Homes on Wheels Keep the Vacation Rolling All Year Round
1. The Spirit of ’76
The exterior of the 1976 29-foot Ambassador trailer that Jordan Menzel bought was in good condition for its age. But the interior came with the shag carpet, wallpaper and claustrophobic curtains common to vintage Airstreams. While the trailer’s interior received a complete makeover, Menzel decided to keep the exterior unchanged. “Nothing I have done trumps the original exterior,” Menzel says. “No matter how many Airstreams I see, I am still in awe at the clean, modern design that originated in the late ’50s, completely ahead of its time.”
The exterior of the 1976 29-foot Ambassador trailer that Jordan Menzel bought was in good condition for its age. But the interior came with the shag carpet, wallpaper and claustrophobic curtains common to vintage Airstreams. While the trailer’s interior received a complete makeover, Menzel decided to keep the exterior unchanged. “Nothing I have done trumps the original exterior,” Menzel says. “No matter how many Airstreams I see, I am still in awe at the clean, modern design that originated in the late ’50s, completely ahead of its time.”
Menzel says that his philosophy on decorating is that if it doesn’t serve a purpose, it isn’t necessary. “I loathe decor and purposeless items in a living space,” he says. “As a result, the concept of tiny homes is very appealing to me. It forces one to eliminate unnecessary items and use one’s own space to communicate personality.” Following this philosophy, Menzel used hundreds of deconstructed wooden pallets to build the closet and the cabinet around the fridge.
After researching many Airstream restorations, Menzel found himself annoyed that they all still had the look and feel of RVs. “I wanted to add some elements that would make the trailer look and feel more like a studio apartment and less like an RV,” he says. “One simple decision I made was to furnish the living room with free-floating pieces.” For example, the sofa bed, rugs, tables and chair can all be moved.
See more of this 1976 Airstream
See more of this 1976 Airstream
2. Destination Unknown
The view from Alyssa Pelletier and Will Hitchcock’s refurbished home is always changing. Sometimes the view is a steady stream of American landscapes passing by while Pelletier lounges comfortably on her bed, staring out the windows, her Bernese mountain dog, Hilde (or Hildebeast), curled at her side as the converted school bus she and Hitchcock now call home crawls along at 35 miles per hour up another steep mountain road.
They have no real destination. Instead, they’ve settled into a perpetual vagabond lifestyle, always searching for the next awe-inspiring mountain to plunge down on their bikes, a new sweeping vista to hike to with Hilde or the next pristine river to kayak through. Imagine Kerouac’s On the Road, but with Ikea furniture and granola-munching.
The view from Alyssa Pelletier and Will Hitchcock’s refurbished home is always changing. Sometimes the view is a steady stream of American landscapes passing by while Pelletier lounges comfortably on her bed, staring out the windows, her Bernese mountain dog, Hilde (or Hildebeast), curled at her side as the converted school bus she and Hitchcock now call home crawls along at 35 miles per hour up another steep mountain road.
They have no real destination. Instead, they’ve settled into a perpetual vagabond lifestyle, always searching for the next awe-inspiring mountain to plunge down on their bikes, a new sweeping vista to hike to with Hilde or the next pristine river to kayak through. Imagine Kerouac’s On the Road, but with Ikea furniture and granola-munching.
While the exterior is just how they found it — dirty white with black trim — the inside has wood floors, rustic beetle kill pine wall paneling, butcher block countertops in a spacious kitchen, beadboard paneling in the bathroom, LED lighting and a pair of Eames dowel chairs that can be moved to his-and-her workstations or a fold-out dining table as needed.
The bedroom is at the back of the bus. They bought most of the beetle kill pine paneling in Colorado before they started working on the bus. Once they ran out, they used pine boards. Everything is sealed with a clear coat.
The bed lifts up to reveal storage, while drawers below a nearby counter store clothes. The bed is level with the windows. “I lay there when Will is driving and look out, and it’s the coolest thing,” Pelletier says.
Explore the entire school bus
The bed lifts up to reveal storage, while drawers below a nearby counter store clothes. The bed is level with the windows. “I lay there when Will is driving and look out, and it’s the coolest thing,” Pelletier says.
Explore the entire school bus
3. Wisconsinites on Wheels
Always up for a challenge, Aaron and Amy Carman went on the hunt for a vintage Airstream trailer to put their design and woodworking skills to the test. After scoring a 1971 Airstream Caravel on eBay, this Wisconsin couple spent four summers refashioning its outdated avocado-hued interior into a bright and modern space.
The Airstream’s exterior was the only portion the couple needed help with. The aluminum siding had been treated with a clear coat commonly used on Airstreams in the 1960s and ’70s. Although it protected the aluminum, the clear coating had started to decay and peel. The Carmans had a professional remove the coating and buff the exterior to a polished shine.
Here, the couple’s daughter stands outside the finished Airstream.
