5 Simple Steps to a Fun Vintage Suitcase Vignette
Old, vintage suitcases are the perfect canvas to create a fun vignette. Here are 5 simple steps to decorate one for your home or special event.
Do you have any old, vintage suitcases laying around? Well, it’s time to get them out and help them live their best life…no travel involved;) But before you start decorating, give them a good refresh with my tips in “Vintage Suitcases: How to Clean and Refresh (and keep their classic appeal)“. Once your suitcase is spiffed up, you can follow these 5 Simple Steps to a Fun Vintage Suitcase Vignette.
5 Simple Steps to a Fun Vintage Suitcase Vignette
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Shop vintage suitcases HERE.
To Start, Choose a Color Scheme for your Vignette
Your color scheme can be determined by the colors of your suitcase, your home decor, and the season you are in. Since this Sound of Music-style vintage suitcase (just like the one Maria is flailing on the cover) of mine is gold and brown, I decided on a late summer, early fall palette of gold, brown wood tones and mossy greens.
Thank you, Costco for having sunflower bunches just when I need them!
Beyond a color scheme, you can also think of a theme. I decoupaged the interior of this recent curbside find {“Curbside Vintage Junking, Best Ever”} with pages from a vintage garden book. I used the book itself and have a subtle late summer garden theme going on. You can never go wrong with the garden theme, right?
Next, Choose 3 Accessories to Fill the Vintage Suitcase
This will be easy if you’ve got a theme and a color scheme in mind. I wanted to use 2 cool carved wood pieces I picked up recently at garage sales. The bowl was $3 (along with 4 huge pinecones) and the vase was .25. Yep, I’m a big spender:)
I added a large aqua ball jar to round out the grouping. It’s color reminds me of the late summer sky and always looks good with sunflowers! Having 3 pieces with different textures will add interest and variety to the grouping. If you wanted a simpler look, they could all be the same material.
Place your 3 objects in the suitcase, depending on their height. The taller pieces will naturally work better in the back.
My 3 accessories were all vessels and I had an idea what I wanted to put in each. Taller foliage will be in back, lower in the bowl.
Add Height to your Vignette Where Needed
Suitcases have depth. You don’t want your vignette to get lost in those inches. Old books are a great way to add height just where you need. They also add a great texture and can continue through your color scheme.
You can also add a few books standing for another vertical element.
Add Foliage and Natural Textures
This vignette is totally flat without natural foliage and texture, even with the wood accents. All 3 of my accessories got treated to foliage since they were vessels. You may only have 1 item you can fill with fresh foliage. You could also add foliage around the base, or drape a branch or garland through the display.
Costco sunflowers plus clippings from the yard filled up my 3 accessories. I also added a bit of spanish moss and lichen to the handled bowl.
Can you see the color scheme happening? The foliage just fills the whole vignette out beautifully.
Lastly, Add Base Fillers to the Suitcase, if Needed
Depending on where you display this vintage suitcase vignette, you may be able to skip this step. If it’s at eye height or higher, you’re probably done. But if it’s on a table and you can see down into the suitcase, it may still look a little empty. Totally personal preference, though!
Guess I forgot to show you…I added a vintage green floral frog under the ball jar for height. It fit better, and I liked the added texture and nod to the theme.
For one more added textural element and to fill out those spaces, I grabbed a couple garden clay pots and tucked them into the spaces. Now it seemed done to me!
What do you think? Does it seem like an easy decorating project when you just keep adding the layers? Are you inspired to try yourself?
A vintage suitcase vignette like this looks great on an entryway table, on a sofa table behind your couch, and even on a dining room buffet. You could probably feature one on your bedroom dresser, too. Where are you thinking you could use one?
For more suitcase decorating ideas:
“9 Fun Ways to Decorate with Vintage Suitcases”
“Vintage Suitcases: How to Clean and Refresh (and keep their classic appeal)”
Shop vintage suitcases HERE.
Hope you enjoyed this 5 Simple Steps to a Fun Vintage Suitcase Vignette! Once you get the hang of it, you can swap up the elements for each season! If you enjoyed all the decorating tips in this post, be sure to become a Lora B Insider, down below!
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Hi Lora! I just picked your blog up on Pinterest while looking for ideas for vintage suitcases and Love what you create! I am trying to sell my suitcases in my booth and you have given me some wonderful tips for refreshing them and staging them. Saving, pinning, & sharing!!
Wonderful, Cecilia! Love vintage suitcases and making them usable for home decor! Good luck!
I love this! One of these days I hope you do a full house video tour. I’d love to see it! However, you’d need to go super super super slow because I wouldn’t want to miss a thing! Or, you could just invite me over for a weekend. I’d even bring my own blow up mattress and roll up it everyday so it wouldn’t be in your way?! 😉
Either way I have to have my whole house clean at one time, right, Cindy? Hmmm…let me think about that one;) But yes, if you ever need to get cool, a MN visit would be wonderful!
Lora you have such an eye for creating beautiful and interesting vignettes!
Thanks, Marie! This suitcase just had me singing “the hills are alive”!
You have such an eye for putting together gorgeous vignettes Lora! Thanks so much for sharing this at Farmhouse Friday – I’m featuring you at tomorrow’s party!
Wonderful! Thanks, Michelle!
So very pretty! I am not very good at vignettes. That suitcase is the best! We are starting a new link party tomorrow. Embracing Home and Family at https://www.theeverydayfarmhouse.com I hope you have a minute to link up with us!
Thanks, Jennifer! Will pop over and visit!
Thanks for the invite, Jennifer! Will pop over and visit:)
You really know how to set up a wonderful vignette, i think you could almost use anything and know just what to do. You truly have a gift and i am so glad i found your blog so i can copy all you do, not that it looks the same,lol! but, i try. Thank you Lora.
You’re too sweet, Marlene:) I’m so glad you found your way here, too! And am so happy you get inspired to beautify your surroundings!
I agree, you are a genius at vignettes. I think some of it is due to you have a large choice of vintage stuff to use so that you can unify colors, add different textures, and know when to vary the heights. But without the genius…..
Thanks, Kathy:) And you know, I’m always adding to the stash;) The more options, the merrier!
Lora, I love the look but I’m really wondering if that is material or painting on the outside. I have a few suitcases that I desperately need to do something with and that looks perfect. Thanks
Peggy, the outside is the original suitcase. I only cleaned and scrubbed the outside of this one so far. Haven’t treated the outside to anything yet. I’m thinking about a couple of options. I explain my whole suitcase refresh process thoroughly in https://lorabloomquist.comvintage-suitcases-all-dressed-up-and-nowhere-to-go/ Hope that helps you transform yours!
You are just a genius at vignettes Lora! Thanks for breaking it down into easy steps so we can get the same look!
Tania
Thank you, Tania; that’s a wonderful compliment! I really do want others to have the confidence to make pretty, too!