Decorating & Storage with Vintage Suitcases

Vintage suitcases are easily found in thrift stores, antique shops, flea markets, and yard sales-often with a very appealing price tag. For example, I recently found several at our local Goodwill thrift store for $3.00 each. I've even seen such suitcases at yard sales for 50 cents.

Old suitcases, especially ones from the 1940s through the early 1960s, are pleasantly retro, neutral in color, sturdy, and flat: qualities that make them perfect for decorating, storing items, and stacking. I've seen this in several home decorating magazines and books, and I've implemented this dynamic in my own home in several different manners.

Below are ideas for choosing suitcases, ideas for storage, and possible ways of assembling the suitcases.

Choosing the right suitcases

Choosing the right type of suitcase is important. The best suitcases for stacking and storage have perfectly flat tops and bottoms, and have a sturdy, hard outer shell. Suitcases that are compromised structurally or are flimsy at all will not be suitable. This is usually not a big problem in finding and selecting suitcases-they were made well and built to last.

Most age wear issues with old suitcases have to do with superficial wear and locks, handles, and the like that don't work perfectly. Luckily, this is not an issue when using them for decorating and storage purposes. Superficial wear like fraying, bumps, and patina lend an overall rustic, vintage effect that is pleasing, and the extent of any wear is just a matter of personal taste.

Although suitcases in almost perfect condition are harder to find, they are out there. It just might take a bit more patience and scouring to find them. One thing to remember is to inspect the inside of the suitcase before purchasing it. I've found some really filthy suitcase innards with mold and mildew that just cannot be cleaned well enough to warrant buying. However, a minivac, lysol, windex, paper towels, and common cleaning products can really improve most older suitcases.

Storage ideas

If you're like me-always looking for ways to keep items organized-you probably won't have to brainstorm too much to think of things you can store in the suitcases. However, because of their very nature, it's wise to give it a bit of thought, for best utilization.

First of all, the suitcases are portable. Make use of this idea. If you have a 72-hour emergency kit, the suitcases are ideal. Think of anything that should be grabbed quickly in a house emergency: a ton of old, loose photographs, photo albums, diaries, mementos, family antiques, silverware or china, etc. Anything of value, monetary or personal, that is normally stored out of sight, are good candidates for suitcase storage.

The portability factor also comes into play in other ways. The suitcases are ideal for craft or art supply storage. Not only is it nice to have everything contained; how easy and convenient it is to transport all your craft or art supplies to a work table at once. It makes cleanup just as simple.

Of course, portability is not the only consideration. Suitcases make great storage for anything that needs to be out of the way, but readily accessible. Out of season clothing, shoes, potential children's hand-me-downs, holiday decorations, gift wrapping supplies, etc., all make great items for suitcase storage. How nice not to have to dig though boxes and bags in the basement or attic.

Also, if you are a bargain shopper who stocks up on sale items, the suitcases make a great reservoir for stocks of small items such as office and school supplies, toiletries, candles, fabric, and just about anything.

Decorating and stacking tips and ideas

Suitcases can be stacked in several ways. Most commonly, in magazines, they are stacked in a living room or bedroom, to fashion a sort of dresser, or table. Usually, four to seven suitcases are stacked this way. The number of suitcases will vary based on your intended purpose. To make an end or coffee table, and depending on the height of each suitcase, only two or three may need to be used.

If you need a lot of items stored, and want to stack a great deal of suitcases, without regard to the table idea, just keep in mind that it is not a complete unit, and children or pets climbing, or sleeping near them could be a potential danger, in the same way a large, heavy armoire or bookcase can be. Take the same precautions as you would with heavier, taller pieces of furniture.

In an old apartment, I had about eight suitcases stacked, too tall to make use of as a dresser or table with items on top, so I just draped a string of clear holiday lights over and around it, and tucked in several postcards, securing them into the clasps and handles, where'd they fit. The result was a lovely, completely unique piece of art-furniture that got lots of compliments.

Now, I have a couple suitcases stacked on top of an entertainment armoire in my living room, filled with craft supplies. If you're not keen on making a table out of them, look around to see what kind of large, flat surfaces might be conducive for suitcase-placing. Armoires, dresser or bureau tops, underneath existing tables, or even the top of the refrigerator are all considerations.

If you do make the suitcase stack into a table, keep in mind that although they are sturdy, placing too many items or anything too heavy on top might cause damage, or even just be too inconvenient to move around when you need to access the items inside.

Also, make sure you stack the suitcases strategically, with the larger ones on the bottom. There doesn't seem to be a standard size for old suitcases-so it's very difficult, or even impossible to get them all in the same exact size.

This won't cause a problem, just make sure they are stacked from largest (on the floor or ground surface) to smallest (on the top) and you'll have a great, inexpensive, unique double-duty piece of furniture.