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You are here: Home / DIY Home Gallery / How to Repurpose a Vintage Suitcase for your Home Decor

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How to Repurpose a Vintage Suitcase for your Home Decor

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Do you love a good vintage suitcase? I have collected three of them over the years and they have really become so shabby looking!   I have used them as plant stands, side tables, under beds, etc…  And they are now so tattered.  Therefore, I’ve decided to spruce up these vintage suitcases with a little paint and style them, so that they will fit in my sunroom.

How to Repurpose a Vintage Suitcase for your Home Decor

Here is the vintage suitcase before.  Notice all the water stains and a few tears?  Just eww! So shabby looking!

Vintage suitcase taped up for painting.

So I wasn’t totally sure where I was going to go with this when I started.  I just know I wanted the vintage suitcase to look clean and bright.  I chose an antique white paint that I had on hand and taped the snaps and the leather.  I thought the snaps and leather would pop against the antique white, maintaining that vintage feel.

Vintage suitcase with white paint and blue painters tape

It wasn’t necessary for any primer, as the vintage suitcase was already so dry, and absorbed the paint very quickly.  

Vintage suitcase with two coats of antique white paint.

Here is the vintage suitcase after two coats of paint.  I luv how the snaps and leather are popping against the white.  But I think I will need some Oops to clean up the locks, as I decided that freestyle painting around them was easier than taping them up.  I was very wrong…LOL

Vintage painted white suitcase

Here is one vintage suitcase completely painted white and I still need to clean up the handles.  However, I am loving the bright, clean look of it!  In the end, I put three coats of paint on both suitcases.

Vintage suitcase with painters tape for DIY

So I decided I wanted to add some pale yellow stripes to the smaller suitcase, which is the same paint color that I have on my walls.  So I used painter’s tape to create the space to paint two pale yellow stripes.  

Vintage suitcase with painters tape with yellow stripes.

I waited about 24 hours after painting before I removed the tape and I started to position and decorate with them in my sunroom.  I love how they turned out!!!  

How to Repurpose a Vintage Suitcase for your Home Decor

The vintage suitcase looks so clean and fresh while still maintaining that same vintage feel.

How to Repurpose a Vintage Suitcase for your Home Decor

You may also like the post How to Make Beautiful DIY Farmhouse Baskets here.

How to Repurpose a Vintage Suitcase for your Home Decor
How to Repurpose a Vintage Suitcase for your Home Decor

I’m so glad you dropped by, and if you are new to my blog, welcome! I hope you enjoyed your visit with us here today at our Home in Vermont.

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How to Repurpose a Vintage Suitcase for your Home Decor

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Meet Ann

Welcome to Dabbling & Decorating, a thrifty & vintage home decorating blog.  A place where I love to share decorating tips, vintage and thrifty finds, DIY projects, and antiques from our collected homes in Vermont and Coastal Maine. And our Berner, Ella who loves to pop in from time to time…  I’m so thrilled you stopped by today and I hope you will become a regular here at Dabbling & Decorating! Read more.

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Welcome to Dabbling & Decorating, a thrifty & vintage home decorating blog.  A place where I love to share decorating tips, vintage and thrifty finds, DIY projects, and antiques from our collected homes in Vermont and Coastal Maine. And our Berner, Ella who loves to pop in from time to time…  I’m so thrilled you stopped by today and I hope you will become a regular here at Dabbling & Decorating! Read more here.

