How to remodel an RV pretty colorful (Boho Style)
Amazing RV interior – you need to see the before and after pictures of the “How to remodel an RV pretty colorful (Boho Style) article here!
Scrolling through my Facebook feed I suddenly stopped. These colors, the combination of different patterns, the cool decor, all this made me stop right away. I needed to take a closer look at these images.
Wow, I thought, finally not a Farmhouse remodel, but a really amazing looking boho update of an RV. (I don’t mind farmhouse, but I also love to see other styles).
I have seen a lot of remodels, tiny Campers, medium-sized Motorhomes, huge 5th Wheels, and many Travel Trailers. But this Camper remodel – done by Mellisa Taylor – is absolutely breathtaking. It is so colorful – it totally fits my style.
Read the story of this fifth wheel renovation written and done by Mellisa Taylor.
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How to remodel an RV pretty colorful (Boho Style)

And this is how Melissa’s story starts:
“Moving from the UK to the US in 2006 we decided as a way to teach our 3 kids about the US, we would rent an RV each August and go on road trips.
We’ve done 41 states so far, including National Parks, Wounded Knee in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation as the boys were learning about the massacre in a school.
We checked out Area 51 when they were into aliens, traveling to Monroeville, AL in search of Harper Lee when our daughter was studying ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, found the grave of Sonny-Boy Williamson in a cotton field in Tutwiler, MS so our son Sonny-Boy could connect with his namesake.
We traveled all night to arrive in Badlands and Grand Canyon West for sunrise, so RVing was in our blood.
But the RV’s we rented always left a lot to be desired. I knew I wanted to buy one eventually, completely gut and renovate it myself, injecting as much as I could of my own personality.
This is how the RV remodel adventure starts
In November 2019 I found a 2010 OPEN RANGE Journeyer 280RLS. 28 ft with 3 slideouts. Around 280 sq ft with slideouts extended. I could see the potential immediately.
I started with removing most of the RV furniture
The first thing I did was take out the platform bed in the bedroom, take out all the carpet and vinyl throughout, remove the heavy table and chairs and sofa bed, but keeping the island as I had plans for that.


Always select a color scheme before you start with the Camper renovation
My starting point in design was my Suzani bedspread from Uzbekistan. I loved the deep blue color with colorful stitching, so I took a pillow to my local paint store and found the perfect match called Stunning by Benjamin Moore.

Starting in the bedroom, I primed the walls and ceiling then sanded, primed then painted all the trims. I redid the walls and ceiling 3 times – from a gray to a lighter blue to finally a white. The white made the blue really pop so it was a keeper.
What to do with the Camper floor?
My father had started out in life in the flooring business in New Zealand and I would often spend my weekends helping him lay carpet and linoleum on the side so when it came to the RV flooring I knew exactly what to do. In fact, my father taught me everything about decorating so I was in my comfort zone. I cut and fitted carpet in the bedroom and the main slideout. I wanted a mix of floorboards, carpet, and rugs throughout for a cozy feel.


Once I finished the bedroom and bathroom upstairs, I moved on to the downstairs and all the cabinets. I knew I didn’t want a table and chairs as I wanted to make the most of the view from the large slide out and needed a meditation zone to stay centered.
So I started searching for the perfect chairs. I found 2 chairs on Marketplace for $25 each but they were a horrible moss green so decided I’d paint them with a glorious magenta paint and fabric medium. I used one part fabric medium / one part paint to one part water. Taped off the wood frame and lightly sanded, sprayed with water then painted on the watered-down solution then allowed 24hrs to dry. Then repeated the process with sanding, water spray, then paint. I had to do this several times until I achieved the deep color l wanted.

I wanted a bold magenta focus to contrast the blue so it was a toss-up between the media cabinet and the island. I’d seen magenta cabinets before but never a magenta kitchen island so that was the direction I headed.

I bought a 6ft x 3ft butcher block from Home Depot and dragged that home with the help of my partner John. I knew I wanted to utilize the island as the main eating area with bar stools so measured 32″ deep and 60″ and just went for it. John was in total disagreement about the size saying it was too big but as it was my project, it was my decision and I knew I had to follow my vision.

By now it was warming up so I started on the windows and roof with roof repair tape as the RV was ten years old and I’d already repaired the closet floor due to water damage.
What to do with the RV lights?
Once that was done, I started focusing on the lighting. I was always the girl who brought a chandelier when I’d go camping with my girlfriends. So of course I needed a chandelier in my RV. Those are the joys of a fifth wheel – high ceilings.
After watching several YouTube videos I was good to go. I knew I needed a chain pendant so I could secure the bottom link to the top link for travel, to cut down on the sway.
I fell in love with a residential wood beaded chandelier on Amazon and simply used 12v bulbs.

