My Vintage Suitcase Obsession

Vintage suitcases Vintage suitcases stacked in a corner by my fireplace.

My Old Suitcase Obsession

I have been ahead of my time for about 20 years now.  That’s how long it has been since I started to collect old suitcases.  Especially Samsonite suitcases.  And now….they are a thing.  But they were a thing to me a long time ago and they still are a thing.  So much so that I have them all over my house. I can’t even tell you why I love them so much.  I think it’s the history and the idea of travel a long time ago.  

When you enter my house you will see a pretty aqua blue suitcase under a handmade wooden table.  I love to display my favorite things on top of them like my vintage leather camels.  I painted this one with chalk paint and sealed it with white wax because it was a not so attractive brown color with stains.  Looks great I think, and it was easy to do.  

I also used two smaller cases under my buffet/tv console to hide wires.  Not the ones to the left though.  🙂

Another fun thing I do is place a small case on top of my dresser and then place pictures and other items in a small vignette.

My last home had 18 ft. tall ceilings and my dining room had a wall with a ledge on top of it so, I would display a couple of my suitcases up there.  I opened one of them and placed some old cameras and an oil painting in it along with other items to create another vignette.  As you can see,  I’m all about vignettes.  I worked as a showroom designer in a furniture store so I can’t help myself.

These are not all of my suitcases.  I have several more in storage just waiting to be used.  Whenever I’m out at yard sales, estate sales, or flea markets and I see one at a reasonable price I snap it up!  They’re uses are limitless.  But…they are getting harder to find.  I have seen them in a lot of design magazines recently so I think they are catching on.  Darn!!!

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7 Comments

  1. 1

    Hi Denise! What a Great Collection! The are all so unique, I don’t know which one I like the best! I like how you have displayed them all so differently around your home. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

    • 2

      Hi Maria! Thank s so much for your nice comment! I have the same problem, I don’t know which I like best either. I have plans to make a side table with one so that one may be my favorite…or not. Have a great day!

  2. 3

    Hi, Denise! I like the way you’ve integrated your collection throughout your home. I share your lust for the bygone days of travel, though I tend to display model airplanes and other air travel memorabilia. I think luggage provides more practical decor options, such as hiding wires, creating tiered vignettes and probably even offering handy storage. Great ideas!

  3. 6

    Jennifer I love it! Your collections are so cool and I love how you have them peppered throughout your very nice how! Thanks for sharing.

    I know how you feel about moving. My husband and I have moved probably about as many times as you. We lost our home in 2008 when the economy took a nosedive here in the United States. We are still renting. I miss having my own home, the one I want to live in the rest of my life and never move again. I dream about it all of the time. We are starting to get back on our feet now and save money to buy our final home.

    Thanks again for sharing and cheers to you!

  4. 7

    Hi Denise! Those are so neat, I love how you used them. I’ve always loved old suitcases too. I bought a bunch a few years back at a thrift store and sadly they SMELLED too musty to use.. I tried a few tricks, like coffee beans and that seemed to help. Do you have any good tricks to get the scent out? Thanks for sharing your collection!

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