Even though RVs are small (compared to a house, anyway) there are some simple tricks that you can use to make the RV interior look bigger.
Why would you want to make the RV interior look bigger?
Well, since it’s such a small space, it can feel cramped inside an RV, especially if you’re stuck inside for extended periods of time.
If you’re renovating your RV, you could easily incorporate some of these tips into your renovation. But if you’re not, you can still utilize some of the tips in your RV.
With these tips, you’ll be able to make your RV interior look and feel bigger, giving the illusion of more space for you to enjoy.
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1. Less is more
Being in an RV forces you to downsize your possessions naturally. You just can’t fit as much stuff in an RV as you would fit into your house.
But even when you’re restricted to a small space, it’s so easy to acquire more and more things and not realise that we’re starting to clutter up our space.
In an RV (whether you’re living in your RV full-time, or it’s just your vacation home on wheels) it’s important to keep the ‘stuff’ down to a minimum.
We live in our RV full-time, and once we’d downsized from our house to an RV, we adopted a one-in-one-out rule. If we bought anything new into the RV, it had to replace something that was already there.
It’s amazing how spacious and big an RV feels if there is not too much stuff cluttering up the space.
2. White to bring in the light
If you’ve been following RV and travel trailer renovations like I do, you will know that 99.9% of RV renovators will completely paint the interior of the RV white.
While I personally love all the white, I can understand that some people hate the stark and clinical feel that white gives to the interior space.
At first I thought that the white paint was all about covering up all the browns and patterns of many RVs (including brand new ones), but I’ve since learnt that more often than not, the RV interior is painted white because it brightens up the space, and this makes it seem bigger and more spacious.
It doesn’t have to be just white though. Any light colors will open up the room and make it feel like you have more space.
And you can (and probably should) then soften the starkness of the white with complimentary colors or textures of different surfaces.
3. Mirrors to expand the RV interior
It’s an old interior decorators trick to use mirrors on the wall to give the illusion of depth to a room.
While there isn’t usually a lot of wall space in an RV to hang a mirror, you may be able to hang a full length mirror in the bedroom or hallway, or have a mirror splash back in the kitchen, or hang a mirror near the entry way.
4. Minimal window treatments
Nothing makes a room feel quite as spacious as large windows.
In an RV, we’re limited to whatever windows are there and there is usually no changing that at all.
But if you have a lot of window treatments that crowd in around the glass pane of the windows, this reduces the amount that you can see out the window, and how much light it lets in.
Many RVs have a patterned valance around the windows, plus blinds, some also have sheer curtains and then regular drapes.
Not only do all these window treatments cover some of the actual window, they also make the walls look more cluttered.
5. Don’t overcrowd the walls
Along the same lines as the minimal window treatments above, you should also keep things like posters, photos, and artwork on the walls, to a minimum.
Once you consider the windows, overhead cabinets and furniture in an RV, you’ll see that there isn’t a lot of wall space anyway. Especially not compared to a house.
So keeping the walls uncluttered will help to make the space feel more calm and spacious.
6. Light up the corners
When the corners of a room are a bit darker than the rest of the room, it can make the room feel smaller. So in your RV, try and light up any dark corners with a table lamp, floor lights or downlighting.
7. Organized storage systems
In an RV, everything needs to have a place, especially for travel. By having well organized storage systems in all your kitchen cabinets & drawers, cupboards and closets you’ll know exactly where things should go.
This will help you to keep your RV tidy and uncluttered.
If you struggle to keep your RV tidy, we’ve got some tips for you –> 7 Habits of people who always have tidy RVs.
I hope that with these tips you will be able to make your RV interior look bigger and more spacious.