Vintage Shasta Phase One: Design
I started designing this camper waaaay before I actually purchased it. I went through so many ideas and themes, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted my camper to look like. By the time I had it in my possession, I was ready to get to work!
Design
This was going to be the really fun part: designing a tiny little house and making it exactly what I wanted! Luckily, by the time I bought my camper, I had been Pinteresting (that's now a word) for so long that I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted it to look like.
Colors
Teal is my favorite color, as well as one that is associated with vintage, so that was an obvious choice. Even though it’s a camper, and I knew it would run the risk of getting dirty, I loved the idea of doing a crisp white paint inside as well. It makes small spaces feel larger and just has an airy, clean feel to it. Since the teal is such a strong color, it made sense to have that be the main accent color so that it would really pop, without being overbearing.
Kitchen
The kitchen would need a total makeover as well. Luckily, my camper came with a working propane stove and oven, which was incredible. However, the countertops needed to be totally redone (they were using the same red tile as the floor, which seemed really odd to me), and I was envisioning a pretty backsplash in the kitchen as well. The photos below were some of my inspiration for my own kitchen.
Bed & Sleeping Area
For the bed, I wanted a cozy little nook that looked cute, but was really comfy as well. This girl needs her sleep and I wasn't willing to sacrifice a nice sleeping area for aesthetics - I want it all!
I knew I would be getting rid of the current cushions that served as a mattress. Not only were they 57 years old at this point, but I couldn’t bring myself to sleep on them. The only downside was that in doing so, I lost the ability to convert the bed back into a couch, as it was specially designed to do either. I decided it was worth the loss of space (we’re talking just a few inches here) to be able to sleep on a real mattress. The length of the bed area was just barely shorter than a full size mattress. I ended up buying a full-size foam mattress, which allowed me to easily squish it into the space, and adding a mattress topper for a little extra comfort. All in, it cost me about $150 for the new bed, which I was pretty pleased with.
I found a duvet at Ikea that matched my teal color almost exactly. I paired that with some grey chevron print sheets and some throw pillows. I also toyed with the idea of adding some soft curtains to section off the “bedroom”.
Dining Area
For the dining area, I knew I wanted to update the seat cushions. However, they were fairly newly reupholstered in a yellow color, and I didn’t want to make the investment to do it again when they were in great shape. My amazing mother started taking measurements in order to sew a couple of new, fitted seat cushions for me in the fabric I had picked out.
The Shasta has some very specific detail elements in the overhead compartment above the dining table and the magazine rack on the wall, and I wanted to find a way to play those up. They are so classically vintage and just downright adorable. Even the little shelf above the bed had the scalloped edges - I LOVE the attention to detail that went into these campers when they were first being made.
Organization
I had a lot of fun looking into organizational ideas for a small space, as well. I spent a lot of time on Amazon searching for the perfect items to complement the camper (in teal, of course). I found a vintage camper mat for the front door, collapsible mixing bowls to save on space, a collapsible dish drainer for my little sink, a battery operated clip-on fan (great for the summer when there’s no A/C), magnetic spice tins, over-the-drawer trash cans and organizers, and so many other neat little items. Check out some of my favorites below!
