Turn Vintage Pieces Into Beautiful Storage Solutions
88All of us have used some type of vintage item as a favourite storage solution. Vintage mason or apothecary jars, for example, are among the most popular. If not an original, than a vintage style glass or crystal jar with custom modification to enhance the vintage, but clean it up a bit.
Beans, buttons, pasta, birthday bows, we store these items in vintage storage solutions every day. Why? Because they are beautiful. Because there is a warmth and a pleasing aestheticism that you can only get from vintage styles.
It was this particular photo below that got me really thinking of the wonderful beauty and possibilities that vintage pieces have to offer the modern home. Using a card catalog of all things to store ones wine and liqueur! Absolutely brilliant!
Vintage card catalogs in all sizes and styles are totally awesome vintage storage solutions. I've come to find many imagined uses on the web and in my mind. A great place to store jewellery for one. Greeting cards, photos, and keepsakes for another.
I noticed that there are many sites and blogs that appreciate or specialize in vintage storage pieces. (Links can be found below this hub.) This is enough to get anyone giddy with excitement. There's a whole world out there of people just like me who relish in the creative process of putting vintage items to good use.
Vintage suitcases and travelling trunks have long been used for a more permanent method of storage. A black vintage travel trunk belonging to past relatives, one that has seen many a train and carriage in its lifetime, currently serves as a window table and filled with Christmas storage, from lights and ornaments to pillows and mantle piece décor.
A smaller cedar lined trunk serves as a coffee table and is quite pregnant with all sorts of wrapping paper, ribbons, gift bags, and greeting cards. And yes, the cedar still smells wonderful.
Our use of these vintage storage solutions is quite satisfying. Not only do we get to enjoy the nostalgia and beauty of these vintage heirlooms, but our holiday and gift wrapping items are stored away nicely, and are still close at hand. For us, this is a perfect solution for a 1920's home that has not too much in the way of closet space.
The photos to the right explore a small variety of uses for vintage and vintage style pieces.
Vintage wire and metal pieces have grown exceedingly popular. So popular in fact that many modifications have been made to suite the modern lifestyle. Vintage wiring is often mimicked in modern pieces. Their simple beauty is much to blame. They work well in any room in the house. Unfortunately, for the same reasons, their popularity makes them increasingly more expensive to buy.
For this last reason, your best bet is to buy pieces that are not in perfect condition; ones that, perhaps, have rusted over time, but not all the way through. These pieces are just as easy to work with. A little bit of elbow grease, and they can be good as new. A bit of spray paint can brighten them up. After that, your imagination can go wild, creating a piece that suits your storage needs.
Other metal pieces, such as lockers, make for wonderful vintage storage solutions. Extra shelves can be put in. Small baskets, hat boxes, and the like, can store necessary items for a home office. These can be useful in homework spaces, mudrooms, and yes, even breakfast rooms. Tins, jars, trays, and the like, can hold goodies, utensils, craft work, even collected seashells from family vacations at the beach, keeping all dust free and safe.
Keep your eye out for those special vintage pieces. Let your mind wander for uses that are outside the box. If you can't find just what you're looking for, there's usually a way to turn vintage pieces into exactly what you want with a little refurbishing and modifications. And if the search for the vintage cool and chic doesn't float your boat, there are retailers across the globe that just may have that cool and chic vintage style storage solution you've been looking for.
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Woohoo! Card Catalogs!
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Library card catalog cabinet 72 drawers-great for storage or organization!
Current Bid: $550.00
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Antique Oak Library Card File Catalog Cabinet with Four Drawers
Current Bid: $112.50
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LIBRARY CARD CABINET CATALOG INDEX WOOD METAL FILE BOX ANTIQUE BRODART 9 DRAWER
Current Bid: $199.99
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Links to More Great Vintage Storage Solutions and Ideas...
- Inspiration: Using An Old Card Catalog as A Bar | Apartment Therapy San Francisco
- the haystack needle: vintage storage finds on etsy
Sure, the wonderful world of Etsy is first connected with handmade finds. But I love shopping the vintage shops, too. Here's a bunch of vintage storage finds from Etsy and a look at what's great about vintage shopping on Etsy: - Boliger, design, interir, mbler, cityguides og arkitektur - RUM
RUM Magazine. Interior design. Much vintage for the home can be found here. - one sydney road
i'm an aspiring new boutique owner, wannabe interior designer and indie design devotee. i have a love (ok, obsession) for discovering new things and sharing them with others. here is where I get to share my "finds", talk about my plans to escape the - Birch + Bird Vintage Home Interiors
- Interiors Guide: Vintage storage tips for every room | QueensOfVintage.com
Are you bored of plain old plastic boxes, uninspired by shelving units and fatigued by flat-pack furniture? We are! To help make your storage a - The Constant Gatherer
- Nate Berkus: Nate Berkus: Design Finds Under $30
The Nate Berkus Show, Nate Berkus, Susan Brinson, Vintage, Storage Space - Vintage Indie
Vintage Indie is a daily blog highlighting vintage, collectibles, antiques, handmade goods and more. Showcasing independent sellers, designers & store owners as well as their buyers. Find inspirational DIY projects, home tours, interviews and mor - Kitchen Tour Favorites: Five Creative Storage Solutions | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn
- NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Wrought Iron Vintage : Modern Storage Solution
- Colour Luxury Vintage Storage Solutions
- the haystack needle: vintage storage finds on etsy
Sure, the wonderful world of Etsy is first connected with handmade finds. But I love shopping the vintage shops, too. Here's a bunch of vintage storage finds from Etsy and a look at what's great about vintage shopping on Etsy: - Inspiration: Vintage Storage Small Space Solutions | Apartment Therapy Re-Nest
- Inspiration: Using An Old Card Catalog as A Bar | Apartment Therapy San Francisco
- the office | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
(- vintage card catalogues make for great storage as you'll see -) - 11 Uses for Repurposed Library Card Catalogs | Poetic Home
If you find a library card catalog for sale, be inspired by these 11 uses for card catalogs in your home.
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Hey there StayInBegas. You're so welcome. Glad you stopped in. Thanks much.
Very nice...I use a trunk as my coffee table. Looks good and great for storage...
Beautiful hub! So many ideas to consider. I love the vintage suitcases!
I think we're kindred spirits...:)
I love anything vintage...I love discovering it at garage sales, auctions, or wherever--there's nothing that can beat that special thrill of finding a beautiful vintage item, is there? :D
I use vintage all over our home, but especially in the kitchen--how can you pass on old canister sets when you come across them? You can store so much in those things! lol
Terrific hub--I really enjoyed it!!! :)
really fabulous hub-- gave me some great ideas
I love, love, love this! Years ago, my father gave me an antique card stand made out of cherry wood, which I cherish. I found several uses for it; but this hub has afforded me with even more ideas. Thank you!
I adore things with lots of little drawers and cubbies. Oh and I write this with my feet on an old steamer trunk/coffee table.
What great ideas! i love the card catalog and the vintage lockers. Thanks for an interesting and informative hub, M.
This wonderful hub inspires me to get organized. Those card catalogs look great. I have a hat box that I use as a night stand. Fun stuff. :)
Hey there Uninvited Writer. Trunks make the best coffee tables if you ask me. Sweet choice!.
Hi Amy. I love the suitcases too! Loads of them out there because they were so well made.
Tammy, I'm pretty sure we are kindred spirits. It's been proven time and again. Good to know there are others like us out there, isn't it? And yeah, the kitchen is one of the very best places for vintage storage solutions; the possibilities are endless!
Thanks, Robie2. Love your new pillbox hat hub for the hubmob. Ahhh, vintage.
Genna, wonderful to see you here. Glad this got your inspirational and creative juices for vintage flowing. Thanks so much, glad you love this.
Hey there Randy. Wonderful to see to here today. Love love love steamer trunks. The detailing is so fabulous. Ours still has the old ticket sticker thingies on it; I wish there were more still in tact and that they weren't so worn. Makes it special none the less. And yeah, little cubbies and drawers totally rock; makes it easier to categorize your stuff, doesn't it?
You're so welcome, alekhouse. I know I know, card catalogues and lockers, who knew? And how perfect, right?
Hey there Raven! Tell me about it, inspiration city, right? I've got vintage style stackable hat boxes, stacked and filled with some special stuff, and I use it as a little table by my closet door. Hat boxes make great tables Great thinking to use them as a night stand!
I LOVE the vintage lockers! With 4 kids, I can imagine that they would be functional AND fun. Beautiful hub - rated up as always! :)
Thanks much Steph, and tell me about it, same here. I for one am on the lookout. And you can paint them any color you want - that's exciting. And I want to drill little wholes and put on embellishments like tags and stuff.
Awesome Hub. I love Vintage style and the ideas that you have here are wonderful!
Another idea that I have always loved is using an old vintage shutter for storage too. Either for pictures, or use in the entry way to hang keys and little odds and ends.
Shown in this article:
Great ideas, great savers, thank you for sharing.
Thanks mysisters. Great to see you here. Apartment Therapy is an awesome place, isn't it? I've got a couple of links to there already. Ran across this one in my search. Yeah, a great idea, thanks for adding.
Hello, Hello, hello,. You're so welcome. Thanks much for popping in. Glad you enjoyed.
Terrific ideas using vintage pieces for all sorts of storage solutions. Loved the photos! I have quite a few interesting vintage pieces handed down in the family. May have to write about them!
Peggy, I think that's a fantastic idea. I'd love to hear the history of those vintage pieces. I think that one of the things that's so intriguing about vintage and antiques is their possible history. Go for it!
As a locksmith, a multitude of compartmentalized storage space was an absolute must, but your hub enlightens me to the aesthetic possibilities. Bravo.
Hi Frieda - I must admit to being a vintage nut and have a pile of those old paper suitcases that I use as and end table. The suitcases are full of old pictures and memorabilia. The card catalogue is is such a cool idea. I remember using those old card catalogues at the library back in the day.
Thanks Tom. Yes, I would imagine so! You have to be very organized with loads of compartments to separate everything you work with. Now if you can have loads of compartments that look fabulous too, you've got it made. Do I see a card catalogue or some such vintage solution in your future?
Hey there Dolores. How goes it? I remember those paper suitcases. I had a miniature version of those that I kept all my doll clothes in for my My Friend Mandy. It had Coco Ribe or something like that all over it.
Yeah, I miss those old card catalogues. I really do, sigh.
I love the look of vintage pieces, and you might as well reuse something rather than throw it away.
And I just found another old paper suitcase in the attic! It was empty! Oh boy, another one to add to the stack. After I fill it with more old junk - of which I have way too much, haha!
Absolutely SweetiePie. My thoughts exactly.
Oh fantastic, Dolores. Ah too much old junk. So darn cool though, isn't it?
oh my goodness, this hub was so luscious! I am salivating ... thanks for a wonderful hub.
Oh, thanks so much prairieprincess! You are so welcome. This hub was a special one to do. Always great to have an opportunity to share things on a favorite subject and to know that there are so many out there that feel the same. So glad you popped in. =D
Loved this Frieda. I have an old radio made from mountain ash as a furniture piece. It was one of the first radios made in my city and is quite beautiful and very strong.
Thanks earnestshub, and wonderful to see you here. What a brilliant idea! I wish you could post photos into the comments because I'd love to see it. I bet it's gorgeous. Fabulous, thanks for sharing that.
Love vintage...and love that it takes very little imagination to create wonderful stories from the items. :) Voted up.
Mega thanks for the vote up, RTalloni. I love that about vintage too. I think that's one of the things that attracts me to vintage items is the stories, the possible stories, the history, and the being able to extend their lives.
Hey Frieda, I really enjoyed this article. I live in one of the birthplaces of the Arts and Crafts movement (our Greene & Greene "Gamble House" was the professor's home in Back to the Future) and there are always vintage surprises in the local estate sales. I recently bought a marvelous antique original green painted all-wooden file cabinet that is wide and deep. I use it for all my sweaters and jeans. There is a cool looking old lavatory chair with vintage porcelain in the thrift store across from my business but I just can't bring myself to buy it for storage--flowers? umbrellas? "pot"ed plant?
Thanks for another stellar article--please keep them coming--I'm still looking for the "What to do in St. Louis" hub--maybe you can start with where to shop for vintage finds. =:)
Great hub! My whole house is vintage, so this is right up my alley. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this article. Looking forward to reading more of your posts!
I love the old card catalogues - this is just what I need for my vintage jewelry, odds and ends, and - um - notecards (not vintage, but I depend on them when I write articles!)
