I’ve been looking for vintage luggage for a while now and I was lucky enough to find a cute little vintage overnight case at Goodwill last month! There are so many ways you can use old luggage in your home! For some inspiration, I’ve collected 15 ways to repurpose a suitcase.
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It’s hard to decided what to do since there are so many great ways to use old luggage from stacking them and using them as end tables to upcycling them into medicine cabinets. Check out these creative ideas!
15 Ways To Repurpose A Suitcase
You could use part of a suitcase and make a tray like this one from Mother Earth Living
You could make a table from Tattered Elegance
Suitcase medicine cabinet found at Bloomerism
Suitcase ottoman via The Paupers Castle
Suitcase fireplace decor found at Maple & Magnolia
Suitcase shelves found at Bees Kees Bungalow
Love this idea! Suitcase used for craft storage found at Ania flickr
Suitcase as centerpiece found at The Sugar Post
Use them as shelves found at The Painted Home
Use them in displays like this one found at Na-Da Farm Life
Paint them fun colors found at belle maison
If you’re lucky enough to have a lot of them make a console table from the Funky Junk Sisters
Suitcase dog bed found at Ninja Diva
How about a tabletop suitcase puppet theatre! from Melly Sews
Fabric covered suitcases to store out of season clothes or magazines etc. from A Beautiful Mess
Hope you found some ideas and have a great weekend!
[email protected] says
August 9, 2013 at 6:33 amMy friend uses a pile of vintage suitcases as a bedside table. I need to pull my grandmother’s suitcase out of the attic and think of something creative to do with it!
Manuela says
August 9, 2013 at 8:49 amYes, that’s a good way to use them if you have enough to stack. plus it’s storage and it’s cute!
Dawn says
August 9, 2013 at 7:02 amAll cute ideas:)
Lara says
August 9, 2013 at 7:11 amGreat ideas as always 🙂 I love the fabric covered ones the best and want to try this one I found at at second hand store.
Vee says
August 9, 2013 at 7:46 amA great gathering of ideas…I use one on my dresser to organize jewelry and perfume and old letters. I also use some for storage, but I do not consider them attractive enough to use for visible storage. Things can also smell quite funky in such closed up spaces so it’s a good idea to include a lavender sachet, a dryer sheet or something. I think the pet bed is darling and actually tried it for the kitty. I thought it looked sweet enough to crawl in myself, but she never used it.
Manuela says
August 9, 2013 at 8:47 amI saw a few cat beds but more dog beds. You should paint the outside or decoupage it and you can change the insides if you haven’t already done so. I have a pin on my Organized Nest board that gives you methods for getting the funky smell out.
Debbie-Dabble says
August 9, 2013 at 7:52 amLoved this post!! So many great Ideas! I recently used 2 suitcases in vignettes in my Den..
http://debbie-dabble.blogspot.com/2013/07/wanna-see-where-i-put-things-i-bought.html
Hugs,
Deb
Cindy says
August 9, 2013 at 10:07 amSuch cute ideas!
Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says
August 9, 2013 at 10:16 amLots of creative ideas, Manuela! The one picture with the suitcase is funny to me {coincidence funny} ~ I was at an estate sale yesterday and saw an old typewriter like the one pictured and then in another area they had one old vintage looking suitcase. Thinking about it now, I should have gotten the typewriter for my daughter as something she could have put in her future office {she writes}.
Manuela says
August 9, 2013 at 12:45 pm🙂
Monday I went to my favorite thrifting place that has dealer booths and they had about 4 of those old typewritters and a lot of vintage luggage. The typewritters were all $59-69 dollars. I just thought that was a lot of money for old (yet cool) typewritters. Are those good prices? They had tons of old luggage but they started in the hi 20’s. I got my little one at Goodwill for $2.12!
Jennifer says
August 9, 2013 at 10:42 amSo I love the tray and the table console! These are such creative and awesome ideas! Audley is wanting to turn one we have into a bed for our new kitten. The concept sounds cool =) Thank you for sharing all of the inspiration.
Have a great weekend!
Judy Clark says
August 9, 2013 at 11:23 amLots of inventive ideas! Love the stack of brightly colored suitcases! What a statement.
Judy
Manuela says
August 9, 2013 at 12:46 pmI know! That’s my favorite one. If I had the room I would do something like that!
Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita says
August 9, 2013 at 4:45 pmthere is something so romantic about vintage luggage, isn’t there? I love these ideas!
Cynthia says
August 9, 2013 at 6:29 pmThere are so many creative ideas here. My favorite one is the suitcase made into a table. Love it. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Cynthia
Manuela says
August 10, 2013 at 8:36 amThanks Cynthia!
Ellen says
August 9, 2013 at 9:45 pmSo many creative ideas!! Love the colorful stack!
[email protected] says
August 9, 2013 at 10:20 pmI adore all of these ideas and am having a hard time picking a favorite, although the table and the colorful painted suitcases definitely get top billing in my book! I noticed the painted ones have the same style. That would be hard to find I think.
I’ve seen so many different price ranges when it comes to suitcases. Some for just a few dollars and others as high as $40 or higher at hoity toity antique fairs, but the higher ones generally are in good shape and don’t smell ;).
Manuela says
August 10, 2013 at 8:36 amLOL! Well no smell would be worth a few extra dollars. I’ve come across a few larger ones at the thrift store that were a bit beat up. Yes, it would be hard to find ones that are the same style. The stack of different colored ones is my favorite!
Melanie says
August 9, 2013 at 10:45 pmI love vintage suitcase. I only have two, but would love to have a few more. I’ll only pay a certain price though. I got good deals on the two I’ve found. Your little overnight case is fabulous as is – I wouldn’t paint it! Since you have black accent in your bedroom, maybe you could use it on a dresser somehow…maybe display it opened with jewelry inside and hanging off the edges? Or, you could store makeup or nailpolish in it and use the case itself in a vignette on your dresser. Just some ideas off the top of my head!
Manuela says
August 10, 2013 at 8:32 amHi Melanie,
I was looking at it yesterday thinking that black would actually work. Unfortunately I don’t have room on my dresser (unless I find another dresser 🙂 ) but that’s a great idea! I do use black in my living room and dining room – so maybe although I’m dying to decopauge it.
Judith says
August 11, 2013 at 12:39 pmNo wonder people were actually fist fighting over the old Samsonite cases we sold at my Mom’s estate sale. We thought we were going to have to call the cops!
Linda J says
August 14, 2013 at 2:48 amI still love my 1965 high school graduation Sears soft-sided 3 piece set of luggage. I love packing in it far more than all the new ‘black’ hanging & rolling bags! It is showing the wear with some marks, etc, but otherwise still works great for car trips to friends & family. The small ‘makeup’ case is great for fitting all bath & beauty & hair care items for my husband & me, but shows the most wear. I’d like to paint it with a colorful doodle type design, probably on permanent marker & acrylics, to use with the newer luggage. Does anyone know if the case should be gessoed or prepared some other way before painting? What about any cover coat for protection? Any other ideas? I’m afraid to start & ruin my all time favorite piece of luggage!