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Retro Camper Makeover Tips

Hi Friend!

If you follow our social media, you may already know this, but we bought a 2019 Gulf Stream Capri Travel Trailer this summer!!! It’s not old so we don’t have to gut the whole thing, but we did want to make some alterations to give it a look we like.

Here’s the camper the day we picked it up:

Gulf Stream Capri Before
Gulf Stream Capri Before
Gulf Stream Capri Before
Gulf Stream Capri Before

The main things I wanted to change were:

New counters
Get rid of all the retro aqua
Update the kitchen table area
Add a backsplash
Bring in a different accent color (mustard)

I’ll have links to all the products we used to redo it at the end of the post so keep scrolling until the end friends!

Retro Camper Makeover
Camper Bedding
Gulf Stream Capri Travel Trailer After

We started by adding peel and stick reclaimed wood to the back of the bed area to create a faux headboard. We also removed the teal and tan section over each window and replaced it with the same wood. I love how both of those things turned out.

Then we painted the counters and the table top with black chalkboard paint and sealed it with a protective clear coat. This part came out ok – not my favorite, but it’ll do the trick for a weekend getaway. :)

We added Peel and Stick Tile Positano faux tile backsplash and this is another piece that made a huge impact!

Once that was done, it was time to decorate! With pretty bedding, pillows, sheets.

We tried painted the cushion for the dining area with a vinyl fabric furniture paint and it didn’t hold up at ALL! It was terrible. So my mom added fabric to them and we did three pillows along the back which I like even more!!

The mustard throw pillows were from HomeGoods and the mustard towels were from Amazon.

We also changed out all the cabinet hardware and that was from Home Depot.

Product links:

Peel and Stick Reclaimed Wood
Counter and Table Top Paint
Peel and Stick Tile Positano Faux Tile
Sheets
Duvet Cover
Dinette Pillow Covers
Mustard Towels
Cabinet Hardware
Solar Edison Light

We also did some upgrades to the outside of our house where the camper will be year round. We installed a fence (with 3′ spikes instead of concrete) and old shutter so that we can remove it easily in the winter. Our neighbors had some extra stone that they gave us to spruce up the firepit, and Pam (our store manager) made this beautiful sign for us! We also put solar Edison lights on the fence to brighten everything up!

Retro Camper Set Up


Isn’t that adorable?!?!?

We already had our friends from Florida come stay with us for a week and we used the camper for more sleeping space which was a huge help!!

Have you redone a camper before? If so, I’d love to see it! Share a link in the comment below!

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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FunCycled’s Repurposed Designs Pilot Show

Hi Friends!

We have been working on a pilot episode to show all of you a little more about what we do! After a couple days of recording and a couple of months of editing, we finally have it done and you can watch it here:

Joy and Nathan were amazing to work with and have been clients for years so we knew it would be a fun makeover. Today, I’m sharing some of the details of the project in case you wanted more info than you see in the show.

Here’s the kitchen before:

This is the first time that we created a 3D drawing of the design before moving ahead with everything.

We took the upper cabinets above the stove and moved them to the right wall where the peninsula was before. Then we made the stove section a half wall and extended out the counters so we could add more seating. By removing the peninsula on the right wall, it gave much more space in the kitchen to add a large island. We custom built the black island with a butcher block top and installed it as well.

Joy and Nathan didn’t like the style of the cabinet doors so I recommending flipping them inside out since the inside of the cabinets are shaker style. This saved a lot of money and created such a huge transformation in the kitchen.

Another small detail that we didn’t mention on the show is the soffit above the cabinets. We wrapped it in shiplap to give it visual interest, pull in the shiplap on the back of the new half wall, and make everything blend together well.

Check out all the after photos!

We also installed tiling, floating shelves and new hardware in the kitchen.

Another part that didn’t make the cut in the show was the dining room. We redid their family heirloom dining table and chairs. They bought the cream hutch from our store!

What a transformation, right??

We think a show about repurposed designs would be a great idea, don’t you?? If you’re in the TV industry and would be interest in this idea, please Contact Us. If you know someone in the industry who you think might be interested, please share this blog post or our contact information with them. We’d be so grateful to you for taking the time to do that!

