New Dinette Area and Storage
Airstream Trailer Globetrotter 1964

Several people have asked how Arlen made the dinette . . . 
These are not a full set of plans but hopefully enough to get you on your way . . . 

Below are some answers Arlen wrote to answer some emails:

We found that if we used a 5" cushion on back that it seemed to push you too close to the table.  We opted for a 3 1/4" cushion.  An additional cushion then is require then to make this into a bed.  It stores nicely behind the seat on the street side.

Arlen is a finish carpenter/cabinet maker and he designed and made the dinette and storage area. We removed the front goucho and replaced it with this dinette that also makes into a bed. We measured a 2000 19' Bambi dinette (table is 26"X42") quite carefully and then made some changes such as building the slant into the back rest. This defiantly complicates the construction, but I think it is much more comfortable. We also got a bigger table as a result - a real benefit. There is room behind the seat by the door for two small chairs. Under the seat by the door there is room for two attached lid containers (Home Depo sells these).  The other seat has a hinge and lifts up to give you a nice size "locker" for any thing you wish to store (A small TV etc.) The hardware for the table is a stock item that I have seen in a number of RV stores (also page 159 of RV Parts & Accessories 2001 catalog - call to find out drop distance).  I have seen this hardware with two different drop heights.  The one we used has 15" of drop.  The table is 28.5" off the floor which is the same height as the bottom of the window.

Here is an answer to another dinette question to a fellow woodworker:
I am a finish carpenter/cabinet maker by trade, and I probably used a few fancier techniques in my construction than would actually be necessary.  I used 1/2" plywood for the seat, and 1/4" for the backs and kick areas.  I used 3 or 4 vertical pieces of 3/4" pine (or fir) inside the backs that reached to the floor, and also 3/4" X 1 1/4" solid stock  for framework in the base.  I used plate jointer "biscuits" for most joints and everything well glued. I made the seat units a little long and roughly to shape, and then scribed
and sawed and belt sanded them for final fit to the actual curves of the trailer. The table itself is 3/4" ply with 3/4" solid edging for a total 1 1/2" thickness.  Often projects of this nature are overly heavy.  I like to keep things light and strong, and our dinette has held up fine.

Also, if I were you (and I felt that I had the skills to try the design work and wood part of this project), I would try to do my own plastic laminate work as well.  If you have a table saw, a simple file, and a router (with a flush trim bit) it really is not that hard.  (The personal satisfaction of discovering that you can actually do a laminate job is alone worth the effort!)  I would recommend getting a book, or finding a magazine article on the subject first. You can purchase plastic laminates and aerosol spray
adhesive from a cabinet supply store (I use E B Bradley).