Last Updated on October 28, 2024 by SierraLivingConcepts

Multifunctional Storage Trunk Ideas

Decorating with a beautiful trunk is a creative way to add extra storage to your home. Using a storage coffee table trunk instead of a cocktail table or nightstand changes the entire look of a room. Coffee Table Trunks come in an amazing range of styles – from rustic, primitive blanket chests, to beautifully carved Asian designs, and everything in between. They fit beautifully in Farmhouse and Industrial interior design and add global-inspired flair to a traditional home.

Trunk As a Coffee Table or Cocktail Table

Trunks make sturdy, practical tables. Use a trunk to replace a coffee or cocktail table – a rustic or industrial-style trunk will stand up to people propping their feet up, playing games, and serving food and drink. If your trunk is vintage or rustic looking, any scuffs or scratches added by the family will just give it more character. Most trunks are rectangular, and a bit smaller than a cocktail table, so they save space in front of a sofa.  A taller style is nice for serving snacks or working on a laptop.

An industrial style with wheels lets you move the coffee table easily out of the way for games or cleaning. Or if you have small children, a trunk is the perfect place to hide toddler toys when the adults come over.

They’re also perfect for storing extra bedding when you have a sleeper sofa for guests.  Since you need to move it to unfold the sofa bed, a lighter trunk or one with wheels is a great choice:

If you have a large room and need a lot of table space for entertaining a low square shape is excellent:

When you’re living in an apartment or small space, you’ll love the extra storage a trunk provides. Choose a long, narrow style to hold your record collection, extra linens, old photo albums, or anything else it’s hard to store in a small space.

Trunks As End Tables or Accent Tables

You may not immediately think of using a trunk to replace an end table, but interior designers do it all the time.  Trunks add a lot of character and interest to a room and can help anchor the furniture in a large space. Some of them are sized just right to sit along the arm of a sofa.

A large, square trunk that’s a bit taller can make the perfect corner table between a sofa and a loveseat:

If you need a pair of matching end tables to flank a sofa, look for a square shape that’s between 20″ and 26″ tall. This one has pretty feet and a pair of them would make handsome tables:

The spot between two armchairs is another place where a trunk makes a perfect accent table. Keep it simple with this clean-lined trunk that has wonderful iron strap details. Round shapes fit nicely between square chairs – while this one isn’t the typical trunk, it has storage and style:

In a modern or industrial home, try incorporating a trunk with a metal-and-wood combination.  This one could be either a coffee table or an end table:

Trunks To Use As Tables

What if your interior design style isn’t Rustic, Industrial, or Farmhouse? What if your style is Traditional?  Traditional interiors are influenced by English country house style. The English traveled the globe for centuries, bringing back treasures from all over. So an Asian-style trunk, or one hand-painted with flowers, heavily carved, or showing an Indian influence, looks surprisingly at home in a Traditional room.

In a small, formal sitting room, or even a bedroom, a pretty floral chest makes a perfect tea table:

In a cottage-style room, a large trunk that’s hand-painted and distressed adds to the room’s character and relaxed charm:

Add some color to a comfortable, Traditional living room with a trunk that’s painted with historic or exotic scenes:

Painted trunks can act as a showpiece in your room. If your sofa has its back to the front door, consider using a beautifully painted trunk behind the sofa as a table. The painted front will greet visitors when they come in the front door, and add a lot of color and character to your home.

Sometimes you’ll have space along a wall that seems to need a piece of furniture – but a table or console just doesn’t look right. An interesting trunk can stand alone in an entry, or under a painting, to anchor a space and make a bold statement.

Next time you’re looking for the perfect table to fill a spot, consider using a trunk – every home could use more storage, and a beautiful trunk makes a great conversation piece.