28 Suitcases and Trunks Buyers Repurpose

Old luggage was built for porters, cargo holds and railway platforms, which is exactly why so much of it outlived the trips it was bought for. A trunk that crossed the Atlantic in 1910 can usually handle a living room.

The appeal is part sturdiness and part story, since stenciled initials and faded labels come free with the box.

What buyers do with these pieces varies wildly, from simple storage to full conversions with legs, shelves and wiring. The best projects keep enough of the original visible that the luggage still looks like luggage.

Flat-Top Steamer Trunks as Coffee Tables

Steamer trunks were made low, about 14 inches tall, so they could slide under a berth in a ship’s cabin, and that height happens to suit a sofa. Their flat lids hold drinks and books, while the interior stores blankets or board games out of sight.

Many buyers add a glass top to protect old canvas or paper coverings. Depending on condition, hardware and interior trays, sound examples commonly ask $150 to $500 before any restoration.

Dome-Top Trunks as Toy and Blanket Chests

Dome-top and camelback trunks, most common from the 1870s through the early 1900s, are the pieces most people picture when they hear the words antique trunk. The curved lid sheds anything stacked on it, which makes these trunks poor tables but good chests for toys, quilts and out-of-season clothing. Buyers repurposing one for a child’s room often add a lid support that holds the lid open at any angle, a feature the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends for toy chests. Prices depend heavily on wood, tin and hardware condition.

Wardrobe Trunks as Home Bars

Wardrobe trunks stand on end and open like a book, with hanging space on one side and a stack of drawers on the other. That layout converts neatly into a bar, with bottles and glassware on the hanging side and bar tools, napkins and openers in the drawers.

Many originals included mirrors and small compartments that suit the purpose without much alteration. Depending on drawer condition and interior lining, unrestored wardrobe trunks often ask $200 to $700.

Louis Vuitton Trunks as Statement Storage

Louis Vuitton opened in Paris in 1854, and in 1858 its flat-topped trunks covered in gray Trianon canvas made luggage stackable in a way rounded trunks were not. Later trunks wear the Damier pattern from 1888 or the Monogram canvas from 1896.

Owners rarely alter them, preferring to use them as end tables, blanket storage or display pieces with the original lock and interior intact. Depending on age, canvas condition and provenance, vintage trunks can ask from several thousand dollars to well into five figures.

Goyard Trunks as Display Pieces

François Goyard took over the Paris trunk maker Maison Morel in 1853, and the house introduced its dotted chevron canvas, known as Goyardine, around the 1900 World Exposition. Goyard is famous for hand-painted initials and stripes, so vintage trunks often carry the owner’s personal markings.

Buyers typically place them at the foot of a bed or beside a sofa, where the canvas does the decorating. Depending on size and condition, vintage Goyard trunks ask thousands of dollars, with damaged canvas and missing interiors lowering value.

Hartmann Wardrobe Trunks as Closets

The Hartmann Trunk Company of Racine, Wisconsin, built some of the best-known American wardrobe trunks, and its factory manager George Wheary is credited with designing its wardrobe model. Hartmann marked many trunks with the word Gibraltarized, a nod to their toughness.

Buyers turn them into freestanding closets for entryways, guest rooms and small apartments that lack built-in storage. Depending on hangers, drawer pulls and lining, vintage Hartmann wardrobe trunks commonly ask $300 to $1,000.

Oshkosh Chief Trunks as Craft Cabinets

The Oshkosh Trunk Company began producing trunks in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1898, and its Chief line wore beige duck cloth with red and yellow stripes. The company held 28 wardrobe trunk patents between 1912 and 1949 before closing its factory in 1961.

Crafters convert Chief wardrobe trunks into cabinets, fitting the hanging side with dowels for ribbon and thread while the drawers hold tools and fabric. Depending on the canvas stripes and interior fittings, examples usually ask $250 to $800.

Seward Footlockers as Bedroom Benches

Simon Seward founded the Seward Trunk Co. in Petersburg, Virginia, in 1878, and it grew into one of the largest American makers of trunks and footlockers. Seward even built the trunks that carried NASA moon rocks around the world in 1970.

Vintage Seward footlockers are sized well for the foot of a bed, where they hold linens and double as a place to sit. Depending on dents, rust and the condition of the lining, most ask $50 to $200.

Military Footlockers as Entryway Storage

Military footlockers were built for economy and ruggedness rather than looks, which suits a busy entryway. Wooden and steel versions, often stenciled with a name, rank or serial number, hold shoes, dog leashes and sports gear while serving as a bench.

