That really underscores the RV lifestyle. Granted, manufacturers probably depended upon my generation’s ability to spin wrenches — yup, I’m an “older” fart — and have a penchant for fixing things instead of just complaining about them. Not a criticism, really, but an honest look at things that weren’t always built to the highest levels “back in the day.”Younger campers, on the other hand, grew up with products that benefitted from cutting-edge technology — and worked as they should. Again, this isn’t a grievance, just an honest view of the changing manufacturing landscape and how it’s impacted peoples’ opinions of things.
That said, there remains a huge group of RVers that just aren’t satisfied with not only the quality of their RV but it’s aesthetics. Recreational vehicles tend to be dressed out in non-offensive tones intended to appeal to the widest possibleaudience. Fortunately, most major RV manufacturers employ interior designers who pay attention to what’s happening in the home market and adapt evolving trends to these homes on wheels. Granted, it’s a slow process, but the needle is moving.
And suppliers are helping to push that needle. In fact, a lot of changes made to RVs can oftentimes be traced to new ideas and concepts developed on the supplier side — and things are heating up there. I was part of a recent group effort by the staff at RVBusiness magazine intended to explore the ongoing evolution of RV interiors, and suffice to say, suppliers are intent upon working within the limitations of RV design and price points to deliver ever-more-residential “looks.”
“We do a lot of customer interaction on the residential side,” said Mike Boyer, director of product management-RV, for GE Appliances, “but we don’t just take it verbatim — we frame it to RV owners to make sure it’s going to resonate with them. We don’t just automatically assume a residential trend will make the transition to RVs — we make sure that these are things RV owners want to see as well.
“The way we see interiors going is, it’s a very personal space,” he said. “For example, while the ‘farmhouse’ look is very popular right now, I think the next step is to be able to take the basics of a design and customize them so that you’ve got individual colors that the manufacturers and consumers are going to want to highlight. As an appliance manufacturer, we’re going to need to be able to tailor ourselves to meet that need.”
Some of those colors that Boyer sees making inroads are metallics coming back — “the brass, the pewters, the golds” — as complementary colors, as well as interior palettes that include blues and greens. Boyer also sees RVs featuring galleys with more built-in appliances, from microwaves to dishwashers.
Meanwhile, Brent Clark, business development manager for Dometic, can envision the day when RVs transition to being completely electric. Much of the industry, he noted, has already moved towards 12-volt DC refrigerators, and the availability of electric cooktops can eliminate the need for gas stoves.
“So, that only leaves two gas appliances — the furnace and water heater, he said. “Well, tankless water heaters are increasingly popular and will take a big hold in 2024 products across the board.” One of the big complaints, he said, wasn’t completely accurate — “Customers were complaining that the didn’t have “endless” hot water. It turned out that they were running out of water in their holding tank,” — but added that perhaps the current sizes are “a little small.”
“We’re working on the ‘next generation’ of water heaters that are not 100% tankless, but something a little different, maybe something that’s tied into solar,” he said. “I’m not going to let everyone look completely ‘under the hood,’ so to speak, but we are working on something a little different. So that only leaves the furnace — I think the next thing coming is possibly a different heat source.”
For its part, Duo Form Plastics, the industry’s biggest supplier of thermoformed plastic components — sinks, backsplashes and the like — is already moving to imprinting patterns directly onto ABS plastic that create an upscale environment. First introduced in higher-end motorhomes and now filtering down to fifth wheels and travel trailers, this allows the company to create, say, shower surrounds with the appearance of subway tiles, Carrara marble and even a herringbone pattern.
According to Brian Pletcher, president of Pletcher Sales, a leading supplier of upholstery and bedding fabric among other products, the move away from the traditional brown tones to lighter colors will continue through 2024.
“We see grays still dominating RV interiors,” he said, “but we are starting to notice some designers willing to take a bit more risk,” adding that seeing color accents of blues and greens are beginning to crop up. He has also noticed a growing trend with homes that are incorporating champagne-gold handles, pulls and lighting fixtures within primarily white kitchens.
“Not the gold of the ’80s or ’90s,” he said, “but a more refined color. I think these trends will work their way into RV interiors.”
Mylana Fought, from Lippert’s product development and design division, would concur.
“I think the RV world has definitely closed the gap to what’s been happening on the residential side,” she said. “And that will keep moving forward. For example, we’ve done some new things with mixed metal colors — gold, champagne bronze and a brushed gold. Stainless is always going to be timeless, but we’re seeing an uptick in other colors, including black stainless. We’re also using gunmetal, which provides a dark gray look.”
Lippert also is moving the needle in furniture design — especially where it concerns the traditional RV dinette, an oft-under utilized area.
Where traditional dinettes stay in place until, if needed, they can break down to create an additional sleeping area, Lippert is in development on a range of sofa sectionals that can span the entire width of a slideout — including the area usually occupied by the dinette — to provide increased lounging area. At mealtime, a section of the sofa itself can be easily reconfigured to create a dinette.
Doubtless many of these concepts will eventually filter down to the aftermarket — but if you can’t wait, consider visiting Camping World’s website (campingworld.com) and plugging “Genesis Revive” into the search engine. Genesis Products, a leading manufacturer of RV interior components, has partnered with CW on a “Revive” collection of products intended to allow RV owners to personalize their rigs. The collection includes a “Cabinet Revive Kit,” “Revive RV Wallboard Kit” and a “Revive Backsplash Overlay” — all upscale peel-and-stick products available in up to eight different colors that will dramatically change the look of any RV interior. And this isn’t the stuff you’re used to seeing at the local home-improvement stores. The backsplash, for example, is made using 3D embedment technology — a fancy way of saying it offers the look and feel of real tile without the weight.
So, what are you waiting for?