Turn An Antique Trunk Into a Bookshelf

You know I love shelving, and lately you’ve seen us turn a dresser and sad old wardrobe into an awesome built-in closet, so you should also know I love making old things new again. And if we can combine the two, well, double the love! When I saw how our guest turned this gorgeous antique trunk into a bookshelf, I couldn’t wait to share it with you…

Old trunks, suitcases, and chests fit right in with the lovely vintage and travel themes that are so chic right now. I’ve found some beautiful furniture pieces made from luggage that has already had a nice long life:

Trunk into Bar Cart | My Sweet Savannah

Suitcase Side Table | The Weathered Door

Trunk into Coffee Table | I Heart Naptime

Vintage Trunk with Upholstered Bench | DestinationsVintage on Etsy

Suitcase Wall Shelf | The Little Brown House

And now here’s our lovely guest, Julie, to show you how she cleaned up a hum-drum antique trunk and made it into a beautiful statement piece for her cottage guest bedroom. 

Turn An Antique Trunk Into A Bookshelf
by Julie of Less-Than-Perfect Life of Bliss

Hi! I’m Julie from Less-Than-Perfect Life of Bliss , where I blog about everything from home decorating and furniture makeovers to recipes and family life. With a husband, two teen-agers, a 10- year-old, and a 6-year-old, I’m often told I have my hands full. And while that’s very true, I’ve also got my heart full. I’m always busy with something new to show my readers, and I hope you’ll stop by to see me, too!

Today, I’m sharing one of my most recent projects: an antique trunk transformed into a bookshelf for our guest room. Here’s his story…

This is Eduardo.

Sure, he’s got baggage. After all, in his previous life, he was a trunk. 

He looked like this when my husband brought him home several months ago. 

And even though he looked rough, we knew on the inside he was full of potential.

So, over the past few weeks, we decided to invest a little time in him and see what he could become with a little T.L.C.

We waxed him up on the outside…

And removed all the junk from the inside…

Then my husband made him a nice new liner and cut some shelves to fit…

And I got busy painting and giving him some new legs.

And when he was all done, he had become the perfect piece for our Vacation Cottage Guest Room.

And now Eduardo the trunk has become Eduardo the bookshelf.

And a very handsome bookshelf he is, too. (If I do say so myself.)

I love that his new interior gives him vintage charm,

And yet his well-traveled persona still shows through…

And even though he never told us much about his life as a trunk, he’ll be full of plenty of interesting stories from now on.

I think he’s gonna like it here.

To see more of our guest room (featured in this year’s Feb/March Issue of Cottages and Bungalows), click here.

Sources and stories: 

• The liner for the trunk is a custom-printed piece my husband made (he’s in the graphics business), but fabric or wallpaper could be used for a project like this as well.
• We bought the legs at Home Depot for around $3 each.
• Shelves and legs spray-painted in Rust-oleum’s Satin Heirloom White.
• Shutter above and items on the shelves were all thrifted or gifted.
• Rug under the desk is this one from Ballard Designs.
• Find more about all other pieces in the room in the previous guest room posts on my blog!

Don’t you just LOVE Eduardo? What an amazing transformation, and we didn’t even have to watch a reality TV show to witness it! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing with us, Julie! Be sure to visit Julie at Less-Than-Perfect Life of Bliss to see all the other amazing and beautiful things she is doing!

Published: October 17, 2013Filed Under: Before and After, Decorate, Furniture Building Projects and Plans, Guest Bloggers Tagged: Bookcases, Furniture, Guest Bloggers, Shelves, shelving, upcycled shelf, Vintage

About Cass

Cassity started Remodelaholic with her husband, Justin, to share their love for knocking out walls together. Since then, Remodelaholic has become a great community and resource for all those wanting to know how to make their builder-grade home BEAUTIFUL on a budget!