Remodeling An RV Kitchen – Before And After
Come on in and tour our RV kitchen remodel. The renovation features new cabinets, a beautiful copper farmhouse style sink, hexagon tile backsplash, butcher block countertops, all new appliances, and open shelving! You won’t believe we fit all this in a camper!
Welcome to our RV kitchen remodel! We’re sharing all of the details about the projects that went into this RV kitchen remodel.
If you’ve been thinking about renovating a RV, we hope that you’ll find some ideas and inspiration from our renovation.
This kitchen in this RV was 100% gutted so that we could do a clean sheet redesign. We wanted an open concept floor plan, and residential appliances to ensure that the trailer would hold to full time living.
A special thanks to Urban Floor, Sinkology and Cascade Iron Co. for providing products for this RV kitchen makeover.
I have been sharing the progress of this RV kitchen makeover on my Instagram stories (be sure to follow me over there for daily updates and to see behind the scenes), and I am SO excited to finally be revealing this RV kitchen here on the blog! Yay!
Note: all sources are listed at the bottom of the post!
Pssstttt.. Thinking of doing an RV renovation yourself? Download this handy checklist to make sure you avoid missing these common RV mistakes!
RV Kitchen Renovation Before and After
If you can believe it, this is what the RV kitchen looked like before the remodel.
The layout wasn’t very functional, especially in the kitchen. When you walked in the front door, large upper cabinets intruding into the middle of the kitchen making everything feel bulky and cramped.
New cabinets were a must because the existing cabinetry was not in good condition; only half of the drawer slides functioned properly. The kitchen sink was angled out into the middle of the room at a 45 degree angle. This make the cabinets and countertops way deeper than necessary.
And why is there a huge void under the countertops? That wasted space under the countertop originally housed an old school CRT television, which was apparently still a thing in 2005.
Across from the fridge is where the floor to ceiling pantry used to be. The pantry had a single door that opened toward the kitchen area. The bottom half of the cabinet housed the furnace, and a large water heater tank, so there wasn’t very much storage space available.
Everyone hates running out of hot water in the shower after only 5 minutes, so we knew RV water heater tank needed to be removed in favor of a tankless! Unlimited hot water would be a welcome upgrade.
Related: Why We Chose to Live In An RV (Again!)
For an RV, this kitchen wasn’t the worst, but it was far from glamorous. We knew with a little creative design work, the layout could simplified, while adding more storage space AND making it pretty in the process.
Ready to see how we transformed this RV kitchen into a functional (and pretty!) space?
RV Kitchen Remodel (After!)
By simplifying the cabinet layout and adding open shelving, we were able to create a light and airy feel without compromising functionality. The new cabinets are much nicer, and more functional. In addition, they have much more storage space.
(Affiliate links are provided below for convenience. For more information see my disclosure, here.)
RV Kitchen Cabinets
Since we completely reworked the kitchen layout, all of the existing cabinets was removed and replaced with basic pre assembled cabinets from The Home Depot. We purchased them unfinished and painted them ourselves so they blended perfectly with our white walls.
The cabinetry is standard residential units, not RV specific. After painting, we added soft close doors and drawers to the cabinets to make the kitchen feel a little more luxurious. See the tutorial here: How to install soft close cabinet hinges
We chose Sherwin Williams Alabaster for all of the white paint used in the RV. (Checkout our tips for painting the interior of an RV here!)
Related: How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Your Space
We added some modern bronze pulls to the cabinets to give them a finished look.
RV Kitchen Sink
We were so excited to work with Sinkology again, and this time we decided to go with one of their signature copper sinks. (You can see the first farmhouse kitchen sink that we installed in our old house here.)
Since we chose white cabinets for our RV kitchen makeover, I was excited to add a pop of rich color to the space with a copper sink. And boy does this beauty pop! ?
GET THE LOOK
We picked the all-in-one kit that came with a gorgeous Pfister faucet in antique bronze. The high goose-neck design makes it super easy to rinse dishes and easily spray out the sink.
