bohemian Archives - A Friend Afar

I’m heading in a different direction today on A Friend Afar. I’ve been sharing all of my stories from France lately, but today I’d like to share with you one of the ways I stay inspired by travel when I’m at home. In addition to framed photographs from our trips and souvenirs like textiles and ceramics, we have a few vintage suitcases in our home. Our suitcases are stacked on a vintage luggage rack and serve as a nightstand in our bedroom.

Vintage Suitcase Nightstand - Wanderlust Style: Suitcases as Decor - www.AFriendAfar

Here’s a nightstand similar to ours. [Source: Home DIT]

Vintage suitcases are easy to find at antique and thrift stores and are often very affordable. I always love finding ones with monograms, stickers of locations, and old airline luggage tags! I like to imagine where they went and what air, train, and ship travel was like back then! Suitcases are a great choice for vintage and global DIY furniture because you really can’t go wrong! Just stack them high or low for side tables or even just for displaying vignettes. They also serve as hidden storage, so for smaller homes or apartments, they are the perfect choice! I’ve gathered some of my favorite ideas below.

Suitcase Stack - Wanderlust Style: Suitcases as Decor - www.AFriendAfar

I love this stack of vintage suitcases holding a vintage globe. Perfect vintage wanderlust style! [Source: Charity Chic]

Suitcase Stack Nightstand - Wanderlust Style: Suitcases as Decor - www.AFriendAfar

Another bedside table, and I love the old camera placed delicately on top. [Source: Style Me Pretty Living]

Suitcase Coffee Table - Wanderlust Style: Suitcases as Decor - www.AFriendAfar

Don’t limit yourself to side tables – these larger pieces of vintage luggage make a great coffee table and conversation piece! [Source: Eye for Design]

Suitcase Shelf - Wanderlust Style: Suitcases as Decor - www.AFriendAfar

Here’s an interesting twist! This suitcase is attached to the wall as a shelf, and it makes a great nightstand with its pockets and storage space! [Source: Design Sponge]

Suitcase Table - Wanderlust Style: Suitcases as Decor - www.AFriendAfar

I love these matching suitcases as a low side table in a living room. Since they’re stacked lower to the ground, the room still feels spacious. [Source: Style Me Pretty Living]

Suitcase Medicine Cabinet - Wanderlust Style: Suitcases as Decor - www.AFriendAfar

How fun is this suitcase medicine cabinet? They just added a mirror and attached it to the wall. So easy! [Source: Blake Sloan]

Here are a few more of my favorite ideas for displaying vintage suitcases around your home.

Do you have any suitcases that you use for storage and decoration? Tell me about them in the comments!

: Another Gorgeous Grouping

: Side Table Stack

: Suitcases & Succulents

: Painted White to Match

: Luxurious LV Trunks

1. I love the plant sitting on top of these beautiful suitcases. [Source: Eye for Design]
2. See how easy it is to make a side table with storage? [Source: Globally Gorgeous]
3. Potted succulents and old books are displayed in these pretty suitcases. [Source: Apartment Therapy]
4. You can even paint your suitcase for a fun and quirky piece of furniture. [Source: Apartment Therapy]
5. What a lucky find these Louis Vuitton suitcases were! [Source: Victoria Pearson via Apartment Therapy]

Meagan Martz at A Friend Afar

Meagan grew up in the North Georgia Mountains and spent her first trip abroad in Italy. She’s been traveling all over the world ever since, learning Spanish, Japanese, and Thai. She travels for the food, the culture, and the history.

http://www.AFriendAfar.com

“and we laugh and laugh and
all I know is
at this moment I feel like
I can do anything I want
and be anyone I want
and go anywhere on the globe
and still call it home”
― Kirsten Smith, The Geography of Girlhood

When my friends come over, they say my husband’s and my home is so very “us” in every way. I think what they mean is that we decorate with our travel photos, our souvenirs, our vintage maps, and globes. If we aren’t traveling, we’re thinking about it, and we like for our home to inspire us each and every day. We like for it to remind us of the other places we’ve called home and the places that have made an impact on our hearts.

I came across this awesome artist recently, Wild and Free Designs. That sounds like us, doesn’t it? Wild and Free! She takes vintage globes and paints beautiful quotes on them that inspire you to dream and explore. It’s something that I would love to do, but even though I have the ideas, I consistently fail at hand-lettering. She, however, is amazing at it. Check out her shop and her Instagram for more of her amazing work!