A huge thanks to Joy for being patient, wonderful on camera, and kind every step of the way!

Also, I want to clap and cheer for the job that Josh at Lamplit pictures did creating this pilot show. He blew our expectations out of the water! We can’t wait to work with him again.

While we are saying thank you, you’ll also see that we now have a new logo! A big thanks to Tim over at Engine 7 Design for creating it for us. He’s so much fun!

And I couldn’t do it without my hubby, John! He went out of his comfort zone being on camera and he pushed hard to make this transformation happen in the time it needed, too! Beyond thankful for this guy!

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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Credenza Painted with Magnolia Demo Day Paint

Hi Friends!

How’s your week going? We’ve been working hard over here redoing kitchen and doing design jobs while the kids have been away at a camp this week. My days have been non stop, but I’m enjoying the work, the lovely people I get to meet, and the friends we’ve been able to share a meal with for dinner each night. I miss those kiddos of mine though! 💕

This week, I’m sharing a dresser makeover that we did for a long time client, Sharon. She had this dresser that she wanted redone.

She wanted to paint it, but she also wanted to have some of the wood showing. We went back and forth on leaving the top or the drawers stained. We ended up going with refinishing the drawers and doors with Minwax Dark Walnut and painting the box with Magnolia’s paint color Demo Day. You know how much I love Joanna Gains, right? Remember the video I recorded about going to meet her? Anyway, I couldn’t wait to use one of her color line on a furniture pieces.

If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post. Ready for the after photos?

And of course I had to stage it with Joanna’s books!!!

Magnolia Paint Demo Day on Dresser

Look at that beautiful color!!

This dresser isn’t available to purchase, but we have other beautiful pieces on our shop pageContact us

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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Black Breakfront Hutch for Sale

Hi Friends!

How’s your week going? We have had a busy, but good week so far. Love getting some sunshine! We went to Stratton Mountain Resort over the weekend and loved every minute!

This week, I wanted to share a hutch makeover that we recently finished and added to our for sale page.

Here it is before:

A breakfront hutch is a hutch where the top drawer can pull out and become a desk. When we were looking this hutch over we couldn’t even get the top drawer opened. So, we had to do some extra work to figure that out how to make that happen.

We painted it Benjamin Moore’s Black, painting the back of the top section white, and lightly distressed it. Then we sprayed it with a protective clear coat for more durability. 

If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post. Ready for the after photos?

Black Hutch Makeover
Black BreakFront Hutch

This hutch is available now to purchase! Contact us

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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Mid Century Modern Hutch For Sale

Hi Friends!!

Happy rainy week in upstate NY! We’ve had so much rain I think I saw Noah’s ark floating by. 😂 Paint doesn’t like to dry on rainy days so it’s made the work flow a little tricky lately. I also went to the Brimfield Antique Show in the rain last week with my pal Marcie.

I scored a few good finds and this is my favorite one! An antique shelf for seeds…

I’m going to use it to display the new succulents that we have for sale in our store. That’s RIGHT! We’re taking antique items and planting live succulents in them to sell in our store.

Check out some of the many that we added to the store last week:

Stop by to see them all this week! We’re open Thursday-Friday 1-5pm or Saturday 10-2.

For this week’s furniture makeover, I’m sharing a new mid century hutch that we just added to the store as well!

Here it is before:

We refinished the drawers and doors and painted the box with Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. Then we sprayed it with a protective clear coat for more durability.

If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post. Ready for the after photos?

This hutch is available now to purchase! Contact us

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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8 Painted Hutch Ideas

Hi Friends!

This week, I’m sharing some of my favorite painted hutches that we’ve redone over the years! Just for fun! You can click on the name for each hutch and it’ll take you to the post with all the color and how to information for each piece.

Black and Wood Front Mid Century Hutch
Black Ornate Claw Foot Hutch
Gold Dipped Ornate Hutch
White and Wood Front Mid Century Hutch
Traditional Black Hutch
Aged Pewter Hutch
Navy French Provincial Hutch
Modern Farmhouse Hutch

Please take a minute to check out our online shop for repurposed furniture for your home. 