We have been using the sink for about a month now and are completely obsessed! This was a MAJOR upgrade from the tiny shallow RV sink.
Related: How to Install A Farmhouse Sink – A DIY Tutorial
It’s already starting to get a beautiful patina in some spots which I love! While some people view the natural discoloration that happens with copper as a negative thing, I love the unique one-of-a-kind story it tells.
With proper care, copper only gets better with age! (For tips on how to care for your copper sink, I recommend this helpful article.)
RV Butcher Block Countertops
One of my goals with this RV kitchen remodel was to step out of my comfort zone and make design choices I may not otherwise choose. Our butcher block countertops was one of these choices.
I’ve always LOVED the look of butcher block in the kitchen with it’s warm natural tones. But keeping up with the maintenance has always scared me!
So far, the maintenance hasn’t been too bad. We keep them sealed with butcher block oil and are extra mindful to use coasters and trivets whenever necessary. I plan to do a full review with my thoughts on whether or not I’d do it again after living with them for a few months.
I’ll keep you posted!
RV Appliances
Since we chose a park model RV, we were able to install full residential style appliances. We replaced the original fridge with a stainless steel french door model that also has a full freezer.
We opted to replace the oven/range combo with a sleek induction cooktop and convection style microwave instead. This freed up space to even add a dishwasher!
Now we have the best of both worlds: no washing dishes by hand AND oven baked cookies whenever we want! Yippee!
RV Open Shelving
When we ripped out those bulky overhead cabinets, I immediately envisioned open shelves taking their place. I love that open shelving can be both stylish and functional, and really open up an entire space.
The shelves are where we keep all of our every day dishes. Since our RV will be parked full time, we don’t have to worry about securing all of the items on the shelves.
I kept it simple with all white dishes and mason jars for glasses.
GET THE LOOK
The shelves were an easy DIY project using two 1″x12″ pine boards stained with a mixture of Minwax Early American and Minwax Golden Oak. They are mounted to the wall with black L shaped brackets from Cascade Iron Co. and lag bolts.
We also added under cabinet light bars that we adapted to mount under each of the shelves. These low profile light bars are great for areas where they are exposed. You can hardly notice they’re there!
An LED strip light runs along the top of the upper shelf to provide extra lighting at night.
For the back splash, we chose a simple hexagon pattern in matte white and finished it with premixed grout in off-white. The hex design adds dimension to the space without being overwhelming.
Although the shelves are mostly filled with dishes and kitchen items, I couldn’t help but add a little reminder of Montana with one of my favorite scented candles in the scent ‘Montana Forest’.
Oh how I wish you could smell this thing through your screen! SO GOOD!
GET THE LOOK
RV Kitchen Decor
Since we are short on space I wanted to keep the items on the countertops to a minimum. I picked out some cute soap dispensers…
…and placed a roll of paper towels next to some greenery inside of an old wood crate.
GET THE LOOK
RV Coffee Bar
Remember that original pantry with the long skinny mirror? We reworked that whole space and transformed it into a much needed coffee bar!
We installed matching upper and lower cabinets here that house all of our pantry items and coffee supplies.
For some added texture, we installed shiplap planks to the back wall and painted them white. Bronze cabinet pulls and a butcher block counter top helped make this corner feel cohesive with the rest of the space.
Related: How to Build A Wood Plank Accent Wall
We love our Eletta automatic espresso machine from De’Longhi and use it daily, so of course we had to make room for it in the RV! ☺️
We are thrilled with how this little coffee bar turned out!
Our RV kitchen brings us so much joy. This little area is where we spend the majority of our time and it was so important to us to create a space we loved.
With a little creativity we were able to design a tiny kitchen with all of our must haves, and for that I am so grateful! I’d say we enjoy cooking in here, but Mike is the one who does most of our cooking. (I know, I hit the husband jackpot!) So instead, I’ll just say that I sure do LOVE the view. ?
