Before and After: This Airstream Trailer Is Now a Flexible, Free Bohemian Dream
As if a major Airstream makeover isn’t enough to get excited about, this one features an extremely fuzzy puppy. And some top-notch remodeling, of course.
Let’s hear what led to the acquisition of this vintage trailer:
We’re Nate and Taylor Lavender! We met in West Virginia and moved to Florida for three years. We bought an Airstream, remodeled it, got married, and now we’re living in it full time with our dog, Summit.
One of the big reasons why we decided to live in an Airstream is because we aren’t ready to settle down. We love the flexibility and freedom that tiny houses offer. Tiny living is definitely becoming more popular, but it still shocks people when we tell them where we live. But to be honest, the thought of buying a house right after getting married made us sick. We want to travel around and experience new places before making a permanent home somewhere. We bought our 1992 34-foot Airstream Excella in St. Augustine, Florida, which is where she got her name: Augustine the Airstream.
Nate and Taylor Lavender have done such a great job totally transforming this standard 26-year-old camper into a totally fresh and fascinating space.
Here’s my favorite part about this kitchen: This is so clean and simple, with a minimal palette and aesthetic, and yet there’s so much interesting texture. The reclaimed tabletop, the pressed tin backsplash, the cozy throw pillows, the woven lamp and wall hanging—they all work together to create a personal, inviting look.
The overlapping, basically monochromatic gallery wall is a smart approach in a space this small, and the cart can easily be added and swapped out.
This photo is almost as fuzzy as the dog (keep scrolling), but it gives us a good feel for the previous state of the Airstream. This definitely looks like it could use some work—although those curtains are pretty amazing. Let’s find out what it took to get from here to fabulous:
The first thing we did was demo. We took out everything except the kitchen. Luckily, our appliances did not need replacing right away. We removed the flooring, replaced some of the sub-floor, and then started cleaning! We cleaned everything thoroughly before painting the walls & cabinets a cool white (Valspar Ultra White).
White walls can definitely create an open and obviously bright look in small, enclosed campers and trailers.
So wonderfully airy and tranquil thanks to the white walls, yet the richly hued floor, bold sofa, lustrous poof, and textured, patterned accessories create a lived-in, warm, decidedly non-minimal look. White walls can work with a colorful, bohemian style! And of course a beautiful dog works with any style.
Taylor and Nate put in a ton of work to get their Airstream looking this amazing:
Nate built the bed frame, the front shelving, the side table next to the couch, and the booth table. I re-screened all of the windows and installed all of the new hardware on the drawers and cabinets. We chose to use peel-and-stick vinyl plank flooring as we were cautious about the weight. It ended up working perfectly! So much effort went into this remodel… it isn’t perfect by any means, but we are so thrilled with how it turned out and that we were able to do it ourselves.
Thank you, Nate and Taylor Lavender!