Living in a loft with absolutely no closets storage is one of my biggest challenges. Storage is a necessity, but since I have no doors to hide boxes behind and no attic to keep seasonal items hidden, it has to also be visually appealing. I have found a few clever ways to stow away those items I seldom use, but can’t part with.

I’m a bite of an antique junkie and there is nothing I love more than a really good bargain, so most of my solutions to decorating dilemmas come in the form of something really old that may have been forgotten or even thrown away. Steamer trunks are a favorite of mine. Not only do steamer trunks provide a great place to hide your goodies but they can multitask! That is the best part. A trunk can function as a coffee table, side table, a bench at the end of a bed; the list of possibilities is really endless.

My grandpa picked this one up for me at an estate sale for only $3!! I store my Christmas decorations inside of it. The baskets stacked on top add additional storage as well. I keep books and magazines in those.

I found these two at the Rose Bowl flea market in Pasadena California. One of them houses my art easel, paints, brushes and other supplies. The other is where I keep all of my scrapbooking things such as stickers, glitter, rhinestones, tons of paper, decorative scissors and pictures.

I searched high and low to find pictures of other beautiful trunks and how they have been used in clever ways. Here are some of my findings:

You know what else works really great for extra storage? The answer is vintage luggage. They can be stacked from biggest to smallest along side of a bed to make a great night stand or a table at the side of a sofa. Here’s another idea, antique lunch pails or canister sets are a cute way to store tea bags, sugar packets or cookies in the kitchen.

Do you have antique or vintage finds that you use in a clever way? Share your ideas with me in the comment section. I love to hear from my readers.

Click on the image above to join in on a Blissfull blog party!