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We did a number of upgrades to the interior of the fifth wheel but some of my favorites happened in the kitchen. Luckily not all the kitchen upgrades were major time consuming intense projects(like flooring or painting!). The ones listed here were some of the simplest and quickest DIYs we completed!
Stick on Backsplash
[before]
[after]
Peel and Stick Subway Tiles completely changed our tiny kitchen! They are so simple to work with and you can change your backsplash in minutes. Literally just measure, cut, peel, and stick! I picked these tiles in particular because they’re resistant to heat, moisture, bacteria, and mold. Plus they’re far less weight than actual tiles and thats key in RV makeovers.
We’ve been cooking in our tiny kitchen for months and I still love these tiles! I’ve put them through quite the heat test as we cook at home nearly every night. They’ve also been washed and wiped them down with multipurpose cleanser after some of our more messy meal prep (think bacon grease and spaghetti splatters) and they still look like new. Absolutely stoked on these tiles and I’d use them again in a heartbeat!
Cabinet Hardware
In my opinion, hardware is one of the easiest changes to make with one of the biggest payoffs. The original cabinets had small oil rubbed bronze handles and pulls which matched the very brown themed interior. They were ok but they weren’t great. And they definitely didn’t fit the modern look we wanted to bring to the space.
After a bit of searching I found a style that came in both a pull and a knob. We needed the pulls for the drawers and the knobs for the cabinets. They come in bulk packs which is awesome because they’re priced so well and we used them for the entire trailer. The multiple lengths also meant we were able to use the existing holes in the cabinets and drawers.
Faucet and Soap Dispenser
Initially when we gutted the fifth wheel I really wanted a whole new sink set up. And that would have probably happened if we had no budget and endless amounts of time. Ha! As a compromise I decided to start with a new faucet and see if that changed the look of the sink enough. And guess what? Totally did the trick!
We went with a pull down faucet in matte black that required only a single hole. This also meant we had and extra hole in the countertops from the previous faucet. And guess what fit perfectly in that space? A soap dispenser! This also came in a matte black which matched all our new hardware. Both felt like total luxury upgrades and the dispenser meant one less thing on my countertops. These 2 simple upgrades totally changed our sink space without having to rip out the original or mess with the countertops. We consider that #winning!
Copper Dish Rack
This one is more of a pretty purchase than an actual upgrade but I still feel like its worth mentioning! Knowing we’d be washing all our dishes by hand was a major downer for me. Like I’ve mentioned, we cook at home for nearly all our meals and in our previous spaces I really put our dishwashers to use. So, if I had to have dishes out drying I figured I’d at least find something pretty to look at. This copper dish rack matches a handful of other decor I have in the fifthwheel and its held up to even our heaviest pots and pans. Obviously a dish rack is one of the most basic kitchen accessories but I promise it feels like an ‘upgrade’ when you’re hand washing every single dish in your RV!
Mounted Paper Towel Holder
Lets be honest, no matter how nice or new your RV is there’s just never enough counter space. Ever. So anything we could do to free up just a bit more was a welcome upgrade. This included things as simple as a mounted paper towel holder. We mounted ours on the side of the kitchen island so its nearly out of sight. We also went for a simple black design that matched the cabinet hardware so it looks even more cohesive.
Magnetic Knife Strip
In our previous stick built homes I’ve always had a drawer organizer or wooden block for our kitchen knives. Unfortunately both took up more space than I was willing to give up in this tiny kitchen so I found a knife strip we could mount on the wall. At first I was a little worried whether or not it would be strong enough to withstand traveling with the knives hanging but we’ve really put it to the test and its held up great. The magnet on this is incredibly STRONG! Plus, it was super easy to install over the stick on tiles.
Surely over time we’ll find more ways to upgrade our space. For now, we’re just happy all of the upgrades were simple to add and functional so far. So, have you made any upgrades to your RV kitchen? Tried any of the ones I mentioned above? You know I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
4 Comments
Would you mind telling me where you got the gray couch?
Hi Misty! We got it at World Market (https://www.worldmarket.com/product/dove-gray-woven-apel-sofa.do).
Hi Kate! Thank you for sharing your ideas and your life. Where’d you find the magnet for the knives? I too am hesitant to hang knives up in a bumping, swaying, rolling RV. (Not to mention the frost heaves we have in Alaska.). Thank you for sharing! Norma
Thanks for stopping by Norma! I got the knife strip on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MdYsE3