Why Trunks Are Never Just Boxes

When I first stumbled across the circus clown trunk, I stopped in my tracks. The red-nosed clown staring upside down across the front felt like more than decoration. It felt like a piece of a lost world — a travelling circus. The funny thing is, even though this trunk looks distressed, it works in a modern home. Minimal interiors actually make the colours pop. The scratches and paint chips add contrast you can’t buy in a shop. Old storage boxes aren’t just wooden boxes.

They’re keepers of journeys. Before plastic tubs filled every house, trunks were the way people travelled. Built solid, heavy duty, sometimes decorated with brass corners or painted lettering. I still think about when the circus came to town once a year. Posters glued to walls promised elephants, fire breathers, acrobats — and always clowns. Looking at the trunk feels like it was there backstage, stuffed with costumes and props, waiting buying guide for antique chests the show to begin.