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Are you looking for some RV dinette replacement ideas? Perhaps you’ve just purchased your first RV. It’s a cute travel trailer that works great for your family — a bunk room in the back for the kids and a large living area in the middle.
However, how will you sit your whole family around a small dinette? How can you make this dining area more comfortable and functional?
This is a pretty common problem for many RVers. Dinette spaces are tight, and the standard designs don’t work for everyone. Let’s look at five RV dinette replacement ideas to help you create a better area to fit your family’s needs.
Change Your Space by Replacing Your RV Dinette
Often, one of the first spaces RVers want to make their own is the living space. This includes the living area, dining area, and kitchen.
Replacing your dinette isn’t too difficult, and it’s one of the most practical upgrades many families need. Whether it’s a booth, a U-shaped, or a free-standing table and chairs dinette, this space often doesn’t function well for RVers.
With these RV dinette replacement ideas, you can add more storage, more seating, create a multi-purpose area, and so much more. The main thing is you need the space to function for you and your family.
If you need office space, transform that area into your work zone. If you need seating for six, build bench seating to accommodate your family. Below we share lots of great ideas.
Do You Need to Have an RV Dinette?
Before we look at specific RV dinette replacement ideas, know that you don’t have to have a dinette at all. If you mostly eat outdoors at the picnic table or visit restaurants, then you might want to consider completely transforming the space into something more user-friendly.
RVs don’t have much room. You want every space to work for you, so if you don’t need a dinette, take it out and replace it with something more functional. No rule says all RVs have to have a designated inside eating space.
5 RV Dinette Replacement Ideas
Here are five great RV dinette replacement ideas to help awaken your creative genius. This list should help you get started on transforming your dining space into something more functional for you and your family.
You can keep a traditional dinette look and use the furniture you pick out, create an office nook, add more storage and additional seating, or increase your living space.
1. Set Up a Table & Chairs
Although this may look like your current setup, you can put your own aesthetic into your RV. If you like leopard print, buy some leopard print cushions.
If you want live-edge wood, buy a piece for your tabletop. Even though you may replace your current table and chairs with just a different set, it impacts the overall feel of your RV.
You can also add storage in the seats of the chairs. Find ones that flip up and use that additional storage to store homeschool workbooks, extra napkins, paper plates, or card games. Any little bit of extra storage you can squeeze into an RV will come in handy.
Another idea is to find a table with a leaf or extension. Larger families love these. You can fold it up when not in use, and it doesn’t take up any extra space. But at dinnertime, you can create a much larger eating space for your family.
If you have a booth dinette, setting up a table and chairs creates more space because the chairs can move around. If you need more elbow room, just slide the chair into the aisle.
Pro Tip: The renovating doesn’t stop with the dinette. Check out these 15 RV reno ideas to transform your whole space.
2. Create a Home Office
Many RVers today work from the road. If you’re one of those working digital nomads or just working remotely for the week, you might want to replace the RV dinette with a home office.
This can be especially important for working parents. Having a designated workplace can help children understand when to leave a parent alone.
Depending on where your RV dinette is, you have several options. If it’s in the front or rear of the RV, you’ll probably have a long space to create a desk with room for a computer, printer, dual screens, or whatever else you need.
If the RV dinette is on the side, you might have a tighter space, but you can open it up to make it feel like you have more room. Installing a long tabletop along the wall instead of sticking out into the room can open up the space.
Usually, the dinette spaces have some of the best views, too. So if you work facing the windows, you’ll feel like you’re working outdoors. Imagine working in front of the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean, the red canyons of Utah, or overlooking the rocky cliffs of Maine.
3. Install a Storage Bench
One of the most common renovations for RVers is installing a storage bench. This could be custom-made or store-bought. If you have a free-standing dinette with chairs, replace two of them with a storage bench.
Obviously, this gives you additional storage, but it also changes the “look” of the dining space. It might feel more personal with a small change like this.
Many families can also seat three children on a bench. The free-standing chairs only sit four people. So by changing out two chairs for a bench, you have more room to sit around the table.
You can also make the storage bench multi-functional to slide into the living space for a coffee table or ottoman.
4. Build a Custom Couch
Another RV dinette replacement idea forgoes the table altogether. If you don’t want to keep the dinette space as an eating area, you can build a custom couch instead. This can work great for larger families or those who love to entertain.
As already mentioned, some RVers choose to eat outside or at local restaurants. With this renovation idea, you can still eat inside and use TV trays if needed. But the main focus of the space changes.
You have more room for entertaining friends, hosting game nights, watching the big game, or whatever else fits your lifestyle.
You can also custom build your couch to include additional storage underneath. Raise it on a platform to store canvas bins or tubs underneath.
5. Swap It for a Couple of Recliners
If you want extra living space but don’t want a couch, you can also swap out the dinette for recliners. This is great for smaller RVs that don’t have an additional living space.
Some travel trailers only have a dinette space and kitchen and don’t have another area with a couch. By taking out the RV dinette and installing recliners, you’ve created a space for lounging that you didn’t have before.
Also, ensure that whatever furniture you add to your RV works in the space; measure two and three times. If installing recliners, ensure that they fit when in the reclining position. And make sure you can get them through the narrow entry door.
Renovating RV spaces can be fun and exciting, but your day will quickly turn into disappointment and frustration if you don’t properly measure.
Pro Tip: When it comes to renovations, one project always leads to another. Read this before you dive into upgrading your RV sink.
Create a Whole New Space in Your RV
Renovating your RV is time-consuming. It’s also hard work and requires patience and trial and error. However, making small changes can have a huge impact on your quality of life and travel experiences.
Don’t hesitate to change out the standard RV dinette for something more functional. This renovation won’t take too long and doesn’t have to cost too much.
Plus, when you add your own personal touches, it makes your RV feel more like home. Do you have another RV dinette replacement idea?
