Before & After: A 1950s Camper Gets A Stylish Overhaul

I love camping. In theory. Like many of us, I wax poetic about living the simple life and experiencing the great outdoors, with nothing more than a tent or a trusty, tarnished camper. That is, until I actually get out into the “great outdoors.” It is then that I usually realize that I’m more of an “indoorsy-type” than I’d like to admit. Campfires and s’mores are nice and all, but mosquitos, mud and ticks? No thanks! Perhaps I would like camping more, though, if I had a trailer like Taylor Kitto’s. The woman behind Wild Poppy Goods (and the proud owner of one of the coolest last names ever), Ms. Kitto recently purchased an old, beaten-up Midway 1959 “canned ham” camper. Although the vehicle had certainly seen better years, Taylor was determined to return it to its former glory. With a fresh coat of paint and a few choice fixtures, she was able to do that and more! The final result is a cozy, wonderfully charming home-away-from-home. Check out all of the photos plus Taylor’s design notes after the jump! —Max

“For years, I’ve dreamed of fixing up an old vintage trailer,” Taylor says. “The idea of giving something a new life has always appealed to me (I guess that’s why I sell vintage clothing!) At first, I admit it was a bit overwhelming, as I knew absolutely nothing about vintage trailers. However, I’ve found that there is so much helpful information online about restoring vintage trailers, which made the process a lot easier. For the most part, this canned ham trailer was purchased in moderately decent condition. The major issues were that the wood was in bad shape, windows didn’t close, one wall had water damage, and just overall dinginess. Nothing too serious, but let’s just say it was in dire need of a makeover! My favorite color is white (as you can can probably tell, ha!) but I also wanted it to feel warm, so I added some wood and kilim to make it feel cozy. The exterior is currently still painted a terribly bright blue, so my next project is to repaint the outside with light blue and gold trim.

“I wanted a vintage trailer for two reasons; the first one being for camping and the second for hosting my vintage clothing pop-up sales. The bed is a blow-up mattress, the wood below easily folds up and the piping above the bed serves as a clothing rack. Our “Wild Poppy Camper” serves both purposes wonderfully!”

Sources:

• Curtains are made from Turkish towels (found on Etsy),
• Subway tile and galvanized piping from Home Depot
• Table is handmade with scrapwood and hairpin legs (found on HairPinLegs for less)
• All other items are vintage or thrifted

For more of Taylor’s adventures, be sure to follow her instagram, @awildpoppy!