Our Tiny Home
Our tiny home.
Neither of us have towed much in the past and honestly we had discussed motorhomes...like as a retirement travel plan but never even thought of a travel trailer. However, with both of us working remotely and able to work from anywhere our internet takes us we decided to purchase a travel trailer so we could go on new adventures! And so our journey begins.
We bought the Grand Design 297RSTS and we adore her.
Inside:
Anyone that follows my blog or knows me already know that organization/storage is one of my favorite things. I like everything to have its own place to be stored and I just do not function well in clutter. If you are going to live in a tiny area for any amount of time, organization is your friend...and since this home is on wheels and moves often, you need to find a spot to store EVERYTHING...even some of the pieces that came with the trailer (like that glass microwave turn table!)!
Before I begin I also want to add that the Amazon links below are associate links that I earn from qualifying purchases. These cost nothing additional for you and I only earn when you purchase from the links...which helps keep this blog going (thank you!)!
I'm going to start with our coffee bar. 
Next, let's head over to the couch! We have four doors above the couch and the Wal-Mart 10.5" Mainstays foldable storage bins fit in there just right! I also use the same bins in our bedroom and above the TV (shown later).
I use this area to store our items we use a lot.
Paper Coffee Cups (for guests)
Coffee Pods
Coffee Stuff (creamers/sugars/monk fruit/mct oil/sugar free caramel syrup)
Paper Bowels
Magic Bullet
Coffee Maker (my Keurig that is on the coffee bar fits in here for travel)
George Foreman Grill
Paper Bowls and little Plastic Trays
Large Paper Plates
Real dishes/bowls
Tablecloths
Napkins
Plastic Cups
and smaller paper plates!
The bins that I store all of these items in are from Target. They are
Bathroom Organizer Bin with Handles - Made By Design™
I have 10 - 9"W X 6"D X 6.5"H ($5)
I have 10 - 9"W X 6"D X 6.5"H ($5)
and
two of the 12"W X 9"D X 6.5"H ($7)
Side note: If I were to purchase these again, I would have went with the black opaque tinted bins vs. the white ones because they are behind the dark glass. I think the black version would have made it look nicer/not as noticeable when doors are closed!
I used Oracle 651 Vinyl in black and my Silhouette Cameo to cut the labels/words for the bins.
Before moving on, I have to show you how these doors get locked for when we travel. We found these little tarp ball bungee cords! You can find these on Amazon, at Menard's, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. They are super easy to put on and take off and small so they store easy when you don't need them. I loop them through and then just tie them once. I use these on any door that has two handles close by (like under sink, next to microwave, over couch, etc).
Under the Coffee bar, I have two drawers:
The drawer closet to our front door I have the plasticware. The Target Dollar Spot (came in packs of 2) had these opaque stacking bins and I have them stacked in sets of three for each section (fork, spoon, knife, straws, soup spoons) and stacked in two for the 2oz cups and the lids for those are underneath. To the very right of this photo are my lids for the plastic bowls that are above the coffee bar.
The second drawer is more for outdoor cooking/hot items. We use the trivets a lot (under our dinner plates, hot items, pots/pans, etc).
Next to the coffee bar is our shoe storage!
Now...anyone who has had an RV of any type knows that shoe storage is a must. I didn't have anywhere to put anything other than outside our door and that just didn't seem realistic to me. You know, bugs and weather (did I mention bugs?)!
We had to get a little creative with the storage. I had two crates around the house that just happened to be a good size (they were from Hobby Lobby but from some time ago) for where I wanted them. We joined the two crates together, made little shelves in them then stained everything with a black stain and viola...a place for 5 pair of shoes pretty close to the doorway!
Bonus...I use hooks on the side to hold the fly swatter (which also opens my oven vent outside! Ha) and our keys sometimes too! This whole thing stores inside our ottoman when we are on the move.
Next, let's head over to the couch! We have four doors above the couch and the Wal-Mart 10.5" Mainstays foldable storage bins fit in there just right! I also use the same bins in our bedroom and above the TV (shown later).