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Good morning friends, today Ella and I are thrille Good morning friends, today Ella and I are thrilled to be joining the gals of #homeandgardenig as this weeks feature🏠🌱🌸
They have a fabulous write up and hashtag if you’re interested in playing along weekly🤗👇🏻
“Ann’s beautiful Vermont and Coastal Maine homes are always ready for entertaining . She has a eye for color , thrifting and charming decor . Come see what Ann and her sidekick Ella are up too on one of their adventurous days🐾🐾
Want to be featured on HGIG?🏡🍂
✅SHARE a photo using #HomeandGardenIG
✅FOLLOW all of your HGIG hosts and guest host:
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🍂Kate @ahousewren
🍃Tonja @sparrowhomedesign
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🍂 Guest Host and 📸: Ann @dabbling_and_decorating
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✅We choose an account to feature each Friday as a co-host!🏡🍂
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✅Hosts share their favorites in stories so don’t forget to tag us!🏡🍂
#berner #summerdecor #lilacseason #lilacs #sunroom #sunroomdecor #sunrooms #cottagecore #cottage #cottagecoreaesthetic
Good morning friends💙💔☕️ #patrioticdeco Good morning friends💙💔☕️
#patrioticdecor #patriotic #berner #patrioticpup #americana #porchdecor #porchsitting #porchlife #myfestivefrontporch #frontporch
Looking for some patriotic decorating ideas for th Looking for some patriotic decorating ideas for this Memorial Day weekend?🇺🇸💙❤️
Today on the blog I’m sharing “Simple Vintage Americana Porch Table Ideas” and joining 8 other very talented bloggers too💙❤️🇺🇸
Go to 👉🏻@dabbling_and_decorating and click on the blog link🔗
Joining me on today’s tour is:
@pashaishome 
@rachel_thepondsfarmhouse 
@cottageinthemitten 
@simply2moms 
@robyns_frenchnest 
@tatertotsandjello 
@whitearrowshome 
Have a great day❤️💙🇺🇸
#patrioticdecor #redwhiteandblue #patriotic #memorialdaydecor #setthetable #tablesetting #berner #tabledecor #alfresco
Lilacs, McCoy & Sweet Lemon by @antiquecandleco_ 💜💛
Happy Monday friends💜💛
#lilac #lilacs #lilacseason #lilacflowers #mccoy #mccoypottery #freshblooms #vintageinspiredblooms #homeandgarden #homeandgardenig
Happy Sunday💜💙 “Bountiful Bouquets of Lil Happy Sunday💜💙
“Bountiful Bouquets of Lilacs” #ontheblog 
#basketoflilacs #lilac #lilacs #lilacseason #vermontliving #vermontlife #vermonting #mynewengland #lilacflowers #lilacaesthetic
Did you know that the “Vintage Vibe Aesthetic” Did you know that the “Vintage Vibe Aesthetic” is super popular right now💙🙌🏻
Here I hang my mother’s handmade quilt out on our clothesline for the first time this spring. I am mindful of the fresh clean clothesline sheets from my youth and the care my mother took in the everyday💙🙏🏻
That nostalgia is what we refer to as “The Vintage Vibe Aesthetic”💙🙏🏻
Join me over on the Blog to see more along with #thriftingwiththegals 👉🏻 @dabbling_and_decorating and click on the Blog link🔗💙💙
- 💙 Ann
#quilt #vintagevibes #vintagevibe #quiltsofinstagram #quiltlove #familyheirloom #quilts #handmadequilt #heirloomquilt #blueandwhiteforever #blueandwhiteamour
“Bountiful Bouquets of Lilacs”💜💜 and “ “Bountiful Bouquets of Lilacs”💜💜 and “Vintage Vibe Aesthetics to Treasure” are what’s on the blog this morning🤗
And #thriftingwiththegals has it all covered this month💜💜💪🏻
👉🏻 @dabbling_and_decorating and click on the blog link🔗
Joining me on today’s “Thrifting with the Gals” Blog Hop is:
@rachel_thepondsfarmhouse 
@whitearrowshome 
@robyns_frenchnest 
GUEST HOST:
Cindy @cindy.countyroad407 
I’d love for you to stop by and join in on all the fun over on the blogs🤗
Have the best day❣️
- Ann
#lilacs #lilac #lilacseason #basketoflilacs #thecolorpurple #purpleflowers #springflowers #bloomsoftheday #beautifulblooms #birdsandblooms
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