The Coffee Table Alternative With Vintage Charm That Doubles As Storage

Coffee tables can make or break the way a living room looks and feels. If you're on the hunt for a traditional coffee table alternative that exudes classic charm yet is also incredibly practical, you may want to consider repurposing a vintage trunk as a coffee table. All it takes is a few little additions such as legs and perhaps a tray on top to make it extra functional.

While a vintage trunk brings old world charm and quirky vintage decor to your home, it's also very useful — especially if you live in a small house or apartment where every bit of square footage matters. Instead of taking up space as a surface for merely putting items on, a vintage trunk can pull double-duty as both a table and storage solution. From seasonal items to living room essentials that you use every day, a vintage trunk coffee table can both look beautiful and make organizing your home a lot easier.

You can, of course, keep the trunk in its original condition for a rustic coffee table look. But if you want to customize it a bit so that it feels more like functional furniture and less like an antique, there are a few simple DIY additions you can incorporate. For example, your trunk may not be the optimal height for a coffee table, so you may want to consider attaching feet to the bottom so that items on top are easier to reach. Try using hairpin legs, or repurpose table or vanity legs, which can be screwed directly into the bottom of the trunk using t-nuts. If you want to add legs while still keeping the trunk in its original condition, you can create a wooden base with legs screwed into it, and place the trunk on top.

If you want a coffee table that feels a bit more modern, you can also sand down your vintage trunk and paint it to match other existing decor. Vintage trunks you'd find at an antique or thrift store are usually dark and muted in color — which is great if you're going for a rustic look. But if you want something bright and fresh, try painting your trunk white or cream, so that it still exudes vintage charm with a contemporary twist.

If your vintage trunk has metal or leather bands or straps around it and you want a more even coffee table surface, you may also consider adding a tray on top to hold candles, cups, and coasters. Whether you opt for a rattan, wood, or metal tray, this is another opportunity to customize your trunk without compromising the original look and permanently altering it.

Since your coffee table lives at the heart of the living room, it's also the perfect spot for holding some living room essentials. For example, to keep the living room tidy, store throw blankets and pillows away in your coffee table trunk when you aren't using them. Your couch will look less cluttered, but your blankets and pillows will also be easily within reach when you need them. If you live in a climate with more drastic summers and winters, you could also store weather-appropriate blankets in your trunk during off-seasons — such as lighter blankets for warmer days, and thicker winter blankets for colder temperatures.

While your kids may have their own bedroom or playroom full of toys and stuffed animals, children often drag their playthings into communal areas like the living room as well. So why not use your coffee table storage as a toy chest to keep some of your kid's favorite, most-used toys and books in as well? (Bonus: it will make living room cleanup at the end of the day a lot easier.)

The living room is also often at the heart of holiday celebrations — from cozy fall sessions around the fireplace, to Christmas and New Year's traditions. So storing a bunch of your seasonal decor in your living room's vintage trunk coffee table — where it's easy to access and switch out between seasons — is an excellent idea for those of us with lots of festive ornaments. Your coffee table statement piece is the perfect spot for storing seasonal mantel piece garlands, for example, or your favorite seasonal candles.