Bench in the hallway: types and interesting examples

Just a couple of decades ago, a bench was considered an auxiliary piece of furniture. It was mainly used when putting on shoes. Thanks to the modern look of the designers, the attitude towards the bench has changed. Today it is considered one of the key elements of the hallway arrangement. This article will tell you what its varieties, colors and nuances of choice are.

The bench in the hallway is a functional piece of furniture that combines practical and decorative functions. Depending on the design, the bench can be:

• a place for convenient putting on and taking off shoes;
• a kind of chair on which you can wait for the household members gathering on the street;
• a place of rest, if it has a comfortable back and soft upholstery;
• an organizer that holds shoes;
• part of a modular hallway;
• a kind of box for storing household items;
• a stylish design element indicating belonging to a particular style;
• a stool, which, if necessary, will allow you to reach the top drawers of the closet or wardrobe;
• a cabinet on which you can store the most necessary things.

Today, hallway benches are produced in different versions. On request, some of them can be supplemented with cushions or beddings. All products can be conventionally divided into several groups.

This category includes models without backs and unnecessary decor. In fact, these products are nothing more than elongated stools for 2-3 or more users. They can differ in seat width, type and number of supports (2, 3, 4, 6), streamlined lines, height. Depending on the design, they can have legs in the form of hollow rectangles or solid walls.

These models are classics with backs. In most cases, they are as compact as the classic varieties. Often, for the convenience of users, armrests are provided, which increases their aesthetic appeal.

Some options are equipped with a high back, which is used to accommodate things. In fact, these are dressing rooms, the back of which is a panel with a shelf and hooks. Some modifications instead of hooks are supplemented with mirrors, which is very important for hallways. In addition, the products can have places on the back for embedding lamps.

This group includes products that in appearance resemble curbstones, poufs or so-called banquettes. They have a seat without a backrest and armrests, a couple of drawers under it, at the base they are mounted on a stable stand. The bench-bench has short and strong supports. In some cases, they may have low side rails, allowing for the convenience of households to supply the seat with a soft pad. The box can be very long, and the product can have a 2-level storage system.

Such models differ from the classic ones by the presence of built-in shelves, which are usually used for storing seasonal shoes. These modifications are especially convenient for small hallways. The number of shelves depends on the model itself, as well as their location. They themselves can be lattice or solid, symmetrical and asymmetrical. The shelves can contain wicker baskets.

Benches with a folding seat are convenient in that you can remove any items in them. As a rule, apart from the inner drawers, they do not have any shelves. The type of folding seat can be different: it can open all drawers completely or separately each of them. The number of legs for products can vary from 2 to 6, and with a longer length - up to 8.

This category of benches is convenient in terms of zoning. The presence of closed drawers located under the seat allows you to remove seemingly small things typical for hallways. The type of drawers can be different, for example, built-in under the folding seat. In addition, as in the models-pedestals, drawers can be positioned vertically, when opened, taking a horizontal position.

These models are products with the so-called bottom shelf, consisting of metal bars. The number of roof rails may be different, these models are nothing more than classic-type benches and products with backs and armrests. The rails are convenient for storing outdoor shoes, they allow you to take them out of sight, are easy to clean, and can have different widths.

These modifications are distinguished by their original appearance. They are similar to traditional backrest models, but have compartmentalized shelves underneath the seat. As a rule, these products are longer, have three compartments, each of which is divided into 3-4 shelves. The rack does not have a back wall.

Often, in order to achieve comfort and functionality, manufacturers produce models that combine both a bench and a curbstone at the same time. Besides, they can be like a bench with a small table under which there are a couple of drawers.

The main part of the hallway benches is made in a rectangular shape.However, if the design provides for smooth and asymmetrical lines, the width of the two sides of the product can be different, like the line of the seat. It can be not only straight and even, but also curved, wavