Vintage Charm - 31 Ways to Decorate with Antique Suitcases

Ever seen beautiful vintage suitcases and trunks at flea markets or antique shops, but had to let them slip away because you weren't sure what to do with them? Not to worry, here is our selection of 31 utilisations of vintage suitcases — big and small, leather and wood. Next time you come across these beauties again, you'll surely have an idea in mind of how to decorate with them, so you can bring them home and enjoy their time-tested charm! (Cover Photo Source: Luxury Busla)

 

Coffee Tables

Many furniture stores are selling new but distressed suitcases or trunks as coffee tables for an antiqued look, as they bring an instant character definition wherever they go. With this existing popularity, it would make sense to invest in a real antique trunk as the coffee table in your living room, where friends and family gather and share good stories behind this center piece of the room. Just be careful with tableware containing hot or iced foods to prevent watermarks since antiques don't have water resistant finishes.

 

Side Table

In the living room, coffee table is not the only piece of essential furnitures. Side tables are also very important for storing blankets, for placing a lamp on top of it, or sometimes just for filling an empty corner between the sofa and the wall. Or, when you're curled up in a corner on one end of the couch with a good read and a cup of tea, we bet having a side table to put the cup down when turning pages sounds like a good idea! Medium-sized cube-ish antique chests are up for this task perfectly.

 

Display Stand

Antique suitcases and chests can have such delicate details that as opposed to actually using them, you may want to have them become part of your home decoration instead. If you have a corner where you keep your favourite framed photo, limited edition books, or vase of fresh flowers at home, an antique suitcase may just be the best stand to prop up small décor objects with style!

 

Bedside Table

Since most vintage suitcases are small in size, they display the best when propped up with some sort of a stand. If you have about 3 or 4 different antique suitcases, they can be stacked together to achieve the ideal height of a bedside table, and the rich variety adds a vibrant atmosphere to the bedroom. Or, if you have limited space between the bed and the wall, a suitcase standing on its short side must be slim enough to fit into any space as a bedside table!

 

Bed End

In the bedroom, we love having bed ends to add definition especially when there isn't a footboard included in the bed frame. Bed ends are great places for displaying objectives too big for the bedside tables, but if you are not a fan of having a substantial piece of antique chest by your bed, using vintage suitcases with cushions on either side of them yields a great result as a mini lounge in the bedroom!

 

Storage

Antiques or not, trunks and suitcases are designed to hold objects in them. Either being used on their own to store off-season clothes, or combined with shelves to micro-organize, using them as gorgeous yet functional storage containers won't disappoint!

 

Seats

Vintage trunks (not so much suitcases) often come in a long rectangular shape, which makes it easy to double as a bench — just add some cushions, pillows, and/or throws on top if you have a sturdy old piece of wood trunk! Antique suitcases can be transformed into seats too, but size-wise probably more suitable for your furry friends.