Journey Junket readers have been judging RV makeovers: a heart or a thumbs-down under every “after” in two before-and-after features, one on a boxy 1980s RV and one on a tired camper van. We’ve pulled both into one report: 3,255 votes from 591 readers on 46 makeovers, plus the reasons readers gave.
Light, warm and soft won. Dark lost.
Makeovers finished in light paint or pale wood, or warm natural wood, with soft textiles drew 85% hearts across 1,182 votes. Dark builds (black cabinets, charcoal floors, pipe shelving, blackout vans, plus deep purple and dark green-and-brass rooms) drew 22%. The same pattern showed up in both vehicles.
An awning and an outdoor kitchen did well too (80% together). Half-finished or odd makeovers drew 30%, second-lowest after dark builds.
Why readers said yes, and why they said no
Hearts were about the whole space: the overall look and the feeling of it. The most common reasons for a thumbs-down were the colours and the overall look, with “too much”, “not for me” and “looks dated” making up most of the rest.
The full report
The RV Makeover Report ranks all 46 makeovers with their ranges, compares the two studies, pools them by look and shows the reasons behind the votes. It includes the full dataset.
Get the full report at StatwrenHow we did this
- Readers tapped a heart or a thumbs-down under each makeover photo in our 1980s RV and camper van features, between Aug 30, 2026 and Oct 30, 2026. One vote per reader per photo.
- Every “after” was shown under the same “before” photo. The makeover images are illustrations of each idea.
- Votes are anonymous: no names, emails or accounts. Looks are our own grouping of each makeover.
- More on how we collect reader data: How our reader data works.
Please note that some of the imagery in this article were created with the aid of AI image generators.