Camper Makeover- 5 easy tips to renovate your RV, motorhome or trailer (2024)

Hands up if you’ve ever completed a camper makeover. Or want to… but haven’t quite gotten around to it yet. Sometimes, just looking at ALL. THE. WORK to do is so daunting it”s hard to know where to start.

BUT- RV/ camper renovating does NOT have to be as terrifying or time-consuming as it sounds.

Promise.

Today we’re sharing 5 easy tips to remodel your camper, RV, motorhome or trailer. Most of these hacks can be completed in under 24 hours AND on a budget.

I know, I know. I’m spoiling you.

If you’re EVER debated getting rid of all those browns, beiges or dark corners in your RV, this is the post for you.

NOTE: Today’s post is written by Conny from colorfuldesigner.com. She’s an interior designer (TOLD you I was spoiling you), she’s crazy talented at camper makeovers and you can find out more about her (and her cute dog) at the bottom of this post.

Boring beige RVs need a Camper Makeover

Before we bought our Travel Trailer, we rented RV’s for many years. No matter what size we rented, the interior always looked the same- dark and not very inviting.

It seems like the only color schemes RV designers choose from is brown and beige. I guess they think it is easier to hide the dirt on brown floors and beige wall color.

It didn’t really bother me that most of the time, because the RV’s were rented and we gave them back after a couple of weeks.

But now we own a Travel Trailer ourselves, I try to update and remodel as much as I can to feel comfortable in my own space.

Why did I remodel our camper?

Well, because I love it colorful, I made it a mission to get rid of browns and beiges. I added color into as many places as possible to make the space lighter, brighter and nicer.

Yes, it’s been hard work, but definitely worth it.

If you have been thinking about updating your Camper but don’t really know what to do, here’s how to get started in 5 easy steps (without the overwhelm)

You’ll be amazed how quickly a few changes will brighten up your camper interior. All of these can be done in a few hours. Heck- some only take 5 minutes!

Interior Camper makeover tips- Tip #1

Remove the valances and wallpaper border

Get rid of the valances. These ‘window covers’ are mainly an eye-sore due to the dark fabric choice. They reduce the light source and make the interior look dated.

So please, unscrew them.

You will need a long screwdriver to get to the screws easier.

TOP TIP: The screws are often hard to find, so pull on the valance a little bit to find the area where they are located.

Add a regular curtain rod and cafe curtains

• Use the holes from taking down the valances.
• If you don’t want to screw the curtain rod into your camper wall, use liquid nails and glue the hardware on the wall.
• Another option is to use command hooks and lay the rod on to the hooks.
• Hang up some cafe curtains or sheer curtains.

And instantly it will look so much better; it’s amazing what pretty curtains can do.

Camper Remodel Tip #2 – Cover your sofa/ dinette (no sewing!)

When we bought our Travel Trailer, it was already 12 years old and a little worn out. It looked so unhappy and needed to be updated desperately.

We tried to get rid of the Jack Knife Sofa, but couldn’t. It was sitting on top of the wheel and my husband was very hesitant to get into a major renovation.

So, we kept the sofa. But the fabric was stained and it was brown. (Of course!)

Cover your Sofa

What is an easy update for a tired sofa? Get a pretty fabric and cover the dated sofa cover. And NO- you do NOT have to sew anything.

Here are your steps for each sofa recovering

• Buy pretty but hardwearing fabric. A light color is good, but anything you’re happy with works
• Get adhesive velcro strips and stick it on the back of the sofa so the new fabric stays in place.
• Add a couple of pretty pillows, and you are DONE.

How to recover your camper dinette (without sewing)

Yep, it’s totally possible to reupholster your camper dinette without sewing (or swearing…) Here’s how:

• Make sure you have enough material
• Glue a piece of plywood/ hardwood to the back of the old cushion (use spray glue is fine)
• Wrap the new fabric over the existing cushion (yep, you can leave the old fabric on)
• Staple to the plywood. Start with one side, then the opposite.
• Pay attention to the corners and pull tight as you work your way around.

Of course, you can also buy slip covers from Amazon or, if you know how to sew, make slipcovers yourself.

Editor’s note: These first sofa covers are the exact ones we use on our motorhome with our dog. They are GENIUS- they just wrap around the existing cushions, tuck in securely and keep ALL the dirt off.

Camper renovation hack #3- change your bulbs

Exchanging light bulbs makes all the difference and is one of the easiest things to do. We updated all of our light bulbs to LED and wow, I don’t feel like cavewoman anymore. All of a sudden I can actually read a book at night.

So this is a no-brainer. Get the right LED lights, unscrew the old ones and replace them with LED. You will notice that you have a completely different atmosphere inside your camper (not to mention being more energy efficient.)

Also, you can make some easy updates to your RV light covers – especially if you know how to crochet.

Tip #4- Possibly the easiest Camper makeover hack ever

Add a rug.

Yep, that’s it. To make a fresh impression in your Camper you don’t need a huge rug; a runner in front of the kitchen area or the couch will already do the trick.

Our camper is very small therefore I only needed a 6 feet long runner. And it looks so pretty and adds color to my grey cabinets and floors.

Just shop around and find what works best for you.

TOP TIP: A rug with a small pattern is better than one with a solid color, because it hides the dirt and stains better- which will automatically happen if you have dog/kids/husband… (#LOL #onlyfunnycozitstrue)

Camper Makeover Tip #5

Ok, I take it back- THIS is the easiest RV remodel tip ever. Are you ready?

Add a pretty bedspread.

Yep- that simple; but it makes such a HUGE difference.

Also, do you have trouble making the bed up nicely in your camper because you can’t reach the back wall? Just line up the duvet with the wall, smooth it to the front (where you CAN reach) and tuck it up inside (so the front edge is rolled in under itself.) Easy and neat.

Alternatively, just buy a pretty throw and add that to the bed- the color makes all the difference.

It doesn’t need to be hard to make a dated Camper, motorhome or RV look fresh and happy if you use some of these easy camper makeover tips.

I can’t wait to see what you do to yours!

About Conny

Conny is an interior designer and loves to travel in her small 18’ Travel Trailer with husband Jon and dog Apache.

They just moved from the East Coast to the West Coast in their Camper, enjoying every minute of their freedom as empty nesters.

She loves to update houses, furniture and also campers. If you’d like more of her tips, grab her eBook- how to update the interior of an older RV now.

Want to save these tips for later? Pin it to your camper makeover board on Pinterest: