Tour a Gorgeous Renovated Vintage Airstream Rebuilt for Full-Time Living

Adventure All the Time

Renovating an old Airstream trailer was a (massive) undertaking for Siya Zarrabi and Kristen Sarah, the two Canadians behind travel blog Hopscotch the Globe. The couple spent months renovating theirs before driving it all over the United States and Canada. Total cost? Just over $54,000. We asked them how they did it so you can make your dream a reality, too.

Luna the Airstream in Action

Kristen and Siya live in their 1976 Airstream Sovereign, which they’ve named Luna (it has its own Instagram account), most of the year. They've renovated more than once since buying it in 2017 to accommodate their growing family — they've since had a daughter, Kai, and adopted their rescue pup Atlas, who all live in the trailer together. Since they often pack up and leave at a moment’s notice to explore somewhere new, they have a practiced routine for getting everything secured for the road and then set up (and cozied up) once they park and settle in.

Why Airstream Life Just "Felt Right"

Life on the road as a family of three — plus Atlas — has been a wonderful lifestyle, Siya says. “When Kristen first brought up (the idea of) the Airstream, it felt right,” Siya says. “It gave us freedom. We’ve always loved having a home and having stuff in drawers — we don’t like living out of hotels all the time, we did that for years and years. But we didn’t like that our home was stuck to the ground. The Airstream gave us both things — to have our things and take it all with us.”

The Before Shot: An Airstream Stripped to Its Skeleton

Kristen and Siya bought their Airstream off of Craigslist for about $10,000. Renovating it required a major overhaul: they took it to an RV shop and gutted it, which involved detaching the shell, re-welding the frame, installing new subfloors and fresh propane lines and replacing the tires. And that was just the start.

Bring In the Experts for Parts You Can't Do (or Don't Have Time to Learn)

Kristen and Siya (left) did quite a bit of the work themselves, but also brought in experts where they knew it would save them time — and therefore money, so they could keep working while the renovation was underway. In all, buying and rebuilding the trailer cost just under $55,000 (including the retail cost of some items they received from sponsors, like Tuft and Needle and solar company GoPower). Although they left some of the heavy lifting to experts, Siya says it’s vital for anyone wanting to live this way to have at least an idea of how to fix things when they go wrong. “We’ve had issues where things break on the road, when you’re in the middle of nowhere,” he says. “You should be handy.”

Luna Has Plenty of Space for Three, Plus a Pup

Atlas loves the adventurous lifestyle the family lives. “Atlas is usually outside all day,” Siya says, and the family spends a lot of their time outdoors, too, making nature their own big backyard. “We have a projector so we have outdoor movie nights.” The kitchen countertops you see here were made from reclaimed wood.

A Convertible Seating Area Maximizes Space

After the major structural work was done, Kristen and Siya worked with two designers to help them create a vision for their new home and bring it to fruition over the next few months. This seating area features an entertainment system with a subwoofer and converts into a sleeping area larger than a king-sized bed. The blinds are black-out blinds for a good night’s sleep. In all, it took about a year to renovate the trailer.

How to Create Dedicated 'Rooms' Even in a Small Space

In spite of its openness, the Airstream is designed to create separate spaces throughout. This rug helps to separate the kitchen from the living area, which doubles as a hangout space and guest room thanks to the table that lowers to create a bed.

Kristen and Siya Fit King-Size Comfort in Their Tiny Bedroom

Kristen and Siya do not compromise on comfort even though their living space is contained in a 31-foot trailer: the “master” bedroom in the trailer has a king-size bed. For a time, the trailer had a seating area for 10 that converted into a bed even larger than a king — luxurious even by stationary house standards.

Under-Bed Storage Helps Keep the Airstream Organized

The mattress in the master bedroom is king-sized, and fits perfectly into the trailer’s shell. The bed is on a lift to maximize storage space underneath. Siya and Kristen have built a little "bunkhouse" for their daughter Kai since this photo was taken, closing in their bedroom a bit more and offering everyone in the family some privacy.

Minimal Space Means Minimizing "Stuff"

Windows and skylights add a lot of natural light into this bullet-shaped trailer, which makes it feel much more spacious than it actually is. Limited space means that everything they bring with them has to really earn its keep — there's no room to tote along useless stuff they don't absolutely love and need to have.

Splurge on the Important Things

Because they were working with such a small space that would become their primary home, Siya and Kristen wanted to invest in decor that would last a lifetime. On their blog, they detail nearly every single purchase made in the renovation process to show how much it costs to undertake a project like this. For example, they spent roughly $1,150 for their copper sink and faucet in the kitchen, $400 for the lamps on the wall in their bedroom, $400 for the tiles in their shower, and so on. In the end, their roughly $54,300 pricetag was still far less than it would cost to buy a new Airstream of the same size — much smaller models start at $64,000.

Don't Skimp on the Little Luxuries

Luna is outfitted with little luxuries that make life on the road a little more plush, like this upscale coffee maker and retro grinder that add atmosphere as well as function to the space. You have to ask yourself, “what are the necessities that I need?” Siya says. “We’ve met a lot of people in van life and RV life, and people are doing it so differently.” Some people don’t care about having a fridge or air conditioning; for others, those things are non-negotiable. For Siya and Kristen, being able to separate their home from their vehicle was crucial.

Atlas the Adventure Pup Loves Airstream Life

Atlas was adopted from a shelter in California when Kristen and Siya were on the road before their daughter was born. The Airstream was the first home he knew with the couple. He loves it— even after spending a year away from the Airstream when the couple’s daughter, Kai, was born, Siya says Atlas had no trouble settling back in when they hit the road again.

