idea of ordering a custom-designed RV, but the cost was too high. Eventually, though, Small came around, realizing she could have a mobile office and a modern, airy, stylish home on wheels by renovating a used RV.
Photos by Susan Teare
House at a Glance
Who camps here: Susan Small, a designer, and George Landis, a certified project manager
Location: Miramar Beach, Florida and beyond
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
Designer and builder: Dreamhouse Enterprises
Small and Landis bought a used 2011 model “fifth wheel” RV, which hitches on to the bed of a pickup truck. The 40-foot-long RV includes three slide-outs — areas for the bed, the kitchen and the sofa — that can expand outward when camping and tuck in when the RV is being towed.
“We use the pickup truck as our vehicle when we park the RV,” Landis says. “With a standard RV, you’d have to tow a car if you wanted to have a smaller vehicle to drive while you’re camping.”
House at a Glance
Who camps here: Susan Small, a designer, and George Landis, a certified project manager
Location: Miramar Beach, Florida and beyond
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
Designer and builder: Dreamhouse Enterprises
Small and Landis bought a used 2011 model “fifth wheel” RV, which hitches on to the bed of a pickup truck. The 40-foot-long RV includes three slide-outs — areas for the bed, the kitchen and the sofa — that can expand outward when camping and tuck in when the RV is being towed.
“We use the pickup truck as our vehicle when we park the RV,” Landis says. “With a standard RV, you’d have to tow a car if you wanted to have a smaller vehicle to drive while you’re camping.”
Before Photo
Before. The couple thought the original interior and its heavy draperies and dark cabinetry and countertops created an atmosphere that was too dim and traditional for their style.
“When we were looking for an RV, we went into hundreds of them,” Small says. “They were all brown on brown. I felt like I was inside my grandmother’s knick-knack cupboard.”
“When we were looking for an RV, we went into hundreds of them,” Small says. “They were all brown on brown. I felt like I was inside my grandmother’s knick-knack cupboard.”
After. Inspired by a yacht’s sleek and efficient design, as well as bright, simple Scandinavian style, Small and Landis, who handled the construction, worked with cabinetry maker SIlver Maple Construction to rip out the existing flooring, cabinetry, fixtures and surfaces and rebuild the interior to look light and modern.
Pale wood flooring and a fresh coat of white paint provide a clean backdrop for the main living areas. Small chose the fresh green color for the custom kitchen cabinetry, inspired by hues she’d seen in the summer camps and lake houses of her youth. The chalkboard above the range serves as a kitchen focal point and a place where the couple often write their trip itinerary, posting it on social media for friends and family to see.
The sofa on the left and the range, refrigerator and cabinetry on the right are located in two slide-outs that are pushed in and secured on either side of the kitchen island when the RV is in transit.
Flooring: Wicanders; wall paint: Light Pewter, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Brilliant White, Benjamin Moore; cabinetry paint: Shady Lane, Benjamin Moore
Pale wood flooring and a fresh coat of white paint provide a clean backdrop for the main living areas. Small chose the fresh green color for the custom kitchen cabinetry, inspired by hues she’d seen in the summer camps and lake houses of her youth. The chalkboard above the range serves as a kitchen focal point and a place where the couple often write their trip itinerary, posting it on social media for friends and family to see.
The sofa on the left and the range, refrigerator and cabinetry on the right are located in two slide-outs that are pushed in and secured on either side of the kitchen island when the RV is in transit.
Flooring: Wicanders; wall paint: Light Pewter, Benjamin Moore; trim paint: Brilliant White, Benjamin Moore; cabinetry paint: Shady Lane, Benjamin Moore
Small tucked a sectional into the slide-out on the right, creating the effect of a banquette. Two of the sections unfold, creating extra beds for visiting grandchildren.
In keeping with the interior’s airy look, Small sewed the curtains and roman shades herself, using pale fabrics with midcentury modern patterns. The island’s light fixture is a custom design.
The stairs lead to the bathroom and bedroom.
Sectional: Ikea; accessory pillows: West Elm
In keeping with the interior’s airy look, Small sewed the curtains and roman shades herself, using pale fabrics with midcentury modern patterns. The island’s light fixture is a custom design.
The stairs lead to the bathroom and bedroom.
Sectional: Ikea; accessory pillows: West Elm
The couple managed to get a full island into the kitchen by allowing 2 feet of space between the island and range rather than the standard 3 feet. Every inch of the cabinetry in the island, the range wall and the natural birch unit, which separates the kitchen from the bathroom, was detailed for maximum storage, including a pull-out pantry to the left of the range.
The range and refrigerator run on propane for camping purposes. The couple went without a dishwasher in favor of more storage.
Range: Atwood; refrigerator: Dometic; faucet: AWA
The range and refrigerator run on propane for camping purposes. The couple went without a dishwasher in favor of more storage.