Many buyers leave the stenciling intact because it is the entire appeal, and some research the name to learn where the locker served. Depending on material, rust and original markings, vintage footlockers commonly ask $50 to $250.

Cabin Trunks as Window Seats

Low cabin trunks, built to fit tight shipboard spaces, fit neatly beneath windows in bedrooms, reading nooks and bay alcoves. Buyers top them with a fitted cushion and use the interior for throws, pillows or seasonal decor.

The key is choosing a trunk with a sound bottom and working hinges, since window seats get opened often and sat on hard. Depending on size and condition, suitable trunks typically ask $100 to $400.

Steamer Trunks as Bathroom Vanities

Some of the most ambitious conversions turn steamer trunks into bathroom vanities, with a vessel sink on top and plumbing routed through the back. The trunk’s interior becomes cabinet storage for towels and toiletries.

Because water is the enemy of old wood and canvas, builders seal every surface and often add a solid wood or stone top. A trunk with a damaged exterior is often the best candidate, since a pristine example is worth more left as it is.

Trunk Trays as Serving Trays and Shelves

Many steamer and dome-top trunks came with removable wooden or paper-lined trays that sat inside the lid opening. When a trunk is too damaged to save, buyers pull the trays and reuse them as serving trays, drawer organizers or small wall-mounted display shelves.

The dividers already built into many trays hold spices, jewelry or craft supplies. Loose trays often sell for $20 to $60 depending on condition and original paper linings.

Samsonite Train Cases as Makeup Storage

Samsonite traces its roots to Jesse Shwayder, who founded his luggage company in Denver in 1910 and adopted the Samsonite trademark in 1941. The brand’s midcentury hard-shell train cases, usually fitted with a mirror in the lid and a lift-out tray, translate directly into makeup and jewelry storage.

Buyers favor pastel and turquoise shells in clean condition. Depending on the mirror, lining and latches, vintage train cases commonly ask $30 to $90.

American Tourister Hardshells as Side Tables

Brothers Sol and Irving Koffler founded American Tourister in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1933, and the brand became famous for a 1970s television ad featuring a gorilla hurling a suitcase around its cage. That durability makes its vintage hard-shell cases solid candidates for side tables once legs are bolted to the base.

The interior still holds magazines or remotes. Depending on scuffs and latch condition, vintage cases usually ask $25 to $80.

Stacked Vintage Suitcases as Nightstands

Three suitcases of descending size, stacked largest at the bottom, make a nightstand that doubles as storage for spare sheets and paperwork. Buyers often fix the stack together with screws or a hidden frame so it does not shift when the top case is opened.

Mixed makers and colors are part of the look, though matching hardware finishes help the stack read as one piece. Depending on condition, individual cases for stacking often sell for $15 to $50 each.

Skyway Luggage as Closet Storage

Skyway Luggage was founded in Seattle in 1910 and introduced chrome-plated hardware and vinyl coverings in the 1950s. Its midcentury cases in soft colors are popular stacked on closet shelves, where they hold off-season clothing, holiday decorations or photographs.

The vinyl wipes clean, which makes them easier to live with than fabric-covered luggage in a dusty closet. Depending on stains, latch function and interior lining, vintage Skyway cases commonly ask $20 to $70.

Globe-Trotter Cases as Document Archives

Globe-Trotter began in 1897 in Dresden, Germany, and patented its vulcanized fiberboard in 1901, a material made from paper, cotton and wood pulp. A 1912 advertisement famously used an elephant from Hamburg’s Hagenbeck Zoo to demonstrate the case’s strength.

Owners of vintage Globe-Trotter cases often use them to store letters, deeds and family records in a home office. Depending on corners, leather straps and linings, older cases generally ask several hundred dollars.

Hatboxes as Bedside Storage

Hat trunks built to hold as many as six hats or bonnets were popular from the 1860s through the 1890s and are now rare. Round leather and fiberboard hatboxes from the twentieth century are far easier to find and often become bedside storage or small side tables.

Buyers also stack them to hold scarves, gloves and chargers out of sight. Depending on shape, lining and handle condition, vintage hatboxes usually ask $30 to $150.

Suitcases as Pet Beds

A vintage suitcase with its lid removed, set on four short legs and fitted with a cushion, becomes a raised bed for a cat or small dog. The removed lid can be mounted on the wall behind it or saved for another project.

Hard-sided cases work best because soft sides sag under weight. Buyers usually choose damaged cases for this, since a good lining is covered by the cushion anyway.

Suitcases as Wall Shelves

Split a hard-sided suitcase along its hinge and each half becomes a shallow shelf with built-in sides. Mounted on a wall, the halves hold paperbacks, plants or small collections, and the original lining becomes the backdrop.

