When I first laid eyes on the circus clown trunk, I stopped in my tracks. The hand-drawn clown staring upside down across the front felt like more than decoration. It felt like a piece of a lost world — an old fairground life. Trunks aren’t just places to keep things. They’re time capsules. Before plastic tubs filled every house, trunks were the way people travelled. Built solid, heavy duty, sometimes decorated with brass corners or cheap vintage trunk 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. The funny thing is, even though this trunk looks distressed, it works in a modern home. Neutral rooms actually make the colours pop.

The scratches and paint chips add contrast you can’t buy in a shop antique chest (his explanation).