At Home with Mandy Fierens 

Get ready for an extra special home tour today! Mandy Fierens is sharing her renovated camper with us and we’re in LOVE. You can read more about her RV adventures (she and her husband have been living on the road, and we’re super jealous) on her blog, 188sqft. Ready for the tour?

“When we decided that the stationary life was no longer for us, my husband Kevin, and I began to look for a little home on wheels. We found this old Keystone Cougar that needed some TLC. Luckily, she was in working condition, minus a couple cosmetic issues. Luckily, the floor plan was what we wanted, so all we had to do was paint, concrete coat the counter tops, build in a dog kennel, and a plant shelf! We live on the road, and our little home has been all over the country with us and our four pets.

“My favorite spot in our little home is the back by the bay window. The built in dog kennel and plant shelf are two things we added that we love so much. Kevin and I have a small bed in our home and with four pets it is hard to get a full night’s rest. Both of our dogs LOVE being in kennels, so we thought building a dog kennel that could double as a cozy nook was the perfect idea. The pups love it, and we are finally able to get some good rest when the cats aren’t being crazy. ? 

“I sit there all the time, especially when we have views like this one. It is my happy place. Not to mention I can also stare at my plant shelf, which is my second favorite thing in our camper! Having plants on the road isn’t always easy, but this plant shelf sure does make it so. We thought about the design for a while, the key being we wanted to be able to leave the plants where they were while we drive. This shelf works perfectly, we added a bit of caulk around the inside of each hole for the pots to have a bit of a grip.

“Because we only have 188 square feet, we decided to make everything we brought into our space special, or something that makes us happy.

“Under our little kitty nook is our treasure wall. We are always amazed by the places we visit, and the flora we discover. Sometimes I pluck something off the ground, or find something small in a store to help fill this wall out. “Having like zero counter space in our kitchen results in us figuring out how to do a lot of things. We teamed up with Pittsburgh native Wit and Purl to make this magical fruit hammock. It’s practical but also decorative. We love our copper sink by Sinkology. I am a metalsmith, so having a huge chunk of copper in our camper makes my heart sing. It is so beautifully made, and we love having such a special item that we use everyday.

“The knitted mustard blanket was my great-grandmother’s; it is so nice to have a small family heirloom with us on our travels. On the more practical side of things, we love our built-in standing desk. While we have a nice big booth area, it is nice to switch it up between standing and sitting while working!

“The multi-colored pom pom garland was something I made, and, well, rainbow balls make me so happy!  I really wanted the pom poms to add a little life to the bay window. I refused to put curtains over this window, making us vow to always have a beautiful view to look out on.

“We have lived in this space a little under two years. We did the majority of the work in the first two weeks, then as we have lived in it overtime we have added things that we knew would improve our lifestyle. I never feel like it is finished, we are always thinking of new things we can do. I love that our space is so small and that a little change can make a huge difference!”

Thanks so much for sharing, Mandy! You can find Mandy on her blog, 188sqft and her Instagram here. xo!

Credits//Author: Mandy Fierens. Photography: Mandy Fierens and Trinity Walker Keefer.