Junk In The Trunk

Got your attention? I’m not going in that direction. And, I really don’t have junk to speak of anyways.

I can’t turn down these trunks. As in, I love a wonderfully constructed, ornately designed trunk. My count’s up to 3. Call it an addiction. Some people collect ottomans, some people collect vases, I, apparently, collect large wooden boxes that take up lots of space and need to be creatively displayed.

But I love the imagined history, I love the storage ability, I love the practicality. It’s the furniture form of me, well, except for being very worn (I’ll wear eventually too, it’s inevitable).

One came from Poland with mom’s ancestors (completely allegedly, who knows, people exaggerate). It’s stored in my bedroom, and holds lots of extra blankets as well as some ski wear.

Another one was $15 at a garage sale. It’s the flat-topped one that subbed in for a coffee table after I moved in and somehow stayed a permanent, rugged fixture in the living room. (The curly willows are not permanently there, I wrote about them over here.)

The newest, a fantastically maintained gift from a dear friend, has already found a home in the coming-together-slowly guest room.

Let me focus in on the details of this for a moment:

Leather handles. Wow. Well, this is the one that’s still intact. It’s obviously brittle, but it’s beautiful. Handle with care.

Functioning latches. No key, but the detailing is amazing.

It’s huge, people.

There’s a fabulously functional and inset tray, whose subdivides make me way, way too excited about organization (the one in my bedroom has one of these too, swoon).

And it’s lined in what appears to be a canvas-y cloth, which is just a spectacular, not to mention it has a fine, detailed paper trim lining the lid.

The immediate plan is to find a bedside table lamp to sit in front of the window. It’s top is rounded, but really has a flat 8″ area at the peak that I’ve been testing out with a tray, or books, or candles. Maybe a small clock in the future.

(Big thanks to a very generous Sherri!)