On the road: tips to furnish your house on wheels!
Life on the road doesn’t have have to be confined to holidays: drop everything, style your own house on wheels, and go on a new adventure!
If you’ve been reading blogs and social media, you’ve probably realized there’s a new phenomenon happening: more and more people, especially in the USA, are restyling by themselves old vans and school buses in order to live in a moving house and travel. Most of these people are freelancers who don’t need to physically go to an office every day, but there are also quite a few families who just decide to leave their normal-sized houses and apartments to live in a tiny house on wheels. Why? Well, why not? For some of them, it’s mostly for the adventure; for the majority, though, it’s a matter of money: it’s actually cheaper to restore an old bus and live mortgage-free than to pay an expensive rent every month. Regardless of the reason, we think it’s an amazing idea, so, in case you’re feeling tempted, here are some tips on how to style your very own tiny house on wheels!
Timber floor
Unless you’re buying a brand-new camper, you might want to take care of the flooring of your van first! We’ve been doing our research and talking with these adventurous people who decided to completely restyle old buses, and we’ve come to the conclusion that timber is what you should style your floor with! Besides making your tiny house look nice and cozy, wooden planks are insulating: this means that a timber floor will shelter you from the cold during winter, and hopefully keep you cool enough in summer. Avoid wall-to-wall carpets, as you need a flooring solution that’s easy to clean.
Tiny kitchen
Living in a tiny house doesn’t mean your life will become uncomfortable; it just means you’ll have to do everything in your power to optimize your space! But don’t stress: you can have a super organized and functional kitchen even in a really tiny space. After all, think carefully: all you need is a couple of burners and a sink. Once you’ve taken care of this, focus on storage space: you’ll need lots of that! Drawers and cabinets will come in handy for storing all the cooking utensils, tableware and food supplies you’ll need.
Related: tinky kitchens might be ideal for a camper, but also for a tiny studio apartment or guest house! Check out this article to learn more about the world of tiny kitchens.
Storage space
Again, storage space is what you’re going to need the most. True, life on the road is amazing as it forces you to reconsider your lifestyle, which normally leads to a purifying, chakra-clearing decluttering process, but still: there will be a few things you’re going to need, like your laptop, cleaning supplies, etc. Try to line as many cabinets as you can against the walls of your van: you'll find yourself using them as kitchen countertops whenever you’ll be making a delicious on-the-road dinner. Tip! Make sure you select sturdy cabinets that will stay closed even on the bumpiest of roads.
Foldable chairs and tables
These are absolute necessities! After all, after driving all day, what’s better than enjoying some fresh air and maybe even making friends with some new cool people you’ve met on the way? You should always keep a set of foldable chairs and a little table in your van: they virtually occupy zero space. Tip: try to avoid plastic! Wood is a much better material: it might be heavier, but it certainly helps enhancing the rustic atmosphere of a life on the road.
A tiny foldable table might come in handy inside the van, too! Especially if you’re a freelancer working with a laptop, it can become your temporary office desk.
Home décor
Because it’s a tiny house, everything in it must be an absolutely necessary item. However, decorations are necessary too, especially if you’re going to live in your van for more than just a couple of weeks! Use walls and the ceiling to hang your decorations; what about a beautiful AND useful item, like this Koi carp wooden lamp? Just make sure you hang it in the middle of the ceiling, far away from the walls: you really don’t want it to get smashed at the first road bump you hit.
Modular sofa
If you have enough space -- and, if you’re restyling a whole bus, you probably do -- a comfy sofa against the wall might be nice! It can always double as an extra bed. If an entire sofa doesn’t fit, no worries: that’s why we said modular! One or two cushions are more than enough to make your tiny house extra comfortable.
Warm blankets & throws
Don’t forget to style your sofa with a warm throw and some pillows! You’ll be grateful you took them with you the next time you’ll feel like taking a nap, or sitting outside in the chilly morning air.
Foldable bed
A foldable bed with a thick mattress is actually a pretty good idea. During the day, you can either store it away, or fold it so that it becomes a sofa. A foldable bed should be your go-to option if you’re not planning on getting a sleeping loft: so basically, if you’re going to sleep on the ground floor. The boards or platform where you’ll put your bed will become a huge table for the daytime! This is also good as there might be a few rainy or very cold days when you’ll be forced to eat indoors.
Colorful sheets and duvet
Even a set of sheets can make a huge difference in styling a room...especially if the room is super small! Try to choose a bed set that’s colorful and that matches with the rest of the van too. But, most importantly: if you’re planning to go on a year-long trip, remember to store all sorts of blankets, as you’ll be driving through four seasons and extremely different temperatures.
Wall lamps
As much as we love the Koi lamp we recommended you, it is actually best to have wall lamps and ceiling spotlights: no waste of space and no risk of lamps falling down and breaking. Place your wall lamps strategically! For instance, a wooden beam placed over the bed where the headboard would be, with two separate and independent lights at each extremity, will be as functional as having a traditional table lamp on each side of the bed.
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