This week, I’m so excited to share with you a fantastic remodel by Cyndie. She chose a neutral color palette, and I know what you’re thinking… BORING! But this camper makeover is anything but. Cyndie really made her neutral palette work for her. When I first saw hercamper makeover, I fell in love with the rich, brown cabinets. So many of us have painted our cabinets in shades of white that we forget you can pull off a really fantastic–and classy–cabinet makeover with a little color. Let’s take a look at what Cyndie started with, shall we?
Yep, typical Coleman camper. The camper itself was in fabulous condition, but that tired decor needed to go. I don’t know who thinks up camper color schemes, but they need to be fired!
Cyndie and her husband had a plan–and the first things to go were those yucky oak laminate cabinets.
First, they removed all the cushions and cabinet doors and cleaned all the surfaces really well. Once everything was all cleaned up, they brusheda Zinsser oil-based primer on all the cabinets.
Next, Cyndie and her husbandpainted all the cabinets and doors a deep, rich brown. They used Behr latex paint with primer and left all the cabinets in place, taping off the countertops and anything they didn’t want painted. They used a brush to give everything two good coats of paint for durability. Isn’t the result gorgeous?
They even painted the swing galley bar! I’m jealous! 😉 Cyndie’s husband used dark brown spray paint to spray all the metal components of the camper, like the swing galley bar, dining table legs, and slide-out threshold. It makes a huge difference in the look of the camper, don’t you think?
Because their cabinet hardware was not a standard size, they decided to spray paint all their drawer pulls and hinges to match their new decor. They used a Valspar brushed nickel spray paint and finished it off with a clear coat to seal everything. The added benefit was that they saved themselves about $50 in new hardware. Score!
For the cushions, Cyndie used two different fabrics, a brown geometric print and a soft oatmeal colored tweed. She decided to splurge on a high quality fabric and told me she was very pleased with the results. Rather than have the cushions reupholstered, she used the wrap and staple method to give her seating a new look. She wrappedthecushions in her fabric and stapledit to the particle board at the back of each one. I love the tailored look it lends to the whole makeover.
Cyndie reused her existing drapes, because she liked that they had the blackout liner built in. To make them coordinate with her new color scheme, she chose a neutral gray fabric, cut it to the size of each curtain, and sewed it right on top of the existing drape. What an easy fix–and a great idea for those people who don’t want to fuss with removing and reattaching those pesky little slider tabs.
For her valances, Cyndie used the same geometric fabric she used on the cushion backs. She cut each valance so that the finished product would be 8″ instead of the standard 10″ valance. The shorter length helped to open up the camper and make it feel a bit larger. To attach the valances to the track, she cut the glider clips off the elastic in the old valance, leaving about 2″ of elastic on either side. Then she spaced out the clips and sewed them, elastic and all, to the new valance. She added a button hole to the end of each valance to secure it to the screws at the end of the glider track.
Her countertops already matched their new color scheme, and they were in perfect condition, so Cyndie and her husband left them. They did take on that old, yellow laminate floor, though. After scuffing up the original laminate flooring and cleaning it well, they installed new peel and stick tiles right on top of the old floor. To add a more finished look to the camper, they also added quarter round, painted brown to match, to the bottom of the cabinets.
Because Cyndie’s color palette is all neutrals, she can incorporate pops of color without worrying if theyclash with her decor choices. That’s exactly what she does here with these fantastic blue coral pillows. I love that if she decides to change out the pillows, she can easily pick a different color and swap out the blue–and she won’t have to repaint or reupholster anything. That’s what a good neutral palette will do for you. It may seem boring to go with browns, but you have so many more choices in the long run. And how can you argue with these stunning results?
It doesn’t even look like the same camper anymore. Cyndie and her husband did an amazing job, didn’t they? It looks so warm and inviting.
A huge thanks to Cyndie for letting me feature her here this week. Do yourself a favor and check out her blog–you won’t be disappointed. You’ll find lots more pictures of her camper and hear from Cyndie herself on just how they accomplished this awesome makeover.
Have you started on your makeover yet? I’d love to see pictures! Drop me an e-mail or give me a holler on our Facebook page. I love seeing what you’ve done with your homes away from home!
Happy Camping!