And if you’re going to go big, you need a ceiling medallion! Spray painted it, then had to remove the 3 recessed lights, cap off the extra wires then filled the holes and waited for them to completely dry.
Then sand, filler again, wait to dry. After several trips to various hardware stores to find the right nipple as the included one was too short for the ceiling medallion I was ready to give up. I think I was close to my breaking point at that stage but didn’t give up and eventually found one online.
A week later I was back to it. That light took me around 2.5 weeks in the end and there were tears when I finally switched it on.
Tip for installing a chandelier in a fifth wheel:
My tip if you’re installing a chandelier on a fifth wheel: Make sure it has a chain so you can secure the top and bottom links together for travel. And bolt the fixture onto the ceiling frame using heavy-duty hardware so there’s no sway or risk of anything falling.
Here is more information about How to update Camper lights
How to make a cozy nook in an RV – How to remodel an RV pretty colorful (Boho Style)
Then it was onto the day bed. I knew I wanted plenty of storage so used the entire width of the camper to add cabinets and built the bed underneath.
I worked in the Home Dept for Anthropologie for a number of years so had a lot of throws and pillows I wanted to use. So a day bed was the perfect showcase for that. (And wow, it looks amazing!)

Then finally came the floorboards. I wanted to leave that till last as I knew I’d probably wreak them during my reno as I was doing it all single-handedly. I’d never done floor trim so the stairs took me several days as I needed one of the stairs to lift up to access the electrics. That was a major stressor but I didn’t give up.
Again, watched a ton of Youtube videos and was back to it. On finally finishing the stairs, I noticed coming down that one stair was slightly crooked so took them all up and started again. I was ecstatic with the end result. Even better second time around.
(She definitely mastered the stairs, just look at them.)

The RV remodel is almost finished
I plan to complete the whole project, start to finish, in ten months. I have tiles and a sink coming from Mexico as I found an amazing flexible grout made especially for RVs and boats.
My philosophy was everything I took out I would replace with something lighter so the weight of a few tiles wasn’t going to affect the weight of the RV.
Slowly I started injecting my soul into the RV. I had collected beautiful Suzani textiles torans from India. I used the torans as valances to cover some cheap light filtering shades from Amazon and I love them.
I also used a lot of the objects I had a spiritual connection with . If five minutes packing up those items and storing them was the price I had to pay each time we traveled, I’d gladly pay it.

Summary of How to remodel an RV pretty colorful (Boho Style)
Nearing completion, my RV is like a glimpse into my soul. There’s not one object in there that I don’t love and have a connection with. My partner John loves it just as much as he can feel my soul in there. He is the perfect road-tripping companion and we always have so much fun on the road together. We are both super excited to start traveling next year with our RV – I just need a name for it.
This was Mellisa’s story you just read about her amazing Camper remodel. Absolutely stunning how much work and heart she put into this renovation. I love everything about what she did. Yes, you need to have some basic skills to do what she did, especially looking at the stairs.
BUT, if you want to brighten up your dated looking RV a little bit, get rid of valances, linoleum floors and carpet, and add some color and fresh decor, here are so many easy to follow tips:
Add a colorful rug – similar to Mellisa’s rug:
Camper remodel ideas easily done by adding colorful accessories
Want to add a chandelier in your 5th wheel?
How about a colorful bed spread or use it as a cover for your sofa
And of course there are so many more tips how to update a Camper:
How to remodel an RV pretty colorful – there are so many different ways:
5 best tips to remodel your Camper (without painting)
How to remodel a Camper easy and cheap
Checklist how to remodel your camper under $ 200
If you are thinking about starting your Camper remodel, but you have no idea what to do, get the Ebook with a lot of tips and information on how to get started.

Summary of How to remodel a Camper to perfection (Boho Style)
Always start with a color scheme when doing a remodel. For Mellisa it was her bed cover, for me it was a curtain. If you don’t know what color scheme you like, check out my mood boards you can see right here.
Decide what fits the RV and what you want to make out of it. Do you only want to update it a little bit with some decor or do you want to paint and add new furniture like Mellisa. Everything is possible if you know what you are doing.
If you need a guide, get the Ebook ‘How to update the interior of an older RV’ and follow step by step.
If you only want to paint the walls and keep the cabinets, then get a light blue, grey, or green and paint the walls. Add a pretty rug, add a throw over your couch, and some decor on your walls and it will look so much better already.
So, don’t be shy, start with a task you feel confident with and move on from there. Let me know if you need some help.
See you on the road,
Conny
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Love it all. Sort of going the same path,so I’m hoping you can tell me where to buy the arched window covering. Thank you
Wendy
Hi Wendy, sorry I can’t tell you where the arched window covering was bought. But a good tip on finding similar coverings is World Market. Hope you will find something.