Decorating & Design
May 30, 2018
10 Stylish Airstreams & Trailers Perfect For Summer Road Trips
If there’s one travel plan that’s synonymous with summer, it’s the all-American road trip. These stylish campers put a designer spin on the classic experience. To help inspire your summer travel plans, we’ve found 10 renovated spaces that feel more like regal resorts than retro trailers.
Homeowners Kent Worth, a manager at fabric house Kravet Canada, and Sean Swayze, a designer with Bryon Patton & Associates, used their design skills to restore this 210-foot Airstream to its former glory (with a modern twist, of course).
The owners brightened up the space by choosing a light fabric for the sofa upholstery (which converts to a double bed for guests) and brought in pops of color with cushions in yellow and navy. Painting the interior of the Airstream white helped bring an airy vibe to the small space.
Flat, white cabinets bring a modern look to the kitchen, while a single stainless steel sink and black laminate counters keep things practical for life in the country.
Incorporating twin beds in the bedroom gave the owners more storage space for large items like blankets and towels. The duo also maintained the color palette from the living area, creating a seamless transition between spaces.
Tour this Airstream on H&H TV.
If you’ve ever considered downsizing, let blogger Ashley Petrone be your inspiration. The wife and mom-of-three sold her house, put most of her belongings in storage, and renovated this 31-foot-long 2003 Cougar Keystone trailer.
The couple ripped out everything they didn’t like — from light fixtures to flooring to cabinetry to furniture — and embarked on a floor-to-ceiling renovation. Ashley wanted to keep the color scheme simple and the walls white to keep the interior “light, bright, airy, and open.”
The black-and-white color scheme runs throughout the entire space, because as Ashley says, “you can see every room from anywhere in the trailer.”
The family is very selective about what they bring into their new tiny space. Everything has a place, and if it doesn’t, it goes back to wherever it came from. Ashley lives by the “one in, one out” rule: if something comes in, something must go out.
Dr. Stacy Irvine‘s stylish Airstream had been unused for over 15 years when she transformed it into a bright and functional space that her family of five uses for road tips and camping.
Smart storage, multifunctional furniture and compact appliances ensure the space functions smoothly, while bright pops of color, a tropical palm leaf print, white-painted walls and laminate oak flooring create an easy-breezy vibe that’s reminiscent of South Beach, Florida.
Tour this Airstream on H&H TV.
When Canadian designer and blogger Lynne Knowlton set out to renovate a 1976 Land Yacht Sovereign Airstream, she knew it was a tall order. Though she kept things retro on the exterior, she removed almost everything inside.
Like many other trailer renovations, Lynne’s goal was to “lighten it, brighten it and make it feel open and airy.” She removed the dark wood paneling that’s common with retro Airstreams, and replaced it with a fresh coat of white paint.
Lynn didn’t want a “simple white” interior, so she added color throughout the Airstream with throw pillows, artwork and other small pieces of decor.
She also used brushed gold hardware and accessories throughout the kitchen and bathroom, along with patterned white-and-gold wallpaper, to elevate the feel of the space and add a subtle hint of glamor.
When designers Ellen and Kate sold everything and renovated their own Airstream to travel the country, they had no idea that it would turn into a booming business. One of their first client renovations was a full gut job, and required top-to-bottom customization.
Fondly named the Isla, the designers maintained the vintage feel of the Airstream, by incorporating velvet and custom walnut cabinetry and furniture, while simultaneously modernizing everything from the windows to the walls.
While Isla’s design is a little less white than so many other trailer renovations, the duo still maintained the light shade on most of the walls and picked mostly neutral textiles.
The Luna was Kate and Ellen’s first client renovation. Like Isla, the redesign required a ton of customization, from electrical design and installation to the interior design and build.
The design duo sourced local Elm wood to build a custom dining table, and had barn wood transformed into countertops for the kitchen and bathroom.
Ellen and Kate also created an airy shower, with glass panels and gorgeous turquoise and white penny tile. The shower also has a custom bench and built-in shelving.
Married couple Sheena and Jason embarked on their trailer renovation six years into their marriage. They decided to buy a 1975 Airstream Overlander, remodel it, and give up life in suburbia to travel the country.
The duo gutted the majority of the interior (they replaced the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living space) but kept some of the original features, like the wardrobe and overhead cabinets.
After originally keeping everything in its place, the owners decided they wanted to swap the two twin beds for a full-sized bed. This meant slightly rearranging the floor plan, but by cutting their new foam mattress to perfectly fit the curved walls of the Airstream and elevating the mattress to add more under-bed storage, they saved extra space.
Since both owners work from home, the Airstream needed at least one work station. Across from the custom sofa is an entertainment area with built-in storage for books, video games, music and the couple’s sound system.
To compromise with her outdoor enthusiast of a husband, the blogger behind website Zevy Joy set out to transform a pop-up camper into a cool, comfortable oasis for herself and her two young children.
Like so many other trailer remodels, the designer picked light-colored linens, drapes and area rugs to decorate the space. While this may seem counterintuitive for a space that’s used for outdoor living, she swears all the fabrics are easy to clean.
The makeover was more of a facelift than a renovation: a simple coat of white paint, new linens and new curtains breathed new life into the trailer. The couple did install “click n lay” laminate flooring which they say completely transformed the look of the space.
Crafter, blogger and interior designer Jill Dupre always wanted to renovate an Airstream — and finally decided to take the plunge when a 1960s Vintage Airstream Tradewind became available through a friend of a friend.
With her husband’s help, Jill basically gutted the interior, replacing everything except the upper cabinets, the bases of the two twin beds, the closets and the foundation of the shower. They incorporated a hydraulic pedestal table from a boat that easily lowers to make room for a double bed.
The couple kept the twin beds in their place (along with the frames), but replaced the mattresses and added additional storage underneath each bed.