A Sustainable Remodel: This Airstream Was Renovated with Only Secondhand Items
For most RVers looking to update their home on wheels, we shop for new items to modernize the interiors. Everything from curtains to couches arrives on our doorstep fresh and ready to be installed.
But RVers Dan and Terri Closs had a vision for creating an RV renovation that felt like stepping back into the past. Terri coined her style “grandma’s attic” and set out to find antiques and secondhand items to fit the bill.
“Dan and I have always appreciated and lived amongst antiques and collectibles,” said Terri. “Dan was leaning towards high Victorian or Gypsy style while I gravitated more towards the 1930’s or 1940’s era. Personally, I felt Victorian or Gypsy would be too fussy to camp in and keep up so we compromised to what we lovingly call the “Grandma’s Attic” style – an evolving collection of everything that comes from living someplace long enough.”
Renovating a Vintage Airstream
The Closs’ 1972 Airstream Argosy was completely gutted and ready for an overhaul. With no set floorplan, they let the items they found at flea markets and antique stores guide the way, like the large wooden column supporting the bathroom walls. The couple found two columns at a flea market that had been salvaged from a burning building in Detroit.
“Dan had to put the column on his lathe and turn all the black char off of it to find the original wood. He originally wanted to have two columns, but one flew apart in the lathe,” Terri said.
The bathroom and closet “walls” are actually old doors cut to fit the curve of the Airstream. Dan put his woodworking skills further to the test by designing and creating the gingerbread pattern across the ceiling. He steamed oak to fit the curve of the ceiling and used spindles and beads to create the fretwork.
Every detail, from the chandelier to the dining chairs, was restored and given new life in this remodel.
Even the ceiling was redesigned to look 100 years older.
“Tin ceilings are notoriously heavy. We wanted the look but didn’t want the weight, so we chose 2’ x 4’ vinyl glue-up panels in a Victorian style. It fit the bill perfectly. That ceiling tile was framed by wood molding down the length of the trailer, with flexible resin molding following the curve of the ceiling on the ends,” Terri explained.
Repurposing Pieces to Fit
With everything from the original RV removed, the couple got creative finding replacement cabinets for the Airstream. The new kitchen cabinets are actually an old buffet from Terri’s cousin. A buffet, also called a sideboard, has legs that lift it off the ground and was used commonly the 1800s as part of the dining room furniture.
The only item you can see in the RV that’s from the original is the drop-in sink added to the buffet. (The other original item is the fresh water tank, hidden away under the dining table.)
“The sink opening was sawed into the top and the old drop-in sink was then screwed up into place to make it an under mount,” Terri explained. “The piece of wood that was removed from the countertop now sits on top of the sink to give the countertop a seamless look when not in use.”
In the bathroom, there is no new or old bathroom sink. Instead, Terri found a porcelain food bowl and adapted it as a vessel sink.
The creativity in this remodel doesn’t end there. Antique drapes replaced doors to save on weight, a 1930s makeup table was sawed in half to create two nightstands, and two Victorian-style lamps were permanently adhered to the nightstands so they won’t move on travel days. The wire frame of the lampshades was even bent to fit perfectly into the curved walls of the trailer.
Looking Like New
No Airstream remodel is complete without giving the exterior a facelift. While many Airstreams have a shiny aluminum exterior that doesn’t need much to shine, this Argosy had a lackluster paint job.
“When we purchased her, she was a traditional two-toned white and taupe-ish color with an awning that was clearly bought in 1976 bicentennial red, white and blue (think Evil Knievel‘s jumpsuit and you’ll know exactly what it looked like – I’m not kidding),” said Terri.
To bring it back to life, Terri and Dan painted the exterior green and red and added a matching awning. The shiny new paint job on the outside is the perfect foil to the antique interior.
A Secondhand Masterpiece
When this vintage Airstream was purchased, mice lived in the walls, and the interior was falling apart. Now, every piece inside tells a story carefully curated from “Grandma’s Attic.” The charming final product shows off what a little creativity and commitment to a style can achieve. Since it’s been lovingly restored, it is the perfect retirement adventure vehicle for Terri and Dan.
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