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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Green and Wood Front Dresser Set

Hi Friends!

This week has been a busy one for me! So sorry for the late post. It’s only the start of summer and I’m remembering how tricky it is to balance summer fun and work. :) I love both so much so trying to enjoy the sunny days to the fullest while also keeping up with work. Thank you for your patience with me. 💕

For this week’s makeover, I wanted to share a beautiful transformation we finished recently for a returning client; Lisa!

Here are her dressers before:

We painted the boxes Thicket AF-405 by Benjamin Moore, sprayed them with a protective clear coat, and cleaned and reused the hardware. Then we sanded and stained the drawers with a Gray first then Brown stain.
We also added Lapland by Benjamin Moore to the middle border, which goes all around the dresser, to slightly contrast with the Thicket.

This dresser set was done as a custom order! Thank you for the business, Lisa. 

Please take a minute to check out our online shop for repurposed furniture for your home. 

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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White Dresser Set Makeover

Hi Friends!

How was your week? As you might have seen on our facebook or Instagram page, after many many years of camping with our 1974 Lark Pop up camper, we decided to upgrade this year to a retro style camper. Check it out!

We are still trying to think of a good name for it! We feel so thankful and blessed to be able to get away as a family and with friends… into nature, to relax and refresh.

For this week’s makeover, I wanted to share a dresser set makeover that we recently finished and put up for sale on our website.

Here are the dressers before:

The main thing I didn’t like about this set was the sea shell inlay on the dressers. I also didn’t love the hardware. So we filled all the details of the seashell with Bondo. It didn’t go well actually – we had to carve it back out and redo it which took SO MUCH time. It was worth it though because check out the after photos.

For this piece, we used Benjamin Moore’s Simply White, lightly distressed it, and sprayed it with a protective clear coat. We also added all new hardware.

If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post. Ready for the after photos?

The low dresser and end stand sold right away, but the tall dresser is available now to purchase! Contact us to purchase! 

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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Best Kitchen Cabinet Hardware Options (on a budget)

Hi Friends!

Since we paint kitchen cabinets almost every week of the year and because I do a lot of interior design work on kitchens, I decided it might be nice to share some of my favorite “go to” hardware options. :) Whether you want modern, traditional, farmhouse, or danish modern, I’ve found that Amazon is the go to spot for hardware on a budget. There isn’t a good selection locally and many of the hardware at Lowe’s or Home Depot are sold from the same manufactures on Amazon for much less.

Let’s go color by color, shall we?

Black Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

Black Traditional Cabinet Hardware

It also comes in most finishes that you could want! You can order them yourselves here:

What I like about this one is that it comes in all different lengths and with a knob so you’ll be sure the finishes match. It also has rounded edges on the long pulls so you won’t catch your sweater on it as you walk by. Not because that’s happened to me or anything. lol

Or you can go with a more modern pull that also comes in all different sizes:

Modern Black Cabinet Pulls

You can order them here:

If you like knobs more than pulls, this is my favorite traditional black knob and we’ve installed it in more kitchens than I can count:

Best Black Kitchen Cabinet Knob

You can order those here:

I also really love black cup pulls for a kitchen and these are my favorite (this one can be bought it all different finishes too) Yay!:

Best Black Cup Pulls for Kitchen Cabinets

Order here:

Brushed Nickel

The second favorite cabinet pull finish that client usually select is brushed nickel. This comes in different sizes as well but you have to look through the suggested items to see the other sizes or search for the name on Amazon to see other sizes.

Traditional Brushed Nickel Pulls

Order here:

This is a little more elegant and beautiful. It comes in multiple sizes, too.

Beautiful Brushed Nickel Cabinet Pulls

Order here:

Speaking of elegant, some kitchens with a fancier feel can be enhanced even more by adding a little sparkle. I love these knobs because they hold up really well and the glass doesn’t easily break like I’ve had happen with so many other glass cabinet knobs.