Buyers secure them to studs with brackets hidden inside the case, because an empty suitcase half is light but a loaded one is not. Smaller cases in the 18- to 21-inch range are easiest to hang and keep in proportion.

Dansette Record Players Restored for Vinyl

Dansette, the London firm J and A Margolin Ltd, made portable record players in suitcase-style cases from 1952 until December 1969. Models like the Bermuda, with optional legs, and the portable Viva and Diplomat were designed to play 7-, 10- and 12-inch records.

Buyers restore them to play vinyl again or keep the case and fit modern electronics inside. Depending on whether the autochanger works and the case covering is intact, vintage units ask about $100 to $400.

Suitcases Converted to Bluetooth Speakers

A dead record player case or an ordinary small suitcase can be fitted with speakers, an amplifier board and a battery to become a portable Bluetooth speaker. Hobbyists sell kits for the electronics, and builders cut speaker openings in the front panel and cover them with grille cloth.

The lid still opens, which leaves room for cables, a charger or a phone. Cases with solid wooden frames work best, since flimsy cardboard vibrates at higher volume.

Children’s Suitcases as Dollhouses

Small vintage children’s suitcases, often printed with cartoon characters, become portable dollhouses with wallpaper scraps, tiny furniture and a hinged lid that closes over the rooms. The finished piece carries its own toys and packs away neatly for car trips or visits to grandparents.

Doll-sized wardrobe suitcases, with a clothes rail on one side, get the same treatment for dress-up dolls. Depending on graphics and condition, printed children’s cases ask $15 to $60.

Gladstone Bags as Knitting and Tool Bags

The Gladstone bag, named for four-time British Prime Minister William Gladstone, was first made by J. G. Beard in Westminster, and its rigid frame opens wide at the top. Doctors adopted the design in the late 1800s to carry medical instruments.

Today buyers use vintage Gladstones as knitting, sewing or hand-tool bags, where the wide mouth makes everything easy to reach. Depending on leather condition and working clasps, vintage examples usually ask $75 to $250.

Suitcases as Wedding Card Boxes

A vintage suitcase with a slot cut in the lid, or simply left propped open, has become a common wedding card box. Couples add a painted sign or luggage tags with their names, and the case goes home as a keepsake.

Hard-shell cases with a working lock are preferred for keeping gifts secure during the reception. Many couples later use the same suitcase to store their wedding cards and mementos.

Suitcases as Garden Planters

Old suitcases with damaged linings or broken latches can become outdoor planters for herbs, succulents or trailing flowers. Builders line them with plastic sheeting, add drainage and fill them with potting mix, then prop the lid open as a backdrop.

Even with sealing, the finished planters rarely survive more than a few seasons of rain and sun. That short life is why most buyers use suitcases that were headed for the trash anyway.

Leather Suitcases as Under-Bed Storage

Large, flat leather suitcases from the early and mid-twentieth century slide easily under beds, where they store linens, photo albums and out-of-season clothing. The sturdy frames protect contents from dust better than cardboard boxes.

Buyers often clean and condition the leather first to prevent cracking, and some add cedar blocks inside to keep moths away from wool. Depending on leather condition, stitching and latch function, vintage leather cases commonly ask $50 to $200.

Trunks as TV and Media Stands

A long flat-top trunk placed under a wall-mounted or low-standing television makes a media stand with storage for cables, game controllers and remotes. Builders often drill a discreet cord opening in the back and add ventilation for electronics.

Sturdy bases matter here, since a television puts more weight on the lid than decor ever will, and a sagging lid is hard to fix later. Depending on size and condition, suitable trunks typically ask $150 to $500.

Why Luggage Makes Good Furniture

Most old luggage was built to be thrown around by strangers, which is more abuse than most furniture ever faces. Hardwood frames, riveted corners and reinforced handles translate easily into benches, tables and storage.

Travel moved on to lighter materials, but the trunks and cases stayed strong. Buyers are really buying that overbuilding.

The best repurposing keeps a piece’s history visible, from the stenciled initials to the faded shipping labels. A Louis Vuitton trunk stays nearly untouched, while a damaged cardboard case becomes a planter without regret.

Knowing which is which is most of the skill. The luggage already made its journeys, and a second life at home is a fair retirement.

More from Home As We Make It

• 18 Affordable Places to Retire in the U.S.
• Antique Glassware That’s Worth Collecting
• Stay-At-Home Jobs That Actually Pay
• 18 Forgotten Snacks from the ’80s and ’90s
• 20 Things That Make a House Look Cleaner Than It Is

Like Home As We Make It‘s content? Follow us on MSN.