Creating Ambiance

I am fortunate enough to have been able to buy a new trailer. It is already cute and clean and functional. But given I would be living in it for at least six months or more, it was absolutely vital to make it cute and cozy.

I watched many a video on design techniques for trailers. I looked at adding wall paper and pictures and plants. Then I realized I couldn’t take plants over the border. Okay, plastic plants it would be! When I looked into the wall paper, it looked like more of a headache than it was worth, especially in the hot desert where everything melts (especially wall paper glue). So I had to turn my design ideas to other means.

I finally realized textiles was the way to go. By adding cute blankets, pillows, and rugs I could give a real ambience to my little home. Additionally, all the pillows make it super comfortable for lounging. Given the layout of my trailer, I turned the dinette into a cozy living room. I removed the table and put it on the end of one of the benches to serve as a coffee table. Now I had two sofas. I opted to keep one of the sofas made up as my bed, so I wouldn’t have to worry about that every evening. During the day my bed is covered with cushions to make it comfy and welcoming. At night the pillows move to the other bench and it easily converts to my bed. The other bench/sofa is where I do all my work. I work remotely in my trailer so I need a tiny office. The coffee table provides me with just enough space for all of my electronics, and I pull out a TV tray when I work to put my screen and camera on creating instant tiny office space!

Once I moved the dinette table, it created a few other issues - a low bulkhead where my clothes are kept (people could now easily bump into this) and some “bumps” in the floor where the table legs go (which people could trip over). I solved the floor issue by putting a footstool there - now no tripping. For the bulkhead, I got creative and made a garland of greenery, small flowers and twinkle lights. This addition creates nice lighting and a cute vibe in the trailer.

Over my office bench, there is a small wall space that was perfect for a photo gallery. I measured and it fit nine 4” x 6” frames perfectly. The most challenging part of this was going through my entire photo collection and selecting nine photos that would most feel like home. Think about it, or better yet, open up your photo gallery on your phone and think about which nine photos you would choose to feel like home? That was an adventure all of its own! In the end I chose six photos of my children, one of my art studio, one of a sign I made, and one from a trip to Sardinia. These were the memories I chose to comfort me on my adventure.

Next was the bathroom. It is tiny but functional. Nothing much I could do to the shower, but I desperately needed some storage space. Again, videos, Pinterest, and FB groups gave me plenty of ideas. I decided to put up a shower rod over the toilet, then I could hang storage options. On one side I hung three small macrame bags for things like makeup, teeth supplies, and lotions. On the other side I hung a small three compartment organizer that holds all my other bathroom supplies. On the inside of the door I put a towel holder, and on the other side (facing the living area) I found a cute black iron hanging organizer to hold my towels - functional and adorable.

From there the rest was easy. I hung a few small shelfs for plants, another little picture gallery at the front entrance, and some clips for dishtowels, pot holders and such. All together it makes the space fashionable and functional.

Honest Thoughts

Now you think all this coziness and cuteness would mean I love this nomadic lifestyle? But oh no, quite the contraire. After 17 days of living in my trailer it felt like home, but a VERY small home. After one month, I have decided, small living isn't for me! It wiggles with the wind so I feel like I’m on the water (sometimes a wrathful ocean!). When rain comes, it sounds like an elephant dancing on my roof. I got tired of clinging to the edge of the bed, so I have rearranged again back to the original configuration - dinette during the day, king bed at night. I've had to overcome my fear of creepy crawlers sharing my home with me (scorpions and black widow spiders) , as well as the thunder, wind and sand storms. Daily dealing with heat and air conditioning and sewer hoses, well, let's just say it's not the romance so many YouTube videos make it out to be. It's real and it's small. Not a life for everyone. (Check out my next post for more on all that)

I always wanted to try living in a tiny home and I wondered how small I could go…well now I know the answer. No tiny homes for me!