See how I dressed up our small dining area for Thanksgiving here.
I’ve linked all of the sources below, but first let’s look at some before and afters!
And my favorite…
Below is a full source list for our RV Kitchen remodel:
- Wall/cabinet color: Sherwin Williams Alabaster
- Floors: 9″ wide planks in the Cascade Series by Urban Floors
- Cabinets
- Cabinet hardware
- Apron front copper sink
- Bronze pull down faucet
- Butcher block
- Butcher block oil
- Hexagon tile backsplash (here’s a peel & stick option that’s similar)
- Premixed grout in Alabaster
- Convection microwave
- Electric induction cooktop
- 18″ Dishwasher
- Counter depth refrigerator
- Powder coated black shelf brackets
- Minwax stain in Early American (used on shelves)
- Minwax stain in Golden Oak (used on shelves)
- Low profile under cabinet (shelf) light bar
- Above cabinet (shelf) strip light
- Everyday White plates
- Everyday White small bowls
- Everyday White large bowls
- ‘Tasty’ & ‘Yum’ bowls
- White pitcher (similar)
- Wood bowls
- Pint sized mason jars
- Hand carved wood cheese board
- Mountain scenery cutout
- Montana Forest scented candle
- Vintage style glass bottle
- Wood crate (similar)
- Terra cotta planter
- Artificial greenery
- Hearth and Hand soap dispenser
- Dish soap brush & dispenser combo
- Decorative candle sleeve (similar)
- Hearth and Hand utensil holder
- Small cutting board
- Striped hand towel
- Stainless steel garbage can
- Automatic espresso machine
- Decorative coffee bean jar (similar)
- Glass carafe
And if you’ve missed any of our previous RV posts, you can catch up and get more details about each of the projects here:
Why We Chose to Live In An RV (Again!)
How to Paint RV Interior Walls
Thanks for following along! Be sure to leave any questions or comments below, I love hearing from my readers!
34 comments
WOW!!! This makeover is gorgeous! You all did an amazing job!
Thank you so much Cathy!
Beautiful, however, I assume you do not travel in this trailer since you have open shelving piled with dishware, etc.
Thank you! And correct, we are parked full time. If/when we do need to move it we will safely pack the breakables for towing.
Y’all did a wonderful job!! I love this more than most peoples full size kitchens!
That is so sweet of you to say, thank you Laura!
Amazing and so beautiful!
Thank you so much!
Hi Ashley. I love all your design choices- they’re an inspiration to me for my park model remodel. I was wondering how you were able to tile the rv walls in the kitchen. Did you have to use a special adhesive to get them to stick to the walls?
Hi Dawn! Thank you for those kind words! We decided not to go with the flexible mortar options that most RVers use, since we don’t plan on moving our RV around much (being a park model). We used regular mortar in white to apply the tiles to the wall and then grouted with premixed sanded grout.
This is such a nice makeover and a great place for a staycation.
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
I just stumbled on our site and am blown away by how talented both you and your husband are. We have a TT that we are thinking about redoing and I was wondering how difficult it is to replace the old vinyl flooring. Do you lay the new floor over it or take it up? Thanks so much and I will start following you going forward.
Hi Dyanne! Thank you so much, you’re too kind! It probably depends on what condition your original floors are in – if they are gross, I would rip them up before installing new floors. But if they are in decent shape you could totally just lay the new floor right over top. Many RV renovators do this! Good luck!
We have an RV Holiday Rambler
We need to do this (2001)
Beautiful
Thank you! It was so fun making it our own 🙂
Hi Ashley,
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful renovation. We have a 2003 Layton Park Model TT that stays stationary on our land (similar layout to yours). We have just pulled up all the carpet and linoleum and have purchased sheet vinyl flooring that has a white/grey stone look to it. We were planning on laying the vinyl in two sections in the main living area – one on the main floor and one on the slide-out. It looks as though you ran yours all as one. I would love to do this being we are not moving the RV and want to make it one level floor all around. Can you share what you did with your flooring across the main and on to the slide-out?
