mDesign is a Keystone RV Company promotional partner.
Downsizing and organization are critical for your comfort and satisfaction in your home on wheels. Accomplishing that task can mean repurposing items, defining zones for your different activities, and working out a way to cook, sleep, work and relax all in one small spot. These and other tiny living lifestyle hacks are the focus of a new collaboration between home design and organization retailer mDesign and Keystone RV Company.
The Zones You Need: Dining and Working
Even if you're retired, you'll need somewhere to manage bills and do paperwork. Can you work and eat in the same space? Yes, if you're alone. However, for families traveling with kids who need a spot for schoolwork or for partners that are both working remotely, splitting your dining and working area is essential.
When you're camping on the road, you can easily make this work by putting out an awning and dining outside. You can quickly turn a quality folding table into a nice big kitchen if you don't have a fold-down kitchen on your RV. For transporting food, consider using milk crates to get food out to your cooktop or grill. They're deep, so food won't spill. They're sturdy, and best of all, they have great handles! Hang a magazine rack for your cutting boards or your storage bags and transfer them to your outdoor area for safe cutting.
The Zone You Want: Relaxing
Many times, RV couches become RV beds. Unless everyone is very excited about watching the same video, you can significantly reduce the stress of small space living by making sure that everyone has their private entertainment center. Earbuds and a tablet or a phone can quickly reduce bedtime stress; everyone can choose to lounge in their own space.
If you must use the lounge area and then someone has to sleep there, take care to set a specific bedtime so the person sleeping on the couch knows when their sleeping area will be available.
Clothing, Laundry, and Linens
If you have the option for RV living, consider loading your RV with only what you want and having living estate sale to get rid of the rest. Painful? Yes, but not as bad as living with too much stuff in an RV.
For another space saver, try investing in large lounge pillows and pulling the stuffing. You can remove all the stuffing and fill with extra blankets, towels or sheets, then use them on the sofa or use them as a headboard on a child's bed.
If your RV has exterior storage, you can also pack suitcases with seasonal clothing and store them under the RV until you get to the mountains, the beach, or wherever your journey takes you.
For families with minimal hanging storage, consider the following:
- invest in two suit hangers per family member
- keep two outfits per person on these hangers
- hang these garments in the bathroom so steam makes the wrinkles fall out
- keep other clothing in canvas bags that you can tighten down as they empty or plastic bins if you have room
Canvas duffel bags will breathe and reduce the risk of moisture and mildew. However, the garments in them will wrinkle. Hanging out garments isn't as efficient as having plenty of closet space, but suit hangers can keep pants, shorts or capris and a top ready to wear for the next day without taking up too much room.
Bathroom Storage
If you have a wet bath and are traveling with children, get a quote on having an outdoor shower installed. Soaking baths are a good option for a careful older child or an adult, but not having a shower curtain can make for messy bathing.
Look for foldable clothes dryers that you can use to hang towels and damp swimsuits. If possible, find one you can fold up on the back of a door or hook to your RV outside for quick drying when camping in one spot.
Your RV life may be tiny, but it doesn't have to be small. By staying organized, preparing ahead for a day or two, and keeping to a schedule, everyone can have the room they need to enjoy life on the road.
The mDesign and Keystone Partnership Will Teach You All This and More
Presently, mDesign and Keystone RV are celebrating the launch of an exciting and functional partnership that will teach the art of tiny living while on the road. With professional and celebrity organizers’ help, the content series will address the significant challenges that RV owners encounter in maintaining a cozy, harmonized living space. Through the use of both companies’ social media and blogs, mDesign and Keystone RV will roll out these essential lifestyle hacks to help you truly love life on the road.
“As owners spend more of their working and family life traveling in their RV, one of the biggest online discussions is how to stay organized, specifically when it comes to office spaces and home-schooling,” Keystone RV Marketing Director Christy Spencer stated. “We are excited to lean into mDesign’s deep experience in this space and share with our audience.”
mDesign’s bread and butter is all things storage. Both interior and exterior storage will be focal points of the collaboration with Keystone RV and an essential consideration in product design.
Christy Spencer went on to add that “Many (RV) owners are watching shows like Netflix’s ‘The Home Edit’ and Marie Kondo’s ‘The Art of Tidying Up’ for tips on how to live tiny on the road. We are excited to dovetail those two conversations with this partnership.”
“The RV industry has shown tremendous growth as families look for new ways to meet their travel desires during this period,” mDesign CEO Stacey Renfro stated. “Collaborating with Keystone RV was an obvious fit for mDesign, as we pride ourselves on offering stylish solutions to organize any home, or home away from home, no matter what size space you have to work with.”
About mDesign
mDesign is dedicated to creating a curated collection of products from all over the world that brings simplicity, style and organization to your home. We offer exceptional value on unique solutions from bathroom accessories and pantry storage to décor and furniture - and everything in between. We bring you products designed to make everyday living a little easier. For more information on mDesign, visit mdesignhomedecor.com or look for our products on Amazon.com, Walmart.com and Target.com.