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Organization and Decorating in a Tiny Moving Home – Part 1

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My top two concerns when contemplaing this lifestyle were: “How in the world can I fit everything I need, especially everything I need for all my cooking and baking, which I love?” and “How can I make an RV look and feel like home?”

First let me address that making everything fit is an issue.  How do you make it all fit?  Well, you don’t! We have been paring down for months and are down to only the things that we actually need in addition to some things that we just really wanted to keep.  Which is still a lot of stuff, more than I thought we could take.  I have learned through this process that if you really put in the effort up front to mindfully organize and utilize every inch of your space, that you too can easily fit everything you need into a tiny home; Be it a 5th wheel like us, or any RV, sailboat, or even a tiny sticks and bricks home.

I am going to use this post to show some of what I’ve done to organize our space for two reasons.  First and foremost, to show my friends and family how I actually was able to fit everything the three of us need to live comfortably into our new tiny house.  Secondly, to share ideas with others who may be dreaming of hitting the road, or the high seas, or those who have already done so but are running out of space!

Finally, I will share a couple of the ways I’ve decorated our new home as well.  Although that will be a continual work in process as Greg and I didn’t want to use too much of the same decorations we used in our old s&b house in our new one.  We want to decorate with new and meaningful items we find in our travels.  That said, I want it to look homey in the meantime!

Organization comes first, and since cooking is my first love (after God, Greg, the kids, the grandkids… uh…   you get the picture), let’s start in the kitchen.  I am not going to post everything, only some key areas where I utilized various organization tools to add space.  I must point out that everywhere throughout my entire 5th wheel, on every bottom shelf surface and on every shelf I’ve added, in addition to in between platters, stoneware, and dishes, I have used Sure Grip shelf liner.  Everywhere.  I got it (tons of it!) at Big Lots for $5 for a big roll.  I have literally used over 5 rolls of the stuff as I figure better safe than sorry.  Did I mention that I used it everywhere?  I feel like it’s been a crucial part of making sure items do not slide around during transport.

This is my awesome pantry. Granted, most RV's do not come with a pantry so large, but this is one of the many reasons I fell in love with this one! As you can see I've utilized the vertical space by adding shelves, can holders, lazy Susan's, small bins, and more.
This is my awesome pantry. Granted, most RV’s do not come with a pantry so large, but this is one of the many reasons I fell in love with this Grand Design! As you can see, I have utilized the vertical space by adding shelves, lazy Susan’s, large bins, small bins, a can holder and more.  I even have a place to hang my apron and Norwex rags.  To those of you who are shaking your heads right now, please do not comment and tell me that it’s all going to fall as we are driving down the road.  I have already tested it out several times! I have organized it with the moving in mind.  We have taken several trips, one in the mountains, driving  up and down winding roads; and more recently a 3+ hour highway drive on some VERY bumpy roads and the only thing that fell was a bag of chips, and I’m okay with that!
I had these plate holders already in my previous home, so I used them opposite each other in same cabinet to get the most space for my plates.
These are all my plates and shallow bowls. I had these plate holders already in my previous home, so I used them opposite each other in same cabinet to get the most space for my plates.
I nested all my bowls in one of our deep drawers. I put coffee filters between each of the bigger ones.
I nested all my bowls in one of our deep drawers. I put coffee filters in between each of the bigger ones.
Floor space is a major premium and I don't want to have my trash can in sight anyway, so I installed this pull-out drawer for the garbage can. Seems like a little thing, but that was a major upgrade for me! Makes life so much easier, especially when you don't have a garbage disposal or a dishwasher. This lifestyle produces lots of trash!
Floor space is a major premium and I don’t want to have my trash can in sight anyway.  Thus, I installed this pull-out drawer for the trash can. This may seem like a little thing, but that was a major upgrade for me! It seriously makes my life so much easier, as this lifestyle produces lots of garbage. Especially when you don’t have a garbage disposal or a dishwasher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You get the idea when it comes to the kitchen.  I have a lot more to share, our homeschool storage, the bathroom, our master bedroom (which is my hubby’s office), and our closets, but this blog post is getting too long and I am getting too pooped to post!  I will post more organizational pictures within the next day or two, pinky swear.

I can’t totally sign off though without leaving you with a few pictures of how my decorating is coming together so far.  As I said, this will be a continual work in process.

It's amazing what pillows can do to soften a room. As you can tell, I love the color red.
It’s amazing what pillows can do to soften a room. As you can tell, I love the red.
Speaking of red, check out these chair covers I found. The original fabric is a very light beige. We are too messy for that! These
Speaking of red, check out these chair covers I found on Amazon.com. The original fabric is a very light beige. We are WAY too messy for that! These are machine washable as well.
I just installed these red smart tiles (actually they are a knock off brand) today! It took me much longer to get them up than I anticipated, but the were worth the effort. I LOVE them! See the magnetic knife holder?!?! It's amazing and the knives do not budge during transport. Not to mention, I've always wanted one.
I just installed these red smart tiles (actually they are a knock off brand) today. It took me much longer to get them up than I anticipated, but they were definitely worth the effort. I LOVE them! See the magnetic knife holder?!?! It’s amazing and the knives do not budge during transport. Not to mention, I’ve always wanted one.

 

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This is just to show you my new backsplash from another angle so you can see my USA cutting board. My hubby found this for me so we hung it and I think it looks awesome against the darker wood. I do have to stow this during transport. You can also see my cute little toaster oven too in this picture. Oh, and did I mention that my favorite color is RED?

That’s all for now.  I’ll do a “Part 2” within the next day or two…  or three.

Happy Trails & Sunny Sails!

2 thoughts on “Organization and Decorating in a Tiny Moving Home – Part 1”

  1. Nicely done! And good post…I’m taking notes. Glad things are taking shape for you and the family. Still so much to do and learn before we take off in June!

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