A Living Vehicle travel trailer, Colorado

The project began with a conversation about mobile living and an architect in Santa Barbara known for refurbishing classic Airstreams. The research led to Living Vehicle, the family company that grew out of Hofmann Architecture in 2017 after more than four hundred vintage Airstream conversions, and to its new design for off grid, full time living: a self supporting, net zero trailer engineered as a home rather than a weekend camper. For a client who spends most weekends camping and mountain biking, and who was ready to live with fewer constraints, it was the right starting point. What it needed was an interior to match.

Emerson Bailey approached the trailer exactly as it would a house. Standard surfaces were upgraded to finer materials, the plastic roller shades gave way to woven wood window treatments, and the seating was rebuilt with down wrapped cushions in a durable outdoor fabric chosen for its texture and warmth. Wherever a synthetic material was the default, a natural one was found that could stand up to the road: the search for those alternatives became one of the most rewarding parts of the work. Weight, the need to secure every object in transit, durability and the double duty asked of every surface shaped each decision, and contractors new to mobile living were brought along through bespoke solutions worked out piece by piece.

The result is a home that goes wherever its owner does. Weekend adventures no longer begin with packing; a stop for groceries and he is on his way to the next race. The trailer has also become a place people are drawn to, for impromptu tours, coffee and cocktails, surprised by how livable a mobile home can be.

Interior design: Emerson Bailey. Trailer: Living Vehicle. Photography: Emily Minton Redfield.