Pack your bags: Turn an old suitcase into a high-style coffee table

Vintage suitcases come in many shapes and sizes, but a large one is ideal for a coffee table. Once you have one ready to go, you can decorate it to fit your space's style, whether that’s antique and shabby chic, mid-century modern, or something more eclectic. Its compact size works particularly well in small spaces, too.

This DIY project employs premade furniture legs, chalk paint and pretty ink stamps. The table will no doubt be a conversation piece, but is also very useful for parking drinks, corralling a pile of magazines, or simply serving as a landing for a candle grouping or collection of like objects. However you choose to use and stylize this unique piece, you’ll be delighted that it was a snap to make and that the process was easy on your budget!

Materials
- Vintage suitcase
- 1 bottle of chalk paint
- Bowl
- Sponge paintbrush
- Distress oxide ink pad
- Clear stamps
- Electric drill
- Small drill bit for drilling holes
- Flathead screwdriver drill bit
- Black Sharpie marker
- Four attachable furniture legs and screws

Instructions
1. Lay the suitcase down on the work surface.

2. In the bowl, mix equal amounts of paint and water.

3. Coat the suitcase with the paint and water mixture; the effect will be like a translucent wash.

4. Paint around the suitcase hardware.

5. Allow the paint to dry.

6. Open the ink pad and press the clear stamp onto the pad so the ink transfers to it.

7. Place the stamp wherever you want your image to be on the suitcase and apply pressure to ensure the image transfers. The stamped impressions will be transparent in some places, adding to the antique effect.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 if you have several different stamps.

9. Allow the ink to dry.

10. Turn the suitcase over so that the undecorated broad side (what will be the underside of the coffee table) is facing you. Place one of the furniture legs on one of its corners.

11. The legs are attached to metal squares with holes for screws in each corner. On the suitcase, mark the holes in the leg assemblies with the Sharpie pen.

12. Put the furniture leg aside and drill four holes through the pen marks.

13. Position a furniture leg back on a corner of the suitcase so the holes on its base are aligned with the holes you drilled into the suitcase.

14. Drill the screws through the holes and attach the furniture leg to the suitcase.

15. Repeat steps 10-14 using the other three furniture legs in the other three corners.

16. Flip the suitcase table over.