Glass Pull for Kitchen Cabinets

Order here:

Do you like something a little more traditional? I recommend going with square instead if round. It looks more expensive when you have a brushed nickel finish, in my opinion. Here’s my favorite square style:

Traditional Satin Nickel Knob

Order here:

Up next!

Gold Hardware

Even though it’s not as common as the other finishes, gold is actually my favorite finish for kitchen cabinet hardware. Before you ask, let me also say… Yes! You can mix gold hardware even if your appliances are stainless steal or if you have lighting that’s a different finish. It can still be beautiful!

Gold Hardware for Kitchen Cabinets

Order here:

For my own kitchen, I used a combination of black and gold and I LOVE it!!

Black and Gold Kitchen Hardware

Order here:

If you prefer just knobs and not pulls, here are two good options for you:

Gold Kitchen Cabinet Knobs

Order here:

Gold Knobs For Kitchen Cabinets

Leather

Or how about updating your kitchen with a leather pull or knob?

Leather Kitchen Cabinet Handles

Order here:

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Leather Kitchen Cabinet Pulls

Order here:

Chic

If you really love shabby chic, you could also do glass rose knobs to bring fun into the kitchen!

Rose Kitchen Cabinet Knobs

Order here:

If you have hardware that you love in your kitchen and found for a great price, please drop a link in the comments for your fellow repurposers!

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Are you in the middle of redoing your kitchen cabinets? You might find it helpful to watch our video about how to paint kitchen cabinets:

How to Paint Kitchen Cabinets

Could your kitchen use an update? We’d love to help!! We can help pick out colors, finishes, product and do the cabinet painting, tiling, add new hardware. You can use our Contact Us form to request our design services or a quote for painting your kitchen. Please check out other kitchen projects on our For Sale page. We’ll need to see a picture of your kitchen, a list of how many doors and drawers there are, and where you are located to email you an estimate. This change ups the value of your home and gives you a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new kitchen cabinets!

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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Update Your Traditional Kitchen With Small Alterations and Painting the Cabinets

Hi Friends,

How are you? Do you have a traditional kitchen… maybe one that looks like this? It’s not ugly, but you’re sick of the wood cabinets and lack of backsplash? Or the two tiered height counter?

Diane started by hiring me for a design consult where we could talk through what she did and didn’t like about her kitchen. We agreed that a couple things could be moved and changed as well as the cabinets painted to give the kitchen a whole new look at a fraction of the price of a kitchen remodel (plus it’s much less messy).

Here are some changes that may seem small but make a big impact:
1. We took out the microwave above the stove and replaced it with a hood vent (so much prettier!)
2. We removed the outdated bookshelf on the end of the cabinets next to the sink and custom built one to fit a smaller microwave.
3. We took the doors from the cabinet above the stove and moved them to the wine storage cabinet above the fridge. We had to alter them to do it, but it worked out great. It gave Diane extra storage by removing the wine bottle holder.
4. We removed the high level of counters by the seating area and made it all counter height. Then installed shiplap on the back. Such a huge difference!
5. We added backsplash and new hardware.
6. We painted the kitchen cabinets Simply White by Benjamin Moore.
7. Diane ordered all new quartz counters.

Ready for the after photos?

Traditional Kitchen After
White Quartz Counters + White Kitchen Cabinets + White Subway Tile

If you’d like to see how we paint Kitchen Cabinets, click here to check out our video on YouTube.

How to paint kitchen cabinets!

A huge thanks to Diane for choosing to work with us on this project. She was kind and thoughtful every step of the way!

Could your kitchen use an update? We’d love to help!! We can help pick out colors, finishes, product and do the cabinet painting, tiling, add new hardware. You can use our Contact Us form to request our design services or a quote for painting your kitchen. Please check out other kitchen projects on our For Sale page. We’ll need to see a picture of your kitchen, a list of how many doors and drawers there are, and where you are located to email you an estimate. This change ups the value of your home and gives you a whole new look at a fraction of the cost of new kitchen cabinets!

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  FacebookInstagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)