How to Transform old Travel Luggage into Home Furniture

With their peculiar retro charm, the suitcases that become old are still stimulating our interest in interior design. Even when they have ceased to accompany you on your trips, they may have a place in the furnishings of your home.

Old suitcases can be found in an outdoor bazaar or forgotten in the attic. We have found some original ideas on how to give a second life to these once useful objects.

So, with some DIY skills you can make a portable speaker for example. Or turn the suitcase into a rack drawer or, on its own, in a shelf. A little more … demanding is turning it into a bedside table or an armchair. But again, all this can be done within a day. 

Idea 1: Bedside or auxiliary table

With the legs from an old table and some wooden crossbeams you can create this convenient table from a suitcase: ideal for a coffee table or a bedside table. The bottom of the suitcase is reinforced with wood panels, so that the legs can be screwed firmly. 

Idea 2: Create a Sofa Seat

Although there are so many sofa ideas out there, you will be the only one to have a seating furniture made from an old luggage in your home. You will once again need the legs from a “torn” table and wooden crossbeams. As for the backrest of the seat, it is fixed with wooden laths and angular metal plates. Cushions are a matter of taste.

Idea 3: Chest of Drawers

An old and useless suitcase can work great as a drawer. Here, of course, there are many possibilities. Ideal case: you already have an open rack in which the suitcase fits, without its lid.

Most of the time, however, auxiliary furniture and racks are not as deep as a suitcase. In this case, you only have to take the multi-tool on your hand and shorten the suitcase respectively. To prevent anything from sliding out, secure the back with a sewn strap or a screwed lath.

Alternatively, you can of course make a chest of drawers with open areas in the right dimensions and even adjust it to the colors of the suitcases.

Idea 4: Build a shelf

A suitcase can beautifully decorate a wall. An intermediate wooden shelf (top) painted in gray, some decorative pattern that has been patched with paint and spray paint, and perhaps a little extra lighting, is enough for the transformation.

Somewhat more preparation will be required for the mini bar: At first the suitcase will be reinforced with a frame that will fit the inner side of the bottom. This will give it stability for holding bottles. A wooden lath with slots will serve as a base for the wine glasses.

The lower shelf holds the entire depth of the suitcase so that even the thickest bottles can fit, while a narrow shelf at the top of the lid will provide room for additional accessories such as shaker and dispenser. Fabric ribbons or straps provide the necessary support. But such a shelf can also be nice for other uses: for example, it can be equipped accordingly and used for makeup or as DVD storage.

Idea 5 Radio Suitcase

For this case you will choose a suitcase with a similar, not too hard “shell”. All you need is just low frequency speakers or high and midrange speakers (as in our example), a small amplifier, a 12V battery and of course a cable for the MP3 player.