Tour this Eclectic Camper Sprinkled with Color

Today we’re touring a camper renovation that’s modern yet eclectic and sprinkled with color and custom furniture.

I love how Chelsea and Max went an alternative route when life threw them a curveball. After being accepted into grad school for an intense PA program, Max moved to Oakland temporarily while Chelsea stayed in Reno with their golden retriever, Henry.

They’ve since combined her design talent with his MaGyver skills to create an incredible travel trailer transformation that’s sure to inspire!

Let’s dive into the tour!

Camper Tour featuring Our Tiny Abode

What kind of RV/Camper do you have?

2002 Komfort 26ft Travel Trailer

What led you to the tiny life?

We had been in the market to buy a house for a while, and couldn’t find anything that fit our needs. With Max moving to Oakland for 27 months for grad school, me staying in Reno, and not wanting to sign another lease, we decided to go small for a bit while we figured life out. Luckily I had already been following a handful of tiny living accounts (Mountain Modern Life was seriously the FIRST I started following which is why I think this feature is uber cool!), so it was an easy sell to Max because I pretty much had it all planned out in my head before I even pitched it to him.

How often do you travel?

Never in our travel trailer, it’s stationary. Once in a while in our pop-up, and often by plane. We love to travel in general, and find it super necessary for our mental health!

Who do you travel with?

Anyone that’ll tag alone for the ride!

How would you describe your decorating style?

Contemporary with a bit of modern farmhouse, and some eclectic touches. I love so many design aesthetics, and sometimes it’s hard to stick to one style which is where the eclectic comes in!

How much did you spend on the renovation?

4K – including decor

Slide over the image to see the before photos.

Check out the interview below to learn more about their renovation!

How long did it take you to remodel your RV/Camper?

3 months. We were both working full-time during the process, so it took a little longer for us than we would have preferred.

Did you do everything yourself, pay a professional or do a mix of both?

We did everything ourselves, well almost. We hired a painter to assist us because we were working full-time and had a strict deadline. Unfortunately the painter disappeared a couple times, and her work up until that point was super questionable, so we had to cut her from the job 1/2 way through. With that, we ended up having to strip, and sand off everything she had done because she didn’t prime/sand anything and it was literally peeling off the wall with the slightest touch. My suggestion to anyone doing this is really vet the people you are letting into your home to do work. Dealing with that was so stressful, and set us back a ton. I finished the job, and it looks great now if I do say so myself!

Paint Colors Used?

Sherman Williams Infinity Ultra White for almost everything. And the cabinets were Lucky Shamrock by Olympic.

If you updated the flooring, what kind did you use?

Burnished Oak Fawn from Lowes, locking vinyl planks

What is your favorite project or piece of decor and why?

Hands down the breakfast bar! It is a custom piece I dreamed up, and Max brought to life. It hides our trash bin, and adds a little more kitchen storage for us. And most importantly, gives me so much room to food prep. It’s magical.

What was your least favorite project and why?

Well that’s easy, painting! The whole painting fiasco gave me a lot of grey hairs. Everything else I found quite enjoyable.

What was most challenging about your renovation?

The heat. Wow. It was so hot. Summer isn’t a great time to renovate especially if you don’t have hook-ups. Plan your renovations around weather because the heat can really kill ya.

What project made the most difference in the space?

Ripping out the dinette & replacing w/ a breakfast bar. It really opened up the space and truly feels like a real kitchen. It made the living space flow much nicer also.

What do you enjoy most about your space following the transformation? Is there a specific area you spend most of your time?

I love how cozy the living area is. The couch Max built is a little larger than a twin bed, and I used an old memory foam mattress to stuff it and plush velvet fabric to cover. It’s so comfortable! We can both spread out pretty comfortably, and still have enough space for the pup to get up. And I love that the food prep area faces the living area. It’s a small space, so either way you right there, but I like being able to face out while prepping vs. having my back to guests. It’s the little things!

What piece of advice would you give people starting an RV/Camper renovation?

At the beginning of the renovation, Max was frugal with our spending and kept saying “remember this is an RV!”. But honestly, If you are going to live in it, it’s ok to spend a little more on stuff to make it feel like home. You are in such a small space, so every little detail counts. Wallpaper, hardware, and paint go a long way. And don’t be afraid to get creative with your paint colors. But also test them too. I thought we were getting a greener cabinet color in the kitchen, but it came out teal. Whoops!

What’s your favorite aspect of tiny living?

It takes me 13 mins to deep clean my entire house now.

What is something you’ve learned in general or about yourself since going tiny?

That I don’t need much to be happy. We went from a 1900 sqft home to a 182 sqft trailer, and I haven’t once looked back and wished things were different. I hope to inspire others to shed themselves of the excessive amount of material items we think we need, and try living more minimalistic. Collect memories, not things!

Thank you, Chelsea and Max, for sharing your camper with us!

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