Project: Glamper

THROUGH EXTENSIVE RENOVATIONS, THESE OXFORD FRIENDS ADD CLASS AND STYLE TO RVS.

WRITTEN BY LESLIE CRISS | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE WORTHEM

Camping — getting up close and personal with nature, no matter the season — is a favorite pastime for many. But it’s not for everyone.

There are certainly those who prefer air conditioning to fresh air, a comfortable bed to the hard ground and a roof above to a tent or starry sky. And that is perfectly fine. There’s plenty of room at the beach, by the lake, in the country for campers and glampers alike.

For those unfamiliar with the term, glampers are folks who might be hesitant about traditional camping, but give them time to add some style to the Airstream or make sure there are amenities aplenty included in the camping plans, and they are all in.

Annie Haymans of Oxford loves camping and being outdoors. A few years ago, she decided to surprise her family with a weekend of camping. She didn’t tell her husband, George, or their three children as she planned the late spring mystery vacation in Alabama.

Fun was had by the whole family, but George Haymans was not enamored with sleeping in a tent for three days. His wife didn’t give up though. In the fall, she rented an RV (a recreational vehicle), and the family went camping for five days in October. The fall trip far surpassed the previous camping experience in comfort.

“I knew George could do it if we had a camper,” Haymans said. “I started looking on my own at RVs.”

George Haymans was also looking, and in December 2019, he surprised his wife with an RV. She was surprised and excited, but her sense of style was unimpressed.

“RVs are not cute,” she said. “Not even the newer ones. The people who design the interiors just don’t do much to make them look stylish.”

So, soon after the RV arrived, the Haymanses began a demolition and remodeling of their RV. The demo was done by the couple, but they hired others to handle most of the remodel.

“We took out every bit of the furniture, pulled up carpet and painted all the dark wood-grain paneling white,” Haymans said.

After adding all new furniture of her own choosing, having hardwood-looking flooring put down, painting and changing out all the light fixtures with newer, modern ones, the difference was vast.

“We also pulled out the RV mattress on the queen bed in the master bedroom,” Haymans said. “RV mattresses are different — they are half the thickness and support of a real mattress. For comfort’s sake, we added our own mattress.”

Having learned her share of RV lingo, Haymans said her family RV is a Bumper Pull, meaning it is pulled behind a truck.

The family uses their renovated RV often.

“Both boys are involved in travel baseball,” Haymans said. “We use the RV a lot for tournaments. We’ve also gone to a lot of state parks. The work we did gave our camper lots of pop and character. Glamping is great — I like it a lot.” Continued on page 40

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The fun of flipping

Rachel Horn Marascalco is a friend of Haymans. They first met when both worked at La Rousse Salon & Spa in Oxford.

When Marascalco saw what her friend had done to “glam up” a pre-owned RV, her interest was piqued. An avid reader and one who thrives on having a project, Marascalco started researching campers just before the COVID-19 pandemic. A business manager by profession, Marascalco said she is always looking for creative outlets. So, after doing much research, she bought two campers with the intent to flip them.

“My research convinced me glamping was becoming a thing,” she said. “But the campers I had were very dated, with interiors made with materials not made to last, and they were very dark.”

She and her husband Paul set out to make the campers lighter and brighter, rewiring for LED lights, adding under counter lights, redoing window treatments and more. She added touches that made it more personal but still functional, like adding pieces of aromatic red cedar in the bedroom, and cutting a king-size sofa bed down to a trundle bed so her two young daughters can sleep on it.

“IKEA became my best friend,” Marascalco said. “I’d never done a camper before, but I’d get ideas and couldn’t stop until I figured it out. I love a challenge. Paul enjoys the process, but he can’t see the finished product. I have a vision and can see it all before it’s done.”

Marascalco’s renovation of the campers has been described as

bohemian-chic or boho, and there might have been some dumpster diving involved.

She learned a lot from her work on the campers, like being aware of weight.

“You can’t put more weight in,” she said. “If you put something in, you have to take something out. A trailer can carry so much weight; it’s all about the balance. I took a lot of the solid, heavy doors out and used curtains.

“I took the oven out and left the cooktop,” she said. “There’s a microwave. The oven was wasted space and, besides, it was ugly.”

Unlike the Haymans family, the Marascalcos did not do a lot of glamping in either camper.

“We went to Enid twice,” Marascalco said. “And to Catherine’s Landing in Arkansas. There’s lots to do, but when it rains, it nice to have a cozy place to be. I made the campers homey for that reason.”

But one day, on a lark, Marascalco listed the two campers for sale on Facebook. In the first four minutes, both were sold.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I think I’ll do it again. I’ll know better what to look for, and experience is everything. And it’s Annie and her RV that pushed me over the edge to do this. She inspired me to pull the trigger on this project.”