Try This: Suitcase Chair

By Susan Wasinger
Published on October 27, 2009
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This quirky perch is built like the suitcase chair, but it’s got fabulous legs. These are actually old balusters from a staircase, but you can use legs from an old table or even use bed posts. (New ones can be purchased at TableLegs.com.) Use top plates from the hardware store to attach the legs to the suitcase. For added stability, place 1-by-4-inch boards across the interior of the suitcase at the front and back before attaching the legs.
This quirky perch is built like the suitcase chair, but it’s got fabulous legs. These are actually old balusters from a staircase, but you can use legs from an old table or even use bed posts. (New ones can be purchased at TableLegs.com.) Use top plates from the hardware store to attach the legs to the suitcase. For added stability, place 1-by-4-inch boards across the interior of the suitcase at the front and back before attaching the legs.
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For the guest bedroom or attic hideaway, this suitcase chair is perfect impromptu seating. Pull it out when you need a place to perch, then fold up the straps and close up the suitcase, and it tucks away in the closet or under a bed.
For the guest bedroom or attic hideaway, this suitcase chair is perfect impromptu seating. Pull it out when you need a place to perch, then fold up the straps and close up the suitcase, and it tucks away in the closet or under a bed.
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For the guest bedroom or attic hideaway, this suitcase chair is perfect impromptu seating. Pull it out when you need a place to perch, then fold up the straps and close up the suitcase, and it tucks away in the closet or under a bed.
For the guest bedroom or attic hideaway, this suitcase chair is perfect impromptu seating. Pull it out when you need a place to perch, then fold up the straps and close up the suitcase, and it tucks away in the closet or under a bed.
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Step 3: UPHOLSTERY: Use heavyweight fabric such as cotton, linen, or hemp for the cushions. Wrap the batts in the fabric as though you were wrapping a present. Then secure with safety pins.
Step 3: UPHOLSTERY: Use heavyweight fabric such as cotton, linen, or hemp for the cushions. Wrap the batts in the fabric as though you were wrapping a present. Then secure with safety pins.
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Step 2: CUSHIONING: Cushion the chair with UltraTouch recycled denim insulation, 100 percent cotton fiber that’s less toxic than foam (BondedLogic.com). Using scissors, cut your pieces 2 or 3 inches wider and taller than your case. You’ll need 2 or 3 layers for the bottom.
Step 2: CUSHIONING: Cushion the chair with UltraTouch recycled denim insulation, 100 percent cotton fiber that’s less toxic than foam (BondedLogic.com). Using scissors, cut your pieces 2 or 3 inches wider and taller than your case. You’ll need 2 or 3 layers for the bottom.
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Step 1: ATTACH STRAPS: Side straps of patterned webbing keep the back at a comfortable angle. We drilled holes in the suitcase and used barrel nuts to attach the straps.
Step 1: ATTACH STRAPS: Side straps of patterned webbing keep the back at a comfortable angle. We drilled holes in the suitcase and used barrel nuts to attach the straps.
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Step 5: SECURE FABRIC: Because it’s fighting gravity, the back cushion will benefit from upholstery tacks hammered through the fabric into the case every 6 inches or so.
Step 5: SECURE FABRIC: Because it’s fighting gravity, the back cushion will benefit from upholstery tacks hammered through the fabric into the case every 6 inches or so.
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Step 4: ATTACH CUSHION: Here’s where cutting your batts slightly oversized starts making sense. Squeeze the wrapped cushions into the suitcase so friction, not glue, will keep them in place.
Step 4: ATTACH CUSHION: Here’s where cutting your batts slightly oversized starts making sense. Squeeze the wrapped cushions into the suitcase so friction, not glue, will keep them in place.

Old suitcases bring back a certain whimsy, charm and character from their long-ago travels. That makes them hard to throw away, even if they don’t cut it for modern air travel. You can recycle your old baggage into innovative and useful seating. Whether they’re used as a casual perch or a chair that’s there where you need it, these old suitcases are heading off to a new life.

Suitcase Chair

1. ATTACH STRAPS: Side straps of patterned webbing keep the back at a comfortable angle. We drilled holes in the suitcase and used barrel nuts to attach the straps.

2. CUSHIONING: Cushion the chair with UltraTouch recycled denim insulation, 100 percent cotton fiber that’s less toxic than foam. Using scissors, cut your pieces 2 or 3 inches wider and taller than your case. You’ll need 2 or 3 layers for the bottom.

3. UPHOLSTERY: Use heavyweight fabric such as cotton, linen, or hemp for the cushions. Wrap the batts in the fabric as though you were wrapping a present. Then secure with safety pins.

4. ATTACH CUSHION: Here’s where cutting your batts slightly oversized starts making sense. Squeeze the wrapped cushions into the suitcase so friction, not glue, will keep them in place.

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