A Guide to Buying Trunks and Chests
A storage trunk or chest is simply elegant, nostalgic, and a beautiful conversation piece in any home. They can also be used as tables in addition to storage space. There are several different types available on eBay, but any new or used storage trunk, whether it is a footlocker or trunk, can come in a variety of materials other than wood, such as metal, fabric, and wicker.
What types of storage chests are there?- Hope chest: A hope chest is a storage trunk that was used traditionally by an unmarried young woman to collect items such as clothing and household linen in anticipation of becoming married. This type of wood or fabric storage trunk was also called a dowry, cedar, or trousseau. They are generally used as accent pieces of furniture in living areas or bedrooms for all types of storage or as tables. Some trunks have very ornate designs and even family symbols or crests on the sides that would indicate what family the trunk belonged to.
- Blanket chest: A blanket chest or trunk is a sedentary type of storage trunk used as furniture for blankets or linen storage in a home. Many times, the trunk is ordained with sculpted wood on the bottom and is intended to be kept in living quarters so that extra covers are readily available for guests. This type of storage trunk will usually be rectangular in shape with a flat top, so it can also be used for seating. There are many different styles of these chests and trunks, such as antique, contemporary, traditional, or country.
- Pirate chests: These chests are designed to look like the sorts of chests you see in movies and television shows. Smaller versions of these chests are often intended to store small valuables and often feature a distressed exterior, large padlocks, and soft lining for an authentic look.
Storage trunks are available in a wide variety of styles on eBay, such as:
- Antique
- Contemporary
- Country
- Modern
- Nautical
- Rustic
- Traditional
- Transitional
- Storage: There is a wide variety of storage trunks made of wood, metal, fabric, and wicker. Storage trunks are used for storage of home items and valuables, to travel with, and as bedside tables or coffee tables.
- Multipurpose furniture: Trunks are used as a multipurpose piece of furniture and double as storage for travel or camp necessities, such as supplies or clothing. They come in many different sizes and an extensive variety of colors.
- Footlockers: Trunks are also used as footlockers and can come with or without wheels. Footlocker trunks used as storage are normally made of metal, but they can also be of wood with metal accents like brass or chrome. Footlockers and other storage chests can add an industrial, traditional, country, antique or nautical look to a room.