Andy and Kris live full-time in their RV, exploring the United States with their two boys and a baby on the way. Andy works a remote job in software while Kris roadschools the kids. The Murphy family loves taking pictures and writing about their adventures as they go.
Regardless if you plan to live in your RV full-time, take multiple extended trips or camp in it twice a year, you’ll likely want to make your home on wheels as comfortable and accommodating as possible. And while everyone’s style and tastes are different, you don’t have to do any major renovations or spend a ton of money to make your RV feel cozy and inviting. Here are a few simple things you can do to make your RV feel more like home.
This is the most time consuming step but it’s also the most important. Once you have your new RV, spend at least a week getting familiar with the space. When we bought our Keystone Fuzion, we spent two weeks just going through all of the rooms, lofts, cabinets, closets, and storage bays. This will help you figure out where everything is going to go, determine what items will fit in what space (some drawers can be small or oddly shaped) and maximize your organization. Once we had everything packed and set-up, we actually “lived” in our RV in our driveway for a few days. This was a great way to determine what we still needed, and didn’t need, and rearrange things that didn’t fit or flow with our day-to-day schedule.
Most RVs will have a main living space, full of couches, dinettes and various chairs, where you and your travel companions will be spending a lot of time. Even smaller RVs, like camper vans, will have a core seating area in the kitchen or near the front cab. These seating areas are a great place to start for making your RV feel more like home. You can easily add some throw pillows or a blanket to give the space some texture and extra coziness. Some people will even add seat covers or place a fitted sheet over their couches and chairs. We have four pillows on our couch that we keep year-round, but we regularly swap out the covers for various seasons, holidays or if we just want a change of color. You can also do the same with your bedding.
Another easy way to make your RV feel more like a home is to change simple fixtures. This can include hanging curtains, changing out lights or adding fun light shades, and replacing kitchen and bathroom handles. Hanging curtains and adding a few extra lamps can immediately make a small space feel more welcoming, especially if you install dimmers in your light fixtures. Replacing drawer and cabinet handles is also an easy way to make your space feel a bit more modern and cohesive.
You’ll need to stock your RV’s kitchen with cups, plates, flatware, and dishes, so why not use the ones you already have from home? Not only is this a great way to bring a bit of home with you but it also eliminates the need for disposable for single-use dishware. Having the same dishes from our sticks and bricks has really made a difference for our family when we sit down to have dinner.
Most RVs are built to maximize space and storage, which often leads to what I call “empty spaces.” These spaces can be things like a gap between your couch and a wall, tiny shelves above the kitchen sink or empty walls in the corner of a room. Kris has done a fabulous job decorating these “empty spaces” and bringing some extra life to our RV. Because these spaces are often small, you won’t have to do a lot to brighten them up. It can be as simple as hanging a few hats, signs and pictures, adding a lamp, putting up some string lights and plants, or stacking your favorite books. Try to think vertically, and utilize hooks and hangers in these spaces to really maximize the space and functionality. While these little design touches might not seem like much, they can really bring a lot of personality and charm to your RV.
Many people think of toy haulers as the wild-child of the RV world. Sometimes that’s true. While the toy hauler originated as a mobile man-cave complete with diamond plate walls, this popular RV type has evolved into much more. Today you might want to think of toy haulers as open-concept living spaces with multi-purpose utility.
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