Our first project: Kid's Bunk Room Makeover

While we liked the layout of the Grand Design Solitude 3740 BH-R, when purchasing it we knew, like other RV owners, that some modifications would help make our RV feel more like a home (like paint the walls white, brighten up the kitchen cabinets, remove balances, etc). However, since we were completely new to RV'ing and camping, we didn't want to commit to any of these projects just yet (for all we knew, we could be doing this for a while or pressing the abort button after a month. lol). Nonetheless, the one project that couldn't wait and which we wanted to take on immediately was the bunk room. Having a room the kids loved and felt at home in was important in order for this adventure to go well.

When we went to see the RV in person for the first time (to finalize the purchase) we took measurements of all the spaces throughout, including the bunk room. These measurements were key when the time came to get the RV in order to set it up for our journey.

Since we have two kids, we truly had no use for the flip up twin bed within the bunk room slide, and since we weren't placing a TV in that room, the sleeper sofa also served little to no purpose. With that in mind, we decided to take those two items out which then gave us a blank canvas to work with. The two main goals for this space were to create a fun homeschool nook and add in more storage solutions... so Ikea immediately came to mind. :)

Being that the RV was stored in Fort Pierce and there's no IKEA in that area, we knew we would have to make a stop on our way up from picking up our new truck in Miami. We didn't have a ton of time to work with, so we did some research ahead of time which allowed us to walk into the store with a list of potential items that could work. The measurements we had taken previously helped us narrow down which desks would fit within that space. We wanted two desks so each child could have their own work space, so small and sleek was the way to go. With this in mind, the MICKE desk seemed to be the perfect fit. This desk is small but perfect for a child, plus it has a drawer for storing books and supplies. According to the desk measurements provided online, we knew we would be left with some space for a small shelf unit. The SMAGORA shelf seemed like a good option according to our measurements, so we got one of those as well and crossed our fingers that they would fit. :) We looked at the storage bins available in store but weren't convinced by any, but we did get the TROFAST wall unit and matching bins to possibly hang over the desk area.

Taking out the flip up twin bed turned out to be pretty easy. The sleeper sofa on the other hand proved to be more challenging due to its size and weight. We still managed to take it out through the front door without taking it completely apart which was a relief - see fifth pic on the above photo gallery to see the empty space. Now the fun part was about to begin! Thankfully, our measurements were accurate and the desks and storage shelf fit like a glove within the slide. We decided against the TROFAST wall unit because we weren't sure about drilling on that side of the slide. Instead, Paul made a trip to the hardware store and got a plank of wood to rest on (and attach to) the flip up bed anchors which we hadn't removed. This ended up working well as a top shelf and we got it in white to match the desks and avoid having to do any painting.

With all big furnishings in place, we now needed to figure out bedding and some bins for the SMAGORA shelf. Now, call us crazy but against all popular advice we did not get Beddy's. They seemed a bit too pricey (again, we weren't too sure how this adventure would go so we didn't feel like making big commitments) and they didn't have any fun designs to choose from. Instead, we went to Target (their Pillowfort line has great options for kids) and got cute star and camping themed sheets. Since RV's have the weirdest sized mattresses (come on RV manufacturers... can't you make things easier for us?) we did have to get Bed Scrunchies for the fitted sheets (yes, making the bed is a pain but we are still good with our choices... check again within a month to see if this still holds true!). The kids helped with picking their comforters - we bought two styles and ended up keeping one for the top bunk and the other (plus a knit throw that we loved) for the lower bunk since the colors coordinated well.

While at Target, we found these awesome soft rope bins that seemed to be the right size for the SMAGORA shelf and we got two extra ones to place on the top shelf we improvised. These ended up working out great. We use two of the bins within the shelf to store sweaters and hoodies (one for each kid), and the third to store their polaroid cameras, journals, and other miscellaneous items. The other two bins placed on the top shelf are used as additional toy storage (also one per kid).

To make their work space fun, we added a few other things: two small frameless cork boards to place above their desks (this allows personalization, as here they can pin their drawings, polaroid pics, etc.), colorful wall decals (truthfully I wanted to do wall paper in this space but it seemed like too much of an undertaking and while searching for options I came across these easy to install decals that helped brighten their room), floating book shelves to place in their work space, as well as on the top bunk, this macrame hammock to serve as a home for their many plushies (net comes with an LED light string which can serve as a night light - we bought rechargeable batteries so we could keep it on at night), and some hooks from the hardware store to hang their keyboard within the lower bunk (saw this on another RV account but now can't remember who to give them credit!).

To help the kids feel right at home we made sure to bring some elements from their previous bedrooms. This included their pillow shams (the monogramed ones are from Pottery Barn Kids and the Mongolian lamb ones are from West Elm) and the wave and heart neon lights you can see in the pics (I believe I ordered these from Etsy a while back).

Since Paul had to return to the Fort Lauderdale area, to get a few things our moving company didn't deliver, we took the opportunity to make a second IKEA run and got this rug to brighten up the room / soften the space, plus these desk chairs since we hadn't found any better options.

All in all the kids are thrilled with their space. We are happy with how it came out, but most of all, we are so glad the kids feel at home. :)

Our first project: Kid's Bunk Room Makeover

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