Always up for a challenge, Aaron and Amy Carman went on the hunt for a vintage Airstream trailer to put their design and woodworking skills to the test. After scoring a 1971 Airstream Caravel on eBay, this Wisconsin couple spent four summers refashioning its outdated avocado-hued interior into a bright and modern space.
The Airstream’s exterior was the only portion the couple needed help with. The aluminum siding had been treated with a clear coat commonly used on Airstreams in the 1960s and ’70s. Although it protected the aluminum, the clear coating had started to decay and peel. The Carmans had a professional remove the coating and buff the exterior to a polished shine.
Here, the couple’s daughter stands outside the finished Airstream.
Flexible trim and laminate walls accommodate the curved walls on the trailer’s front and back. Figuring out how to work with the Airstream’s rounded shape took some work — the couple had plenty of strikeouts before they landed on this combination.
Aaron used Teragren bamboo parquet for this custom flip-up breakfast table. The custom Crypton upholstery folds into a bed for the Carmans’ daughter.
Aaron used Teragren bamboo parquet for this custom flip-up breakfast table. The custom Crypton upholstery folds into a bed for the Carmans’ daughter.
Aaron built the new cabinetry, furniture and wall paneling and installed the kitchen countertops. The bathroom countertop is bamboo parquet from Teragren. Strips of Paulownia line the vanity.
The couple chose Corian countertops because they have a lighter weight than stone or concrete. A simple bamboo-hued laminate backsplash protects the wall.
Learn more about this refurbished trailer
The couple chose Corian countertops because they have a lighter weight than stone or concrete. A simple bamboo-hued laminate backsplash protects the wall.
Learn more about this refurbished trailer
4. Summer of Love
Bill and Cathy Johnson love camping. The architect and real estate agent have been doing it since they began dating at age 15. So they jumped at the chance to buy and restore a 1970s Avion camper that they could turn into a mobile summer home for canoeing and fishing trips around Tennessee.
The previous owner, a former client of Bill’s, had kept the camper in pristine condition, even developing a homemade manual that detailed special care and maintenance considerations for preserving the plumbing and mechanical lines during winter. The aluminum exterior paneling, naturally resistant to corrosion, was still in good condition. All the Johnsons had to do was give it a good washing.
Bill and Cathy Johnson love camping. The architect and real estate agent have been doing it since they began dating at age 15. So they jumped at the chance to buy and restore a 1970s Avion camper that they could turn into a mobile summer home for canoeing and fishing trips around Tennessee.
The previous owner, a former client of Bill’s, had kept the camper in pristine condition, even developing a homemade manual that detailed special care and maintenance considerations for preserving the plumbing and mechanical lines during winter. The aluminum exterior paneling, naturally resistant to corrosion, was still in good condition. All the Johnsons had to do was give it a good washing.
The Johnsons wanted the interior to have a brighter vibe, building on the wraparound bank of windows at the front of the camper. So they removed all the original finishes, painted the cabinets white and added new vinyl flooring. “We wanted to try and create the most open and airy feel possible,” Bill says.
They then replaced the upholstery with a durable outdoor fabric and changed out the hardware and drapes.
The original crystal chandelier over the dining table is one of the Johnsons’ favorite touches. The other light is a surface-mounted incandescent fixture. The table collapses so the front area can turn into a full-size bed.
They then replaced the upholstery with a durable outdoor fabric and changed out the hardware and drapes.
The original crystal chandelier over the dining table is one of the Johnsons’ favorite touches. The other light is a surface-mounted incandescent fixture. The table collapses so the front area can turn into a full-size bed.
New flooring and fabric continue in the bedroom, where the Johnsons sleep on two twin beds. Fabric wainscoting around the perimeter adds a bit of style.
They like to keep the camper fully stocked with towels and extra clothes and blankets in case guests show up or they want to spend some time there on the spur of the moment. “That way it feels almost like a furnished weekend home,” Bill says. “You don’t have to think about a lot; you just bring your clothes.”
Tour more of this trailer
They like to keep the camper fully stocked with towels and extra clothes and blankets in case guests show up or they want to spend some time there on the spur of the moment. “That way it feels almost like a furnished weekend home,” Bill says. “You don’t have to think about a lot; you just bring your clothes.”
Tour more of this trailer
5. Mobile Mom Cave
This vintage 1964 Airstream Sovereign was completely renovated by Hofmann Architecture to create a remote office and guesthouse for a Malibu, California, mom. A stylish striped awning can be unfurled to provide protection from the sun.
This vintage 1964 Airstream Sovereign was completely renovated by Hofmann Architecture to create a remote office and guesthouse for a Malibu, California, mom. A stylish striped awning can be unfurled to provide protection from the sun.
The interior is comfortably furnished with a convertible sofa bed covered in a new light blue indoor-outdoor canvas that is easy to clean.
All new appliances allow the user to whip up a snack while she’s taking a break from working at her full-size desk. This is truly an off-site office that’s hard to leave.