I really wanted to renovate a vintage Airstream. Have for quite awhile. It was cemented when I visited Marfa and stayed in a trailer at El Cosmico. I know lots of people have these fantasies about hitting the road and seeing the world on wheels. I guess I am one of them. At the time we purchased her, we did not know what we would actually do with her once she was finished. LOL, truth. But I thought it would be a fun, small scale project.

 

Needless to say, it was a sometimes frustrating, interesting, exciting experience, but with a HUGE learning curve. (no pun intended)

 

We bought her in Baton Rouge from a friend of a friend. This is her at that moment.

She needed some work, but was in pretty good shape overall. Basically we gutted her except for the original up cabinets, the two twin bed bases, the closets and the shower configuration. The flooring needed replacing, there was some rotten flooring under the old hot water heater.

Front living area view. We replaced the cushions, added new lighting, etc.

 

Here are some materials I was thinking about. Eskayel wallpaper and fabric. Arpa laminate and stainless tile for the shower.

And a couple mood boards. Target tray, Schoolhouse Electric sconce, metal penny tile from Floor and Decor and the stove burner view.

The bucket stool from Pedersen and Lennard, H&M pillow, Eskayel wallpaper and a school bus fan from Vintage Trailer Supply.

We started working on her in Feb 2014. First, we pretty much painted everything white. We added a boat hydraulic pedestal table (seen here) for easier access to new laminate table which lowers to make room for conversion to double bed. We took out the bases and replaced them with seating with drawers underneath and new termpur-pedic cushions.

The old scones. Yuk!

New Radar Schoolhouse Electric sconces. Love!

In progress bathroom view.

In progress kitchen sink and stove. We took out the heater here as it took up much needed storage space. We added a new AC/heater unit on top of the trailer. New plumbing throughout, and new flooring was added too. One of the most challenging aspects to the renovation was figuring out the electrical system. For most RV/trailers they run on battery power so you can “boon-dock” (which means camp in an area with not hook up) which requires 110v power to battery. For a hook up system (plugging in at the RV park camp ground) you can have 220v. We used a mixture, because 1. I wasn’t sure how much boon docking we would do and 2. the lighting options are not very creative for 110v use.

Here is a before and after of the stove view. We took out the original oven because it was not working and it created a lot of weight in the trailer.

 

We added a 2 burner stove top and a microwave inside the cabinet. Changed out the lighting and added a school bus fan from Vintage Trailer Supply. Custom Arpa panels were added to the Ikea cabinet. With custom leather belt handles. (made from Target belts and cut and attached with screws and covers). Some chalkboard paint on the original up cabinets. West Elm shelf and Scrabble A N N mugs from Amazon. Ikea round Boholmen sink and kitchen faucet (no longer available) I decided to keep the plywood edge raw. There are lots of birch colored wood accents throughout. Photo by Sara Essex Bradley

 

The original view of the sofas/twin beds, looking into the vanity and bathroom.

Same view of the renovated Ann. Eskayel wallpaper and curtain fabric. Ikea hanging clock. VW Bus pillow found on Fab.com

Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

 

 

Ann’s refrigerator had been removed when we got her.

 

We added a cabinet to house the new fridge. Hoping to add a TV at some point. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

The bathroom toilet shower was updated. The original peach sink and toilet here.

We added a new toilet and sink, cabinet etc. And round stainless Penny Tile from Floor and Decor. The Liselott shades throughout are Ikea. The belt tie back is from Target. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

 

The floor of penny tiles and carpet samples (I bought these from a West Elm sale bin) for mats. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

The belt used as a tie back for the Eskayel curtain.

I used another belt to hang the toilet paper roll up out of the way of the shower. (No one likes soggy TP). Ikea vanity, Figo faucet from Allmodern and Nevie Resin sink from Signature Hardware. Accessories from H&M.

 

I also used scraps of the same Target belts as cabinet hardware. Close up here. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

And for storage drawer pulls.Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

 

New overhead LED lights are super cool. And they are adjustable.

I have been collecting “trailer art” for some time now. I have some displayed in Ann. Red and white trailer from Stephanie Nance. The print by David Lloyd on Etsy. Yellow blue tooth speaker.

The postcards were given to me by my cousin who found them in a storage room at the Dallas Museum. Very cool. I framed a few and hung them in the dining area. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

Storage closet is original with a new Ikea front to match the rest.

 

Here is the microwave in a cabinet under the stove top. The new under cabinets lights are from Vintage Trailer supply. The coffee maker is from Sweden and the white Reiss pot was found on Fab.

Another angle shows the Helmer Ikea office drawer stack. Drawers are expensive when it comes to cabinets, so I used this metal one to hold tools and cutlery. I love the perfect space above for the paper towel roll. The dish towel is Ferm Living. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

 

The ends of each cabinet has an awesome Hairpin Magazine Rack from onefortythree.

Another Trailer Park painting by Hayley Gabervalage hangs in Ann. A glimpse into the future perhaps? The hanging “side table” was made from a Gray Lacquer tray from West Elm and some bungies from Home Depot. It holds games and books. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

 

 

The Bentwood Pendant is also from West Elm. Pillows sourced from Ikea, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Ferm Living, Tricia Duffy Nancy Sin pillow and my own designs. The set of vintage Airstream postcards hanging in West Elm frames are perfect. In the center is my fav- the Bucket Stool from South African duo Pedersen and Lennard. It is the perfect additional seating in Ann and it doubles as an ice bucket when the seat top is removed. Genius. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

 

The full view from the back. Black linen privacy curtain. When ready for bed, the table goes down and the back cushions are laid on top of it to made a double bed. The trailer sleeps 4. Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

A quiet spot for reading. The reading light addition from Vintage Trailer Supply and the garland from Etsy shop, Fancy Face Studio. Eat More Tacos pennant from Three Potato Four. Photo by Sara Essex Bradley

 

I really enjoyed the design process for Ann. It was a great collaboration and I loved finding solutions for many, many issues that came up. At the moment Ann is hanging out in the backyard of our renovated Scandicamp Airbnb. She is available to rent with the house.  Or ready for photo shoots, pop up shops or just friendly ohhing and ahhing! Photo by Sara Essex Bradley

 

People love Airstreams!

 

 

 

Photo by Samara Vise for Apartment Therapy.

 

PS. Ann is named after my grandmother. She didn’t really travel much, but whenever they did go out my grandfather used to say to her, “Ok, time to hit the road, Ann.” Yes, yes indeed it is.

 

 

 

 

GO BACK