I’ve been thinking about storage solutions a lot lately– specifically a solution to hide Samantha’s ever-growing pyramid of toys. While Barbie legs and My Little Ponies peeking out of every corner of the house might be somewhat expected when you have two girls, I’d love it if my living room didn’t look like a volcano erupted in it, spewing pink lava as far as the eye can see.
So like I said. I’ve been trying to think of creative (inexpensive) ways to store her mess that doesn’t involve buying more plastic bins. My hunt has led me to the wonderful world of vintage trunks and suitcases.
via Country Living
It’s perfect! Cheap, eco-friendly, and interesting–which is always a winning combo in my book. Better yet, they’re the perfect size to hold dolls and tea sets while keeping them all together and out of sight.
Plus, she and my nephew love to pretend they’re going on trips whenever he comes over to play (usually Africa by boat or train but sometimes they take a plane to California). When they inevitably dump all the toys on the floor, they can use the suitcases as toys too (I’ll just have to bribe them with chocolate to make sure all the toys end up back in the suitcases in the end).
Suitcases also happen to be a perfect big girl storage solution. I love the idea of stacking them to make a bedside table like in the photo below.
via Elements of Style
It’s a great place to store extra blankets (lord knows I have a never-ending supply of those!) or off-season clothes–just make sure you don’t put something you use a lot in the bottom. That would make this look go from cute to unbearably annoying in no time.
via Design*Sponge
I think my favorite idea is the one above from Design*Sponge. They give an insanely easy DIY tutorial on turning a vintage suitcase into a table. How cool is that? It makes for a great conversation piece with lots of charm and it lets you stash your junk out of site. I love it!
Here are some vintage pieces that I found on Etsy…
