Categories: Decorating & Design

RV Living: Tips for Utilizing the Small Space You Have

Do you live in an RV? If you do, you may want to read on, as I am going to give tips on utilizing the small space of an RV. For myself and my family, we are very happy, and quite comfortable in our modest 5th wheel trailer. There is not a lot of space, but we have two slides that give us a lot of extra space, and we utilize what space we have wisely and we don’t buy things we do not need to clutter our space with.

Those who live in small homes may benefit from this info as well as those in RV’s and trailers. In an RV, or 5th wheel, space can be an issue, however storage cabinets can be in abundance. There are cabinets everywhere in RV’s, as well as basement storage in a compartment under the RV. Even with all the storage, you still run into what to do with all the coats during the winter. What to do about decorations since there is no room for shelves along any walls. And another big thing in an RV, is how to create rooms that do not exists.

Here are my tips for the above mentioned issues. Winter coats, we bought some nice brass colored hooks from Wal-Mart, and put them up next to the door going outside. Other clothing is divided between two closets. One closet is at the front of the rig and runs across the entire width of the rig. The other closet is near the bathroom area, and is just big enough for our two youngest children’s clothes to hang. I put everything on hangers, pants I put 3 – 5 pair on each hanger to save on space and hangers. Each child has a side of the closet, as does mom and dad in the big closet.

Decorations, we bought small brass colored hook screws from Wal-Mart and put them up wherever we decide we want to hang something. I put them up all around the stove and sink in the kitchen, and hung all of my pot holders from them. My husband used the hook screws to make our Internet antenna more stationary. You could hang decorative plates this way, cinnamon brooms, floral decorations, you name it, and you can just about hang it on a hook screw!

Creating rooms, this is a big one, because as everyone knows, RV’s generally have one bedroom, and a living area and kitchen area combined. Living in an RV with one child is not so bad, they get the living room area, and mom and dad get the bedroom, but we have three children still at home, so this is how we created rooms that don’t exists… First for those who may think, “oh what a horrible way to live, all cramped up in such a small space, with so many people”, let me say this, our family are toxic mold survivors, because of the mold we were exposed to we are super sensitive and allergic to almost everything! Because of our allergies we are unable to live in conventional housing due to molds, dust, and many chemicals. RV’s are easier to maintain in these areas, and for that reason, we must live in these small conditions. However, our rig is by no means small, and like I said, we have a large slide that gives us a lot of extra room as well as a second slide in the bedroom. Anyway, on to the room creation. We took a couple of those cool hook screws I mentioned earlier, and screwed one in to each side of the RV where the dinning area and living area meet, and ran a wire from hook to hook. We then took fabric that matches our interior, and made a curtain divider. Now the kitchen/dinning area doubles as a bedroom for our daughter at night, and the boys have the living room area, and dad and I get the bedroom. It works very well, and everyone is quite happy in their own “rooms”.