Luna Was Renovated With Sustainability in Mind

Throughout the Airstream, Kristen and Siya have used eco-friendly textiles and materials wherever possible — salvaged wood, organic bedsheets and cushions made from sustainably harvested materials. Kristen has even mixed her own paints for some projects around the home. “Kristen has put a lot of research into looking at what paints to use with zero toxins,” Siya says. “She ordered in powders and made her own paint.”

Minimizing Overhead Storage Creates a Feeling of Spaciousness

Lighting is incredibly important to making a space feel like home. Luna’s recessed lighting doesn’t clutter the ceiling with bulky fixtures, maximizing headspace and a feeling of airiness that makes it feel bigger than it really is. Throughout the trailer, “we chose to have a lot of headroom,” Siya says. A lot of RVs and tiny houses “have a lot of shelving at your head, so there’s a lot of stuff and it feels a little closed in,” he says. “We removed everything from the top so there’s all this space around your field of view — not just to look more open but to feel more open.”

Keeping the Toilet Separate From the Shower Makes the Bathroom Feel Less Like an RV

In a lot of RVs and trailers, the bathroom and shower are pretty much one and the same — a showerhead on the wall above the toilet doesn't require much space, but can make you feel like you're living in an airplane bathroom, not to mention it gets everything wet. They decided to keep them separate. Throughout the trailer, Siya and Kristen have added touches you might not expect to find in such a tiny home. A smart use of mirrors makes the space feel bigger and brighter, and houseplants make it feel much less like a camper and much more like a house on wheels.

The Spa-Like Shower Rivals Even the Best Hotel Bathrooms

Kristen and Siya’s bathroom is quite unlike anything you’d expect to find in such a tiny home. The bathroom door is on a sliding track to minimize floor space needed around it, and a Plexiglas window in the shower allows in more natural light. “From the outside, it’s an iconic, retro silver Airstream, but it’s so customized inside that it doesn’t look like an RV,” Siya says. “We wanted it to be an almost spa-like experience in our bathroom… We took Moroccan tile and different elements of our travels and what we like into the washroom, because we like to have nice showers. If you have a beautiful shower in a washroom, that’s something people remember.” Because of the window, the space feels bigger, too — Siya says the whole area isn't much more than 3x6 feet.

A Composting Toilet Makes Life on the Road Easier

The bathroom uses a Nature’s Head dry composting toilet, which avoids the need for a wastewater hookup system. Every few days, Kristen and Siya dump out liquid waste — which collects in a container under the toilet. Solid waste collects in a bin filled with soil made from dried coconut fiber, and can be emptied less frequently as it decomposes over time. Kristen and Siya made a video showing how the process works (don’t worry, it’s not gross) and say it doesn’t smell at all.

Work From Airstream

Life on the road can be tricky — Wi-Fi can be spotty, and it isn’t always easy to work from coffee shops, so the couple have a mobile hotspot they bring with them everywhere. Here, Kristen works from their mobile setup. “It’s a smart home on wheels,” Siya says, and allows them to “not just be comfortable on the road, but also able to do our job very efficiently.”

Life on the Road Requires a Lot of Techy Touches

As writers, filmmakers and bloggers, Kristen and Siya have outfitted their Airstream to be a mobile office as well as a house. There are about 18 USB ports throughout, Siya says, and with their mobile internet hot spot, they can send files from the road.

The Kitchen Cabinets Lock to Prevent Breakage on the Road

Whenever the family hits the road, everything that’s not attached to a wall or countertop gets carefully stowed in drawers and cabinets that lock shut to keep everything safe and contained. Siya says they used hardware for RVs and boats to drive-proof the trailer. “Everything gets put away, nothing can be on the counters,” he says. “I think it’s equivalent to a 5.0 earthquake when we drive.”

Smart Use of Space Makes the Airstream Feel More Open

It's important to keep countertops and walls from feeling cluttered in here, so minimalistic, magnetic strips above the stovetop keep cooking essentials at hand while also adding an elegant, colorful touch to the kitchen’s white walls. Keeping the walls free of cabinets helps make the space feel much more open, Siya says.

An Open Plan Allows for Frequent Upgrades and Renovations

With an open floor plan and strategic use of natural light, Luna the Airstream looks and feels far more spacious than it actually is. The kitchen features an oven, stove, fridge and important extras like a blender. When the kitchen window is open, the sink faucet can swivel and become an outdoor shower. Since taking this photo, Kristen and Siya have shrunk their office space — to the right — to build a tiny “tree house” bedroom area for their daughter, Kai. It’s a partially enclosed cubby reached by a short ladder that’s perfect for a toddler.

A Treehouse Bunk Bedroom

After Kai was born, the family rented a condo for a while and renovated the Airstream so Kai would have her own space. They shrunk the front seating area, which had previously been larger than a king-size bed, and now accommodates a twin. Kai's bunk room has shelves to store her belongings and is partially enclosed to offer some privacy. Everyone in the family has a role to play when they move locations and need to set up the house after being on the road, including Kai. "Kai's job is to fill her coloring books," Siya says.

Room to Grow

Kai's bunk is about 5 feet long and a little more than 2 feet wide. It's big enough for Kristen to lay down in, so Kai has room to grow, Siya says. He added that they'll likely remodel again when Kai turns 10 or 12.

Luna Is Hiding Techy Secrets in Every Corner

The Airstream is super teched-out, with a Furrion wireless RV backup camera system — that little black thing above the window here — and a solar system so they can charge all their devices and work efficiently from the road. When they’re out adventuring, they keep a pretty open mind about where to go and when, Siya says. Sometimes that “itch” comes pretty fast, he says, and sometimes they get tired of moving around so much and settle into a place for a month or longer. Recently, the family took an extended trip to Costa Rica to settle in for a while. “The more we explore, the more we realize there’s so much to explore,” Siya says.

Tour a Sustainably Restored Vintage Airstream Built for a Family

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