When I first saw the circus clown trunk, I stopped in my tracks. The painted face staring upside down across the front felt like more than decoration. It felt like a fragment of a lost world — a carnival gone by. 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 antique chest (company website). Trunks aren’t just wooden boxes. They’re time capsules.

Before cheap mass storage appeared, trunks were the way people travelled. Built solid, heavy duty, sometimes decorated with brass corners or painted lettering. I can’t forget 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 for the show to begin.