Sometimes the pop up camper bug bites you, and you have so much fun renovating your camper that you want to do it again. And again. And again. Nick and Betsy are one such couple. They have renovated several pop up campers, but my favorite is this 1998 Coleman Bayside.
Nick and Betsy have four children–all boys–who love adventure, getting dirty, hiking trails, and s’mores. Camping is absolutely perfect for them. They had always been tent campers, but this last summer they decided to take the plunge and buy a pop up camper. The main draw was that a PUP was as much as they could haul with their minivan. Sound familiar to any of you pop up camper people? 🤣
While Betsy loves being a mom of all boys, she is still very much a girly girl. She loves to make things pretty, and the new pop up camper was no exception. She seized on the opportunity to pick out paint, buy new pillows, and put her design touch on this new little home on wheels.
After a good cleaning, all the cabinets and walls got a sanding and a good coat of PPG Gripper primer. It is actually one of my favorite primers, and we’ve used it on our own pop up walls and the walls and cabinets of our motorhome. It’s awesome! With the primer coat finished, it was on to paint.
Nick and Betsy used paint from the Sherwin Williams Emerald line. The creamy white on the cabinets and walls is the color Alabaster. Need some tips on painting your pop up camper? Make sure to check out our post here. Next, Betsy wanted to give the walls the look of shiplap without the weight of it, so she used a Sharpie to draw those lines on the walls. From a distance, it looks like real shiplap!
The dinette and sofa cabinets got a coat of Sherwin Williams Vogue Green. Nick and Betsy spray painted the cabinet hardware gold and replaced the flooring with an adhesive plank vinyl. To cover the cushions, they used neutral fabrics and the “wrap and staple method.” I love the deep brown against the green dinette cabinets. Betsy had a friend make the basket light above the table, and the black and white rug really ties the space together.
The curtains were off-the-shelf panels from Target. Betsy removed the tabs from the old curtains and sewed them on to the new panels. This allowed her to use the existing curtain track. The new curtains coordinate well with that fringe lumbar pillow from Target, right? I love the boho look Betsy pulled together for this camper.
After they finished their first pop up camper, they had the itch to do another. Betsy found herself scouring websites to find another camper to give a little TLC. They soon sold the first pop up, bought another one and began the renovations immediately. It’s become a fun hobby, and they have renovated eight pop up campers to date! If you want to see all their beautiful camper remodels, make sure to follow them on Instagram @poppin_up_pretty_. You’ll be amazed. I promise.
Nick and Betsy absolutely love working together on these camper projects, and they make a really great team. Betsy really feels like they are fulfilling a dream they have always had of flipping houses, just on a smaller scale–a much smaller scale. 😉Happy Camping!
Impeccable taste with your color palette, lightness of the overall feel. Much better than a hotel room.