Tribute Trunk

Do you hold on to furniture for sentimental reasons? You know what I am talking about, a family member gave it to you and it was grandma-so-and-so's and therefore you simply can't get rid of it? I am not talking about beautiful pieces of furniture, but rather ahem hand-me-downs that simply don't work in your space.
I have a few of these. Actually, come to think of it the vast majority of my furniture might fall into this category.

Recently my friend was complaining about a trunk she had in her kitchen/dining area. The truck is a big metal affair and isn't too exciting. She would love to store it, but doesn't have room and absolutely can't get rid of it because it was her father's. He passed away several years ago and the thought of getting rid of it is unbearable. The boring trunk is....boring (if my student wrote that sentence I would be all over them). We talked about it and I asked her if she might want to do something with it. Her dad was a musician and played in several venues around the Portland area before his death. Light bulb. What if we put vintage music on top to jazz it up?  BINGO.

Here it is before:

After:

In case you were wondering why there is a slit in top the trunk was buckling and the paper would not have sat evenly. Since her kids will be putting their backpacks and "stuff" on top this seemed like a better alternative than having it break away later. She loves the way it turned out. "It is like a tribute now."


This project has inspired me to make something new from my own "family" pieces sitting in my garage. Maybe my grandma's table can become a coffee table. The two-tired table can be painted used as a night stand. Maybe I can attempt a slipcover for the wingback rocker.  After all I also inherited something else from the Dickey side...hoarding.