I have eight of the bins (2 behind each door)
Here is what I have in each:
Paper Towels (4 rolls)
Toilet Paper (8 rolls)
Bedding (Queen sheet set for couch)
Blankets (3 rolled up)
Plants/Frames (this is what I put all my plants/frames in when we move)
Extra Supplies (Hand soap/Dish soap/Kleenex/Toilet Tabs/Etc)
Extra Kitchen (Tupperware like items)
Kitchen Bowls (Melamine bowls/Strainers I don't use often but need)
Each is labeled with a key tag split ring with a printed label on it hung by a little safety pin on the inside of the bin so I can still put my finger in the hole to take the bin down. The label just makes it easy for anyone to know what's inside.
One has video game stuff in it/HDMI cables and the other has miscellaneous items for hanging/securing (like velcro, command hooks, suction cup items, etc). I also keep my 3-ring binder up in this section. It is a binder full of all things RV: the Grand Design manual, manuals for all products purchased for inside/out of the RV, etc. My go-to book for when I can't figure something out! Ha.
The drawer under our TV is our game/junk drawer!
And the photo is upside down too. Ha!
Just games, cables, extension cords, etc.
Next to the oven, I have two upper cabinets, a drawer, and a side cabinet.
Because this unit is smaller, I do not have a pantry so I use the two upper cabinets for our pantry area. The Ice Maker is from Sam's Club, similar to this one, but was like $90. I have an Opal Ice Maker at home which I adore but it is just too hard (and heavy) to store in the camper when we move. This one sits under our sink when moving.
In the pantry area, I have two large shelves (from HomeGoods) which helps quite a bit in there. I also have the handled bins (from The Christmas Tree Shop) so I can store cans/snacks/like items together when we have them. We are just out for a short stay (and at the end of it for that matter) so we do not have much in here currently. I do store my spices in an air tight box because I leave them in the camper. I take all of my food out when we are not with the camper (in hopes of keeping the bugs/rodents out...fingers crossed)!
I also keep my cutting boards and 4oz plastic cups/lids in here.
I keep my pots/pans/lids in the side cabinet with pot dividers so they do not rub together when we travel...and do you see those metal trays on the bottom right? I love these trays :)
They are from Sam's Club - Member's Mark Half-Size Aluminum Sheet Pans (2 pk). They are $12 for two and fit in my tiny oven! WooHoo.
We also use them for carrying trays, serving trays, eating trays, etc!
Our drawer in this area has all of our cooking utensils, knives, measuring cups, meat thermometers, scissors, ove-gloves, can opener, and so on! I use a divider from IKEA and more of the bins from the Target Dollar Spot to help divide and keep organized.
To the bedroom!
This has to be one of my favorite additions - hooks on our sliding bedroom door.
Do you have a door like this? There is a little latch at the top of the door that you can flip and take the door off the track and slide these on! I bought 2 packs of the Umbra 3 hooks from HomeGoods, similar to these. I liked that these were lower profile than some others (less likely to stab us in the eye when walking about at night!).
We found a video online that walked us through how they did theirs! We did find that removing 2 screws in our header piece above door made getting to that little latch much easier! Here is a link to the video
if you are interested in adding hooks to yours!
Above our bed we have four doors and I use the same bins as I have in the living room above couch!
We have 8 bins in here.
You can actually fold these down so you could keep folded tshirts/jeans/towels in these as a type of drawer too if you wanted then sit them back upright when towing.
I have our swim suits/swim shoes/rain gear/extra bed linens/bin for frames and cords for when we are on the move, and a couple empty bins yet to be filled.
Behind the glass, I have IKEA Closet Hanging Organization with SKUBB drawers for each side. I am also able to fit an IKEA Drona box which are 15"x13"x13" so I can put lots of extra stuff in those (though they sit empty at the moment!).
I like we can have our clothing hanging and divided out and it stays put during travel.
To the right of my hanging organizer, I store two foam boards covered in black fabric! If you have a skylight or a clear front door window, you will want to check out this tutorial:
www.thecrazyoutdoormama.com inexpensive window covering
Inside the cabinet, I am using more Target Dollar Spot Bins to organize/hold everything together while traveling. It's nice that these bins stack so well. I have room to expand if needed!
I have one for my front window and one for skylight in the kitchen area and I put them up at night and take them down each morning. I was able to get both of them out of one piece of foam board from the Dollar Tree.
Under our bed I currently have a 2" queen foam topper for our couch. Has anyone found a way to make that couch comfy? We are still looking! Ha.
