Today, we’re sharing our approach on a minimalistic RV kitchen remodel. When we decided to tackle the renovation of our Heartland Bighorn fifth wheel, we knew we wanted to create a budget and stick to it. As people who have been embracing a minimalistic lifestyle more and more, it was important to us that we not lose sight of that as we began to pour our hearts into making our RV a full-time home.
Like anytime we’re planning a major renovation or build, we like to use a handy dandy program that Jon has for his construction business called Home Designer Pro by Chief Architect. We realize this program isn’t for the average person, and isn’t user-friendly at all, so here’s an iPad app we’ve used in the past when planning remodels or building projects. that allows me to basically create the space of my dreams. During the process of creating that perfect virtual space, it really helps me get an idea of just how much money we’ll be spending on certain things. Once I can visualize the new space, I begin to make changes based on what can truly fit within our budget and what can’t.
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RV Kitchen Remodel Planning
One of the first things I look at when doing any kind of remodel is paint. It’s one of the easiest ways to change up a space, and make it look completely different. For our kitchen, however, I knew we could save some time and money by not painting all of the kitchen cabinets. In order to make our tiny space feel bigger, we felt like painting the large pantry would make the biggest impact. All other cabinets were taped off and kept original.
Budgeting
When budgeting for a makeover, I always consider my non-negotiable items first. For our RV kitchen remodel, one of those non-negotiables was the pendant light that would hang over the kitchen island. I knew I wanted some form of sea grass/ratten/wicker pendant. I also knew they can be pretty pricey. Immediately, I set out to find not just a light fixture that I loved, but also find a pendant that was still reasonably priced. Just because an item is a non-negotiable for me, doesn’t mean I am willing to overspend to have it.
I wound up finding this amazing sea grass pendant light from Lowe’s for $120. It needed a little modification in order for it to fit the space, though. Jon worked his magic, and now it hangs very securely from our ceiling. We popped in our favorite 12V Edison Bulbs, and I couldn’t be happier with it. As with any light fixture in a camper, make sure you’re using 12V light bulbs…unless the outlet is meant for something more high-powered, such as appliances.
My other non-negotiable was wrapping the kitchen island with shiplap. We ended up using 8″ MDF shiplap, because it adds less weight to the camper, and saves us money versus using real wood.
How We Saved Money
Since I was willing to spend more on the light fixture, I knew I would need to spend less everywhere else. We opted to not paint about half of the cabinets in the kitchen (including the front of the kitchen island, even thought the rest of the island is white), which probably saved us between $50-100 in paint…let alone our time. We use Sherwin Williams Westhighland White for everything we did end up painting in the RV.
And as mentioned above, we also saved money on wrapping the kitchen island in shiplap by going with MDF instead of real wood. This choice, alone, saved us about
The next area I was able to save some money on was the backsplash. I wasn’t confident enough in my sponge painting skills at the time, so I opted for something a little more “safe.” Yet, still inexpensive. I ended up finding some cute chevron decals. Still less expensive than wall paper or sticker tiles. The decals we used are currently out of stock, so I found a really close alternative chevron decal for you all.
The rest of our RV kitchen remodel was basically just adding personal touches here and there. The super talented Trina from RV Fixer Upper shared a lot about a cutting board from IKEA that fits perfect overtop RV stove tops. We lived nowhere near an IKEA, but we had the time to wait over a month for it to be delivered through online ordering. It was well worth the wait! I absolutely love it. And the best part? It was only $18.
If you don’t have the time to wait, here’s another option.
Another of my favorite finds from IKEA were these produce bags. I never thought I needed them…until I had them. They have seriously been life-changing for RV living. They’ve really helped free up counter space, and they even look cute!
Other Sources
Overall, I’m super happy with how this RV kitchen remodel turned out. We ended up spending somewhere around $250 between paint, shiplap, lighting, and other decor and accessories to finish the look. I’m pretty darn happy with that!
Our approach to remodeling the camper wasn’t necessarily finding all the cheapest things we could. Instead, we were really intentional about the items we did buy, even if it meant spending a little more. Investing in quality items that will last us a long time far outweighs saving a few bucks for items that will need replaced again and again.
Links to other items seen in photos:
- Flooring by Home Depot
- Turkish Hand Towels – incredibly absorbent and fast drying
- Spice Rack – I used 6 of these to organize my essential oils in the pantry
- Cabinet Hardware – pantry and kitchen cabinets
- Curtains by Target – I had to hem these to a shorter length
- Leather Folio Hook Rail
- Organization Basket above microwave
- Jute Rugs
- Area Rug
Have questions? We’d love to hear from you! Be sure to also follow us on Instagram for daily inspo on all things RV living, minimalism, and financial freedom. =)