Thanks so much!
Lori
Hi Lori, thank you so much for those kind words! And yay for fellow park model owners! 🙂 We achieved the seamless floor by laying 1/2″ MDF underlayment in the main area of the trailer and the slideout to bring both floors up to where there was no longer a seam – making everything level. We then layed click-lock plank flooring right over top. Hopefully that makes sense! Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions! Good luck!
Hi Ashley, we are renovating our fifth wheel and I got to tell you that your posts helped us so much for planning certain things, especially kitchen Reno. May I ask you want did you guys use around the window as a trim?
Thank you so much, I’m so happy to hear that! We left the existing window trim boards in place and installed the back splash tiles around them. The only thing we did was paint the wood trim white!
I have been thinking of purchasing an RV or camper to renovate for full time living and was really interested in how you ditched a conventional oven for the convection style microwave. Seeing that you mentioned baking cookies in it, would it work for baking other foods as well like different vegetables and meats?
Yes, absolutely. You can bake anything that you can bake in a normal oven. The ‘convection oven’ mode uses a heating element (just like a normal oven) that produces radiant heat instead of ‘micro waves’. Using convection oven mode, you can bake with cast iron, metal cookie sheets, glass / Pyrex – anything oven safe. The only real limitation is that it is slightly smaller than a standard oven.
Beautiful we are redoing ours & would love to see what you did to the living room area & where did you put the TV? Hopefully you can give us some ideas.
Thanks! You can see some of the living room views in this post; and as for the TV, we have it mounted on the wall in the bedroom! Checkout the RV Bedroom Reveal post here.
Did you have to rewire the RV? My breaker trips if I have more than 3 things plugged in
We did have to rewire a little bit of the electrical in the kitchen to accommodate the dishwasher and cooktop. The wiring in the rest of the trailer was left as-is and has been working great.
Hi Ashley, I love all your renovations! I have questions about the undermount sink in combo with the butcher block top (since that’s exactly what we’re doing in our RV): did you do anything specific to prevent water damage around the edge of the butcher block? Like any specific sealer? I’ve heard some people just seal the whole thing in polyurethane but we didn’t want to go that route. Or they put clear silicone around the gaps. Just wondering how that area of your sink/countertop is holding up and what you’d do differntly. Thanks!
Hi Kara! We did not use silicone or any sealing product around the edges of the sink where it meets the countertops. So far, it has not been an issue, and I expect it to continue holding up well. In my opinion the only downside to butcher block countertops is dealing with the water spots. Any time you splash water on the countertops, it needs to be wiped down within a few minutes.
Hi, this is so beautiful I feel so inspired now to remodel our next RV, is this a 5th wheel travel trailer? or is it a motor home or what type of RV is it? what are the dimensions of it or what model is it? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Karen! This is a park model RV, we shared more details about this specific trailer in this post.
Hello! I love the look you guys went with!
I am converting a bus into a motorhome and when I saw your kitchen I fell in love! What are your opinions on the convection microwave that you have? Are you able to cook in the convection microwave as you would an oven? (Besides the size difference) Have you done foods such as meats, casseroles, cakes, cookies, ect.? I am wanting to go the same route as you guys, with the dishwasher below the cooktop and a convection microwave above – I am just curios as to how good the convection portion works for baking and cooking foods.
Thank you!
Madilyn
We love our convection microwave and haven’t found anything we couldn’t bake in there! The only difference that you have to keep in mind is the size is smaller than your traditional oven, but we use both of our large cast iron skillets to bake just about anything we want! Highly recommend removing the RV oven and getting a convection microwave instead. We’re doing the same think in our fifth wheel remodel.
Hi Ashley. Beautiful remodel. Do you remember the color of flooring you used? Thanks!
Thank you so much! Our flooring is the Cascade Series by Urban Floor in the color Yellowstone.