Vintage Foot Locker Trunk Turned Coffee Table
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When I spotted a vintage foot locker at my local flea market recently, I couldn't pass it up. It was in great shape and begging to be flipped into something new. It looked like the perfect size for a coffee table.
After cleaning it up and lightly sanding it, I started on updating the metal pieces. I wanted all the metal on the trunk to be gold so I used metallic spray paint to cover it all, not worrying about overspray for now. In my opinion, it already looks better!
For the side panels of the case, I used Chalky Finish paint in a bold blue. It was time consuming to paint around all the gold metal, but well worth it in the end.
I couldn't just set the trunk on the floor — I needed a base. I wanted something custom fit, so I called in my good friend Casey to do the metal work. He welded angle iron to build a sturdy frame to my specs and I used hammered metal spray paint to finish it off.
I decided to add an open shelf on the bottom for even more storage. A few poplar boards, cut to size and laid side by side, did the trick.
I chose a dark ebony stain to finish the wood.
The dark stained boards were exactly the touch this shelf needed.
The finished coffee table fits perfectly in front of my couch.
My favorite feature of this foot locker is the half lid. When you open it, you can still use the inside top as a surface and there is tons of storage inside to hide everything you need before company pops by.
We actually find ourselves leaving it open more often than not.
One comment so far:
I don't think I've ever seen such a shallow footlocker before. This was truly a wonderful find. Although I don't like the color it's painted, I love the idea of how it looks as a coffee table on the metal stand.
Oh, the inside is sooooo nice!!!!