9 Ways to Use Vintage and Antique Pieces For Storage Solutions

Are you looking for creative ideas to maximize the storage capacity around your house? Here are 9 ways you can use your vintage and antique pieces for your much-needed storage solutions.

When you live in a small house, there always seems to be a need for more room to store things. From what I can tell, people really weren’t too big on closets in 1920.

So when you discover the perfect thrifted find that not only looks amazing but also solves a storage issue for you, it’s an added bonus!

9 Ways to Use Your Vintage and Antique Pieces For Storage Solutions

Today’s post is all about finding the perfect vintage and antique pieces that not only have a story to tell and a connection to the past but also solve a problem with a lack of storage.

Take a look at my favorite thrifted finds and how I use them to declutter and organize my spaces around the house.

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Kitchen Vintage Storage Solutions

VINTAGE KITCHEN CABINET

This vintage cabinet was the first vintage piece of furniture I ever bought. When I first found it at a thrift store about 20 years ago, it was painted orange.

Can you believe how perfectly it fits in the space? It’s as if it was meant to be, don’t you think? This dreamy vintage treasure offers quite a bit of storage space for my kitchen appliances, cookbooks, and dishes.

SHOP VINTAGE CABINETS

VINTAGE DRESSER USED AS A KITCHEN ISLAND

When we bought this vintage dresser the last thing we ever thought we would do with it was to use it as an island. But that’s exactly what we decided to do the day we moved into our beach cottage.

For a year or two, we didn’t even have an appropriate countertop to use as a proper island. But one day our contractor found some butcher block at a Dunkin Donuts that was going out of business.

After some elbow grease and a little love, this vintage piece became the ultimate kitchen island for a smaller kitchen space.

Heer’s the other side of the vintage dresser. We use the top drawer as a catch-all/junk drawer. Dog food and treats go in another drawer. Ziplock bags and foil go in the third.

This is really a great storage space addition.

Note: I will be painting the drawers at some point. I don’t like the way it looks with the different colors.

SHOP VINTAGE KITCHEN ISLAND OPTIONS

Bedroom Vintage Storage Solutions

ANTIQUE CABINET BUILT-IN

Have you ever found a vintage or antique piece of furniture that just speaks to you? That’s exactly what this 100-year-old cabinet did to me, and the best part was that it was already waiting here for us the day we moved in. 

When we started doing some renovating behind the bedroom wall in the bathroom, we took the opportunity to create a built-in cabinet that would give us more storage space.

Our bedroom is literally too small to have any furniture other than a couple of nightstands. So this antique beauty has been an incredible addition to our room and we use it for a dresser.

Here’s the antique cabinet waiting for us on the day we moved in. We were told that it was built in 1920, during the construction of our house. The best part was that each of the previous owners left her with the house when they moved out.

Click HERE to see more on how we made this cabinet into a built-in for our small bedroom.

Laundry Room Vintage Storage Solutions

LAUNDRY ROOM SORTER

I fell in love with this vintage laundry sorter we found at Habitat for Humanity a couple of weeks before we closed on our house. I know it’s hard to see this piece because it’s so dark. We hope to repaint it soon. Any color ideas?

This vintage piece gives us counter space to fold laundry, but my favorite part about it is that it holds so many dirty clothes!

VINTAGE WOODEN CABINET FOR VASES

If you are anything like me, you have a large collection of vessels for fresh flowers. I literally had NO ROOM for all the vases I own. That is until I found this vintage wooden cabinet that was missing a drawer.

My hubby made me another drawer and it fits perfectly on this wall above the washer and dryer.

SHOP VINTAGE CABINETS

PINE CABINET FOR STORING SUPPLIES

I really do have a lot of vintage storage solutions in the laundry room.

That’s because this is a very big room compared to the rest of the house. So adding cabinets here has really helped solve the problem of limited closet space.

This vintage pine cabinet is used for cleaning supplies, dog products, and basic household items such as batteries and essential oils.

SHOP VINTAGE PINE CABINETS

VINTAGE COAT HOOKS

A vintage hanging coat rack is a perfect solution for hanging your coats when you have no coat closet in the house.

SHOP VINTAGE COAT RACKS

Living Room Vintage Storage Solutions

COPPER TOP VINTAGE CABINET

This could be my favorite vintage piece I’ve ever found. I can’t even begin to tell you how much this cabinet has changed my life!

Not only did I gain space to display home decor but those drawers are filled with seasonal decor. This piece has given me so much storage space.

We even use it as a sideboard during parties to serve food and drinks because our kitchen is so small.

SHOP VINTAGE CABINETS

VINTAGE GLASS ARMOIRE FOR LINENS

What do you do when you don’t have a linen closet?

You try to fold up as many quilts and linens in your vintage armoire. It doesn’t even seem to matter that this glass cabinet is in my living room.

You can see my more Antique and Vintage Cabinet Simple Storage Solutions HERE.

More Thrifting Ideas and Inspiration

I have a couple of friends that love vintage as much as I do. Make sure you check out what Stacy and Jennifer are sharing this month.

Stacy of Bricks ‘n Blooms is sharing how to decorate on a budget with thrift store finds. I think we can agree that we could all use a little help with that!

Jennifer of Cottage on Bunker Hill is giving us pointers on how to decorate for spring with thrifty finds. I am so ready for spring, aren’t you?

I hope you saw a storage solution idea or two here using your vintage and antique pieces. What have you used for more space for storing? I’d love to hear your ideas. Leave me a comment below.

Until next time,

Happy Thrifting!

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