decorate with: old trunks

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I’ve always loved old trunks. My grandma used to buy them at flea markets, garage sales, etc. and paint them or fix them up and gift them to us to use as toy chests and the like. Now-a-days I have a total of 3 old trunks residing in our 2 bedroom home!

Old trunks do three things: 1. They bring in a wonderful, vintag, world traveler look to any space, 2. A trunk provides storage inside the trunk and 3. A trunk (that has a flat top) provides a surface area you can use as a coffee table or side table, etc. Trunks are easy to find at most flea markets and some thrift stores or antique shops. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite interior design uses for old trunks which you can see in the images above. Viewing tip: Hover your mouse curser over a particular image to see my caption/design note associated with that specific image.

DIY Tip: Often an old trunk looks amazing as is, letting its aged leather, wood, metal or peeling paint bring in a vintage element. However, if a trunk is too beat up, give it a good cleaning and then refresh it with a new paint job in a fun color or pattern. You can also use fabric and mod podge to add fabric panels like this.

For tips on ‘Decorating With Suitcases’ click here.

How do you decorate with your old trunk?