Winsome, I don't know that I could bring myself to get that certain item from storage either, lol. What a cool house! How awesome is that! I know I know (about the hubs), I've getting some pictures taken of different places. It's just taking me a while with so much going on. I'll get there. Bare with me.
Hey there, Gigi, great to see you. I see you ALSO have a gorgeous vintage name, from one of my favourite movies! Glad you stopped in. Thanks so much.
Lidian, I know! And yeah, perfect for notecards, and sorting coins, and pens and pencils, and whiteout strips, and post its, and paperclips, and highlighters, and crayons, and chalk, and dry erase markers, and... It's like an office supply lovers dream storage solution!
Now I have to get me a card catalogue. I would never have thought of that idea if not for this hub. Very nice hub.
Some great ideas here. I like in particular the wine and liqueur storage. Excellent hub. Thanks for sharing.
God I love any thing retro. I have got so much vintage at home I simply din't know what to do with it all
so much furniture in my place - now im glad i didnt throw it out
I love the suitcases as end tables and the Dewey Decimal Wine Den! lol Great Hub!
What great ideas. Thanks for posting!
great, nice pics and vids
A great hub. I enjoyed reading it and it gave me a lot of ideas.
Excellent Hub, Great ideas. Thanks, Alex the Macedon
This is a cute idea. I would cation people on going to overboard with this because it can cross the line and make a room's look go from creative to cluttered pretty quick.
So glad to hear so many found this hub useful. With a little bit of imagination, the world of vintages and antiques can be a wonderful creative outlet filled with fabulous storage solution ideas. They make great gifts too, as I've discovered.
@ScentsForCandels, yes, and it's all out feeling comfortable in your space as well though. My advice on top of yours is, to gift pieces that don't work out as well as you thought.
What a wonderful hub!
I love the vintage look. Actually I'm a total vintage fan. I think it's a great idea to reuse old things and make them into great storage places. You have shared some fabulous ideas here!
Voted up, awesome and Sharing!
Thanks!
Hi SanneL. So glad you came across this. Thanks so much. It's wonderful to meet another fellow lover of vintage. Great ideas are just an imagination away.
Great post, i might reuse some of your brilliant ideas. Thanks for sharing Frieda !
Hi, Thomas. Oh I hope you do use some of these ideas, you are so welcome. I'm glad you came across these. Reinventing and revamping vintage pieces always keeps me in the creative spirit. Good for the soul.
Wow; my heart dropped when I saw that card catalog with wine in it. Excellent. Thanks so very, very much.
Jakob, mine did too! It was my inspiration for this whole hub. You are sooooo welcome.
When my grandmother was living she used to have a hamper delivered at christmas full of all her christmas fare. One of these hampers was given to me. It is a wicker one, some 4' x 2.6' foot long and approx 2' deep.
I have it positioned at the foot of my bed and store all my bed linen in it. It has moved house with me on numerous occassions and has survived the test of time, some (cough cough) 3o years.
There is definitely something to be said about vintage items. Loved the hub, Frieda. It brought back a memory, I had long since forgotten.
How cool is that, Hawkesdream. Time goes by, doesn't it? It seems it goes by faster each year. Great storage solution. I think I know the ones you mean because my mother had one similar that she'd passed onto me to use for my dolls and such. It might have been about that size, but it seemed so much bigger. I totally forgot about that. She had painted it an antique blue. Wow. Memories.
Loved this hub - there are some very neat ideas here. Loved the card catalog wine holder! I'll be sharing this with my followers:)
Frieda, I LOVE the card catalog idea. It can even be used for simpler goods than vintage wine bottles. How about sewing supplies? Napkin rings and their corresponding cloth napkins? Serving spoons for special occasions. The mind goes wild with the possibilities! Love it! Voted up and interesting.
These are such great ideas! So often, I will see a cool piece at a consignment store and think wow, that's great, but what would I do with it? In the future, maybe I will have an answer to my question! Voted up and useful.
This is so creative and displays wonderful ways to reuse old pieces. I love all the photos. I voted this up and beautiful. :)
Really love your ideas. It's great to combine historial pieces with modern needs and style!
StayInVegas 15 months ago
Awesome hub and pictures, Frieda! I'm usually not into vintage but you made me think again. :) Thank you.