Next up, our Kitchen Island!
For the top drawer, I store all our ziploc baggies and I also put our dish soap and brush in here in a bag while towing.
The middle drawer has our foils/parchment paper/Saran Wrap/etc.
And the bottom drawer, I store our black trash bags/kitchen trash bags/extra face masks/hand sanitizers/etc. The trash bags are stored in the same
Target Bathroom Organizer Bin with Handles - Made By Design™
9"W X 6"D X 6.5"H ($5) that I use above the coffee bar.
9"W X 6"D X 6.5"H ($5) that I use above the coffee bar.
Under the sink, I have Sterilite 12x12 Drawers which I used Oracle 651 Vinyl in black and my Silhouette Cameo to cut the labels/words for the bins. In the drawers I keep:
Condiments
Tortilla shells (we are keto so we use low carb ones a lot)
Swiffer mopping stick - Yes I put it together and take it apart each time I use it.
Sponges/Wet Mop Refills for Swiffer
Swiffer pads and Swiffer Duster
I store my sink covers (countertop pieces) to the left of those bins along with placemats and also my glass microwave spinning table goes here when we tow (because it tried to jump once. We found the microwave door open and that table hanging half out!). I keep my egg maker on top of the drawers. If you like hard boiled eggs, I highly suggest this little device! It's amazing.
I keep my cleaning supplies to the right of the drawers in their own basket and the toaster stays down here unless we are using it.
Where the clear bin is (another large Target bin like I use to store my coffee maker) I now keep my Ice Maker. I have a small hook that is up on the right side over the wall panel that stores my dust pan/duster.
You'll also see to the left of all this I have a little light switch. It is just up there with sticky-backed velcro. That thing gives off so much light and makes finding things under this sink easier!
On to the bathroom!
I use IKEA Tiskin Suction Cups to hold our towels. I have three hanging on the shower frame since our door opens from either side, it makes it easy to get to the last towel clear behind this cabinet (can't see in this photo).
These are similar on Amazon if you don't have an IKEA near by.
I also have two of these hooks on our textured shower walls to hold our bath sponges. Next to those I have the Tisken Toothbrush Holder to hold my razor.
I also use the Tisken Suction Cup Towel Rack outside on our camper with clips to hold our beach towels/swimwear and inside our basement doors (on each side) to hold paper towel inside each door flap...again with a clip on the paper towel so it doesn't blow away when open. I'll update with a photo soon!
In the bathroom, we have two cabinets. One is over the toilet area and that just holds our bath towels/beach towels/hair towels. I also have two clear fridge bins on our lower shelf to store our shampoos/conditioners/body washes/lotions for when we are towing.
The other cabinet is above the sink. It has an open section where I have found Lock-Up Containers from the Container Store! I have four of the 12oz containers to hold Tums, Makeup Circles, Q-Tips, and Shout/Tide Wipes. Then I have two 6oz containers locked on top of each other. These hold Hair Ties/Hair Bands/Scrunchies.
I love that the large Joseph & Joseph
70510 EasyStore Toothbrush Holder Bathroom Storage Organizer Caddy fits in here! It's one of my favorites to store our toothbrushes/toothpaste and has room for the kids' stuff when they travel with us too!
We have been storing our drinks in our ottoman (which we typically have in front of couch unless moving). I finally found bins that fit really well and they allow me to transport the drinks back home if we have any left at the end of the trip! The bins are 14-1/2” x 8” x 6” and four fit with just a wee bit of room left.
I found these on Amazon:
Our outside stuff will be a post of its own but I see a lot of questions about how to store stuff in the basement. This is our solution and it seems to be working for now. We have six medium sized bins that we have labeled on all four sides and they sit two on top of each other in the basement. The Cleaning Stuff and Tools/Stuff go in the middle as we access them the least. Any tool we use to setup we have handy and ready to go in the little plastic tray spaces on each end.
I'm always looking for tips and tricks too so feel free to leave me your best storage/organization ideas! If you have any questions about any of the storage, just ask below or feel free to email me at jamielanedesigns@gmail.com!
Tags:
297RSTS
GD
grand designs
Home Organization
Organization
RV
Storage
Target
Tiny home
Travel
Travel Trailer
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