We are going on three years of proudly being Airstreamer’s and I am STILL trying to get the inside organization of our trailer just right. During each trip I find things that I should have organized better in addition to finding things that I haven’t used in a long time. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time in my Airstream, with Oliver (♥) to help get things together in a practical organized way not only for our ski trip coming up, but for all future trips (but the ski trip definitely has me excited – 10 days of glamping in the snow).
I began my organizing (or re-organizing) in the kitchen while Oliver watched my every move . . .
My cutlery drawer now. I was able to add some more knives and spoons as well as our egg cups to this drawer since I moved some other items into the drawer below. The thing that’s great about these drawers is that they are deep so you can actually place some items upright (egg cups and small saucers) and still be able to close the drawer. I also decided it was time for my sushi mat to go since in three years I have never made sushi!
♥
I have found that using containers to hold smaller items in addition to a larger one to hold cooking utensils has really optimized my space in this drawer. I’ve also discovered that my pastry cutter works just as well, if not better than my potato masher so there you go — two uses in one and good bye to the potato masher :)
So this was pretty exciting to find. A collapsible salad spinner I found at the store called Ross for $19.99.
. . . and speaking of Ross I also found these colorful steak knives for only $15.99 from Laguiole.
How I have organized the top drawer in my pull out cabinet in the kitchen . . .
I can probably say that I feel like I am FINALLY happy with the organization of the cabinet above the pull outs in the kitchen. The storage in these cabinets are long and deep (and dark – which is why I have those LED battery lights from Costco). I thought I had organized it before so well but found during cooking on our trips that if I needed something from way in the back — every item in the front had to come out. Ugh. After a while it became a total mess in there and I knew there just had to be a better way to organize this awkward space.
Thanks to the Container Store, I am pretty happy with these plastic pull out bins. They are sturdy, stay put (with the help of non-skid shelf liner) and the top bin slides over the bottom one allowing me to be able to see, and easily access my pantry staples. I feel pretty confident I can check the organization of this space off my list :)
This bamboo dish dryer fits perfectly in the sink. I am hoping it will function as extra counter space while I am cooking as well as doubling as a strainer of sorts to wash fruits and veggies.
I added this round mirror to the bathroom. I always felt sorry for B having to stand there brushing his teeth or hair and not being able to see himself (even though he insisted he could see his reflection in the aluminum). This mirror solves that problem and since I applied it to the wall with velcro, it can easily double as a hand held mirror if need be.
These two remotes look alike yet are very different. Hubby and I would sit there (especially after a glass of wine – or two) trying to figure out which one was for the DVD and which one was for the TV. By labeling them, life is a little simpler now :)
Like with our last Airstream on our ski trip, we keep our ski boots under the dinette/lounge area. I can tell you that the furnace on this Airstream is POWERFUL. It blows some serious hot air, especially under the dinette. So hot in fact that my helmet was close enough to the vent that the heat melted the little clip that holds my goggles in place right off. Yikes.
This system of keeping our boots here to dry off works so well. Not only do they dry quickly but nothing feels better than being able to slip on a pair of ski boots that are toasty warm and then stepping out into the cold snow outside.
So there you have it. Three years along and still trying to get everything right but I can honestly say, I truly enjoy it.
The next organization I have to tackle will be the hall closet, then under our bed (which lifts up to quite a bit of storage room) and lastly the overhead cabinets.
If you have any organizational tips I would LOVE to hear from you.
xoxo
Monica, since we have the same Airstream, you have no idea how very helpful this is for us. Thank you so much for the great photos and tips. You are the best!!!! Cheers! Anna
You are so welcome!! xoxo
Looks great! I love the labels. So professional and organized. I also love the look of the way you add stars and cursive fun script and arrows to your blog. Feels fun, bright and art deco!
Thank you Lori :) xoxox
Monica, love your blog! We’re a relatively new family to Airstreaming. Your posts on organizing and decorating is such an inspiration of how our trailer could be! :) one question, do you feel you have to “put away” most things when you tow? We’ve found that our trailer tows pretty smoothly on good roads, but I haven’t braved getting too many things yet that could break since we’re trying to figure out what works best. Thanks again! Cheers!
Hello Corinna! Thank you for your nice words :) xoxo
Ah yes — the glory of towing and then discovering the things on the counters that you for sure thought would never budge — end up strewn all over the floor. I have been there many times! The things I put away while under tow that live on my kitchen counter while glamping are my Nespresso coffee maker, the milk frother as well as my ceramic salt pig, butter dish and fruit stand. These all get wrapped up in a towel and placed inside of my kitchen sink. The array of vinegar and oils and salt and pepper mill that live under my magnetic spice board stay put thanks to the non-skid shelf liner that is underneath those items. My cutting board stays put thanks to the rubber feet on the bottom.
In the bathroom the only thing I remove while under tow is the toothbrush cup — the vase is secured with double sided 3m tape on its base and the white square containers have rubber feet and surprisingly it stays put.
In the bedroom I place the lamps on the bed. They are made out of acrylic so that is nice too.
When we arrive at camp, it literally takes me three minutes to set back up.
We have taken our Airstream over some serious pot-holed roads while getting up to our local ski area and we were surprised how well everything stayed in place.
I do know that you don’t want to place things that are “tall” in the upper cabinets as the doors to those cabinets have opened up on us and well — dry goods/food eneded up all over the trailer. So I keep things nice and low up there like bread, etc. until I can figure out a solution to keep those doors from opening up while under tow.
I hope that helped you!! xoxo
Thank you for the towing tips! I’m going to get more non skid shelf liners. Since we live in AZ, I worry about whether it’ll hold up to the heat when we’re in between trips, so we’ll see. The ones I have in the drawers haven’t melted yet! :) And I’m with you on the tall items… those do fall out when traveling! If I get an idea of how to keep those cabinets closed, I’ll pass it along! Cheers!
I too have the same floorplan (2008 Safari SE 27FB) and greatly appreciate seeing how you have organized your kitchen. I have a love/hate relationship with the big, round sink. I love it for washing bigger items but hate that I lose the counterspace during meal prep if I need to use the sink. Your bamboo dish dryer is the perfect solution. Would you mind sharing where you purchased it? I have found one on the Container Store website and hope it is the same as yours.
I enjoy your blog. Oliver is so adorable (and very photogenic).
Susan
Hi Susan — you are right, the Container Store is where I purchased the bamboo dish dryer. I’m actually running over there today so I will take a picture of the one I have so you can reference it. I also have a love/hate relationship with that sink too! My first Airstream came with double sinks and it was the perfect system. Thanks for your sweet words about my blog and Oliver ♥ I will be in touch xoxo
Monica,
Thank you very much. I am looking forward to borrowing more of your ideas as you continue your organization projects. :-)
Susan