Luggage does more than travel well

DEAR GAIL: My husband and I have started collecting old luggage. It all started when we were given a piece of my grandmother's that she used when she moved here from Germany. It is now almost an obsession and our home is becoming overrun by them. We have so much fun looking for them when we travel, but if we don't stop soon we're going to need a bigger house. Besides telling us to stop buying, what are some creative ways we can display them throughout our home. -- Tammy and Tom

DEAR TAMMY and TOM: Collections are fun but they can overtake your home. I have closets full of Barbie dolls.

The first thing that came to mind is that you could use them as storage and place them in an attractive way. This would make them dual purpose since most of us do not have enough storage anyway.

So, here are my top 10 ideas that I came up with for you.

1. Stack them and use the stack as a coffee, side or console table. To protect the top, use a piece of glass. If it is a table that you will be using, like in your family room, make sure to steady it. You can weigh them down by placing bricks inside. Of course, only use your hard-side luggage.

Another option for a table is to put legs on the suitcases instead of stacking them.

2. For your smaller ones, think about where you have countertop or tabletop space and what you can store in them. They can be used for toiletries in your bathrooms, spices in your kitchen, jewelry on your dresser and remotes in the family room.

3. Group them together on the floor with floor plants, accessories and other travel items you've collected along the way.

4. Line the inside with plastic and place by your front door for your shoes.

5. Don't be afraid to think out-of-the-box and place them up on a large potshelf.

6. Stack them at the end of your bed to store your decorative pillows and as a place for your comforter when you turn it down at night.

7. In your office, you can use them to store office supplies.

8. Create a sculpture with them. It can be simple as a tower piece from the gals of Salvage Studio in Washington, or as crazy as the one that is inside the Sacramento International Airport. Wow! I just couldn't resist sharing the picture seen on the cover. Now we know what happens with all the unclaimed luggage.

9. Another use for your smaller pieces is to incorporate them into a wall gallery on shelves. Prop some open and place silk greens in them to soften the lines.

10. If you have a walk-in closet, stack them or place them above your hanging area to store your off-season clothes. It's better than looking at plastic bins.

Try not to overdo anything and consider switching your suitcases out; after 27 days we really no longer see what's around us. And, as the saying goes, "Too much of anything is not always good."

Gail Mayhugh, owner of GMJ Interiors, is a professional interior designer and author of a book on the subject. Questions may be sent by e-mail to: gail@gmjinteriors.com. Or, mail to: 7380 S. Eastern Ave., No. 124-272, Las Vegas, NV 89123. Her Web address is: www.GMJinteriors.com.