Range: Atwood; refrigerator: Dometic; faucet: AWA
Small, who loves to cook, keeps her spices labeled and stored in magnetic jars above the range.
The simple laminate countertops are edged in natural Baltic birch.
Cutout handles for the drawers eliminate the need to dodge hardware in the kitchen’s tight spaces and allow the slide-outs to fit flush when tucked in for transit.
Cutout handles for the drawers eliminate the need to dodge hardware in the kitchen’s tight spaces and allow the slide-outs to fit flush when tucked in for transit.
A drawer at the bottom of the cabinets at one end of the kitchen stores file folders. The vent is the cold air return.
The original windows form a graphic contrast to the interior’s new pale hues.
Small designed the narrow table, which doubles as a portable desk and dining table. During transit, it can be disassembled and hung flat on the wall rack to the left.
Small designed the narrow table, which doubles as a portable desk and dining table. During transit, it can be disassembled and hung flat on the wall rack to the left.
A multipurpose credenza in the living room includes shelves for books and magazines and a cozy electric fireplace.
Fireplace: Fulton; lamp: CB2
Fireplace: Fulton; lamp: CB2
The credenza also reveals space for Small’s printer and computer, which she uses to keep up on design projects. The computer monitor, which is stored in a slot when not in use, sits atop the pop-up television.
A custom shelf behind the sectional is just wide enough to accommodate a cup of coffee and a built-in charger for phones, tablets and laptops.
Up a few steps a short hallway connects the main living space with the bathroom and bedroom. The low wood cabinet on the right is a chase for the bedroom’s washer plumbing that also doubles as a low shelf.
When Landis and Small renovated the bathroom, they removed a corner shower and installed a full-size soaking tub, stealing a few feet of space from the adjacent kitchen.
Cabinet doors behind the tub access plumbing and hide more storage above. The narrow vanity is a perfect fit for the small space.
Tub: Duravit; vanity, mirror and toilet roll holder: Ikea; fixtures: Bain Depot
Cabinet doors behind the tub access plumbing and hide more storage above. The narrow vanity is a perfect fit for the small space.
Tub: Duravit; vanity, mirror and toilet roll holder: Ikea; fixtures: Bain Depot
An opening in the wall above the bathroom helps dissipate moisture and is the perfect place to grow herbs, thanks to a nearby skylight.
Before Photo
Before. The original bedroom was dark and seemed cramped due to the existing lighting and materials.
Natural Baltic birch cabinets, white walls and a mint-hued coverlet combine to make the bedroom serene and full of light.
Lights in the cabinets illuminate storage for accessories and pull-out shelves for foldables. The combination ventless washer and dryer is a space saver.
The RV king bed (4 inches narrower than a standard king) is in a slide-out with just enough room for custom nightstands and reading lamps.
Bedside lamps, curtain rods and hook: Ikea; washer/dryer: Splendide
The RV king bed (4 inches narrower than a standard king) is in a slide-out with just enough room for custom nightstands and reading lamps.
Bedside lamps, curtain rods and hook: Ikea; washer/dryer: Splendide
Perpendicular pull-out clothes racks maximize storage space. Magnetic doors on the cabinets ensure that stored items stay put when the RV is in motion.
A bungee cord system keeps shoes in place under the bed.
The renovated RV includes a humorous touch. Small removed the original exterior decals and replaced them with a giant mustache on the front.
Before and after floor plans detail the renovation process.
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More
Houzz TV: See a Man Turn a ’70s Airstream Into a Cool, Happy Home
Get Away From It All in a Glamper
My Houzz: New Life and Style for a 1976 Airstream
Other Resources on Houzz
Find a designer, builder or other home professional
Browse products for the home
What are you working on?
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My parents had beautiful RVs after retiring at 40 to travel half of each year. Trouble was that they also kept permanant homes, paid for 2 separate memberships to RV communities and still often HAD to sleep at hwy rest stops or Walmarts. Huge footprint in a time when restraint should be practiced by anyone who cares about their next generation. They liked the monochromic nuetral colours , so that all the lovely patchwork quilts, hand painted dishes, fresh flowers and fruit etc would stand out. Just like in design magazines. But I can certainly see why the Tiny house movement is strong. A more solid investment in one's life, if one can find land on which to settle in on for which someone else is paying the taxes, insurance, infrastructure etc. And probably supplying storage space for all the other necessities of life for working adults.
So many good ideas for a RV. Lighter colors and many innovations that the average RV needs desperately. I wonder why the companies don’t offer more style in the new ones? I bet their management all drive gray and brown cars.
This is brilliant! You have poured over this space for hours and reaped every inch of goodness from it. Thank you also for the floorplan and even your vehicle. You did a very thorough job.