Shelf or Cabinets; please share your thoughts

[burlesot]

Hello all,
I'm finally in the cabin of my teardrop restoration/renovation and I have a question for you. My teardrop has a really nice shelf over the bed where your feet lie. Because my teardrop is 5' wide, it doubles as a bunk for a small person (actually my 11 year old fits in their perfectly! I had originally planned to build cabinets above the shelf, but now I'm having some doubts. A friend of mine says to keep it a shelf. He says that I will have my car to keep my stuff in; I'm not going to sea in the cabin. I've been thinking really hard about what to do with that space. I spent the night in the cabin this past weekend and it was kind of nice to have that 'open' space. However, I am a bit of a neat freak and like things to be 'tidy.' So, I'm open for suggestions. I've seen all types of teardrop interiors. Some have a simple shelf while others have elaborate and beautiful cabinets. I know the decision is intensely personal in the end, but would really like to hear some pros and cons. Thank you in advance for your shared wisdom.

Todd

[deleted]

I just saw this idea last night on Pinterest. If you build wood bins and have them all lined up this way it could look just as neat and organized as a cabinet door but you'd retain the option to convert to a bunk by moving the bins. To better utilize the space make the bins as tall as possible while retaining enough clearance to lift them up over the shelf lip. You could go pretty tall if you add a handle to the front allowing you to pull them up and out towards you drawer style.



I'm thinking of doing the same in my trailer but since my front larger shelf will be on a curve I'll use the negative space behind the bins to store my shower poles and rolled up fabric screen door.

[burlesot]

Stacie,
Brilliant idea!

This way I would be able to 'stash' the stuff, to keep it looking nice inside the cabin, but also retain the flexibility of using it as a bunk or as a less organized storage area.

Terrific feedback! Really appreciate it.

Best wishes on your customizations to the glampette!

T

[Oldragbaggers]

I decided to go with a shelf, 15" deep (But I could have easily made it deeper, and probably should have). I have a very small (8"x8") cabinet below the shelf which serves several purposes; an electrical race (more really just to hide the ugly cord for my "Super Simple" electrical system), support for the shelf, and organization of all the "small stuff" that needs to stay close at hand.



Our clothes for short trips will go in small duffel bags on the shelf. If it's a longer trip that requires more luggage it will go in the truck. We are planning to put a tonneau on over our truck bed so most anything that doesn't fit neatly in the storage space we have available in the teardrop will end up in the truck. We'll probably keep a couple of plastic bins in the garage with our camping stuff packed in them, then when it's time to go we'll just need to throw the bins into the truck. I prefer that because I am in agreement that the open space in the teardrop makes it seem much larger and brighter than if it had a lot of built ins.

As you said though, it is a very personal decision. Some of the cabinetry I have seen in teardrops is so beautiful, and of course functional, and while it definitely makes the interior of the cabin smaller, a lot of people don't mind that at all and would probably miss the storage space if they didn't have it. I don't think there is any good/bad, right/wrong answer to this one.

[deleted]

"Brilliant idea!"

That's what I thought when I saw that picture on Pinterest! Happy I was able to share it with someone so quickly.

At first I thought I'd want cabinet doors but after realizing the limitations of how I could use that space I decided against them. Still hadn't figured out how to pull off a clean aesthetic that maximized the space until I saw that picture, then it all came to me.

[burlesot]

Stacie,
Any chance you can share that photo?
Would love it for future reference.

Thank you,
Todd

[deleted]

This is where I found it on PInterest:

http://pinterest.com/pin/228276274831875117/

And the bin pulls are at Pottery Barn:

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/2459048/?catalogId=37&bnrid=3318529&cm_ven=Google_PLA&cm_cat=Decor_&_Pillows&cm_pla=Hardware&cm_ite=Classic_Bin_Pull%2C_4%22%2C_Polished_Nickel_finish&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=31-156468335-2

[burlesot]

Stacie,
Thanks.

Becky,
Great image of what we're talking about.

I've been trying to figure out where I could 'stash' my 12 volt and 120 volt outlets in the cabin. If I were to build a tiny cabinet below the shelf to hold these items, I think it would be nice and would maintain the flexibility of the shelf.

Thank you both!

TB

[les45]

It is my experience that you can't have too many shelves inside the cabin.

I have two shelves at the head of the bed in the front of my weekender. The bottom shelf is in two parts with thumbholes that slide side to side to access additional storage and my DC electrical wiring. That is the nice thing about the weekender style with that extra 12" hanging out in front. I still have a full size queen mattress between the shelves and the galley bulkhead. We use these shelves for clothing, books, flashlights, watches, snacks, and stuff we want close by at night. We place our luggage on them while towing to maintain tongue weight.



Since this picture was taken, I have added another shelf about five inches below the bottom of the rear cabinets. We found after camping a few times that we needed the additional shelving for shoes and clothing. The right cabinet is only used for my electrical system with access to the back side of my PD4045 and my AC inlet. The left cabinet goes through to the galley and holds my space heater and miscellaneous setup stuff like electrical adapters, ropes, bungee cords, etc. The open middle section has an AC outlet for charging cell phones and running the space heater. I added the small shelf at the top as an afterthought. We sit a laptop in the large center area for watching DVD's (no television).

[Oldragbaggers]

Staci, I really like those bins and now you have me thinking..... (always dangerous)
Maybe some bins or baskets on our shelf instead of duffel bags. And I could make the cute lining for them that folds over the edge to the outside out of the same material as our curtains and throw pillows. Oh my. Now I see why everyone is always saying they are never really done.

[deleted]

I know Becky! It is dangerous. I now have this idea in my head to make the face outs of my bins with translucent acrylic panels, then for fun I could add small LED lights in the bins and they would glow at night like night club furniture.

[Oldragbaggers]

I know Becky! It is dangerous. I now have this idea in my head to make the face outs of my bins with translucent acrylic panels, then for fun I could add small LED lights in the bins and they would glow at night like night club furniture.

Girl.....you have got it BAD!!!!