So you moved into your van and now you want to make it feel a bit more homely inside. Well this post gives you fun ways to spruce up your camper van to feel like home. Whether you add in a plant, add some funky wallpaper or have artwork you’d like to showcase, there is definitely a way to add some character to your tiny home on wheels. So let’s dive into some fun ways to spruce up your campervan.
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Plants:
Plants are an easy way to spruce up your camper van to feel like a home. Plus there are added benefits of having plants around such as improving your mood and improving the air quality by filtering out harmful chemicals. But you might be wondering how can you have plants in a moving vehicle. Well, there do come challenges, but there are ways to keep plants alive in your camper van.
You can add velcro to your counter, shelf or where ever you’d like to securely place the plant, and additionally add velcro to the bottom of the plant’s pot. This will help to keep the plants in place when you travel (but on extra rough roads, you might need to place them somewhere more securely).
Another idea is to have a rope or bungee that attaches to the wall to keep the plants in place during transport.
Many people also like to have a planter box attached to their wall so they are stable in the box when you are driving around to different spots.
Or we keep our plants up by us in the front when we are traveling in the cup holders. This way we can make sure they don’t fall over when we go down a super windy or bumpy road. We then can easily move them around the van to add that homely feel or out of the way when we need extra counter space.
The harder part about adding plants to your campervan is they usually need water, sunlight, and proper care. And not to mention they will constantly be moving in the vehicle, which can sometimes stress out the plants. But don’t let that steer you away, because there are a few plants that might thrive in the vanlife environment.
Check out our post: Best Plants For Vanlife
Fake Plants:
And well if keeping plants alive sounds like a hassle, there is still the option to get fake plants to spruce up your camper van to feel like home.
We actually have a nice eucalyptus plant hiding a gap between our insulation and where the wood stops above our bed. I think it adds a nice home-like touch to the area instead of having a large “undone” ceiling. There are definitely plenty of places in your campervan that you could add a touch of fake plants to make it feel more like home (and cover up those awkward gaps).
Decorative Lights:
A super fun and easy way to spruce up your campervan during nighttime is using decorative lights.
A common light many people have are fairy lights which don’t suck up a ton of power. You might even be able to find some that use solar, so you can charge them up during the day, ready for use at night. This is especially common with vanlifers that don’t have solar or a huge power bank. You can also transport them around if you don’t permanently install them to the wall or ceiling, so you can bring them outdoors if you have a campfire, stargaze, movie night, etc!
Read our entire post dedicated to Campervan Lighting.
Wallpaper:
Another unique way to spruce up your campervan is funky wallpaper. This is what Jake and I did most recently and absolutely love it! It might be a bit bold for some, but I think it fits our character pretty well. They are usually just as easy as tracing the shape of your cupboard door (or whatever you are covering), cutting it out, and sticking it onto the surface.
The Home Depot has tons of fun wallpaper to choose from. Or the even have plenty of more subtle patterns too.
We also added the wallpaper to our stairs and it was a true game-changer.
Rope Edges:
One problem Jake and I had when building out our campervan, is bare edges to our wood that we needed to finish off somehow. So we added some nautical rope between the gaps and I think it adds a nice touch to the van overall. We also used nautical rope for our handles on our cabinet doors and draws, so it ties everything together!
But there are tons of great ways to finish off any loose edge with rope, fake plants, wallpaper, fabric, wood trim, etc. The options are limitless, you just might have to get creative with how it ties into the theme of your camper van.
Tiles/backsplash:
Another awesome way people add a little extra character to their campervan is by adding tiles or a backsplash to their kitchen area or wherever there is open space.
We added a peel & stick backsplash that matches our color scheme in the van, but many people even put even artsy-er tiles up. I think by adding tiles to the kitchen area or other areas that need a good sprucing add a beautiful touch to the van.
For example, I’ve seen other people add it to the areas in their kitchen like where the floor meets to rest of the kitchen cabinetry.
Artwork:
Of course this is one of the main ways people spruce up any living space, not just in a camper van. But unfortunately, in vanlife, you tend to have way less wall space than a typical home. So you need to be strategic with what you choose as artwork to be in your campervan. Personally, anything that has emotional attachment should take priority, unless it can break (aka: anything glass) if it falls off the wall.
Check out some of this cool Outdoorsy Artwork.
Pictures:
Another easy and fun way to spruce up your camper van to feel like home is to add pictures around your van. Jake and I had a fun idea of adding photos of our favorite adventures to our closet doors and we think it adds a nice homely feel.
Or another fun idea is to hang a string and clip photos on. I’ve noticed a few vanlifers carry around a polaroid camera to take pics with friends they meet along the road. Or hang pics of family for those days you might get homesick.
Find some lightweight picture frames or create a canvas of your favorite photo to hang as a decoration on the wall.
The possibilities are endless to add photos as a fun way to spruce up your camper van to feel like home.
Rugs:
I think rugs are a nice touch to really make a place feel homely! And in the winter or even on a summer morning when the floor is ice cold a rug can really add that extra touch to keep your toes warm on your camper van floor. You could also add an outdoor rug to wipe off your dirty feet before stepping foot into your van.
Throw Pillows/Blankets:
Just like in a home, one of the easiest ways to spruce up your camper van is to have a few throw pillows or a decorative blanket (which also serve dual purposes).
One fun idea I’ve seen from other vanlifers is to have a cute pillowcase and store your sweaters in it when you aren’t using them or just change out sweaters if you have multiples.
Jake and I have throw pillows we use for when we hike into a place for a relaxing hammock sesh or if we are laying anywhere a far enough distance from the van where it doesn’t make sense to bring out our pillows from the van.
Create An Outdoor Living Space:
One huge upgrade to our vanlife setup was adding a whole outdoor living space. When we are staying somewhere longer than just a day we like to set up our CGear Sand-free mat (check out our review here) with our MoonShade awning or bug net to really create a nice shaded space outside the van. This makes it feel like our own outdoor patio.
Takeaway | Fun Ways To Spruce Up Your Camper Van To Feel Like Home
There are countless fun ways to spruce up your camper van to feel like home. From simply throwing a decorative pillow on the bed, hanging a photo on the wall or adding in a plant can transform your tiny home of wheels. I think it is important to create a place that feels homely, so you enjoy and cherish your small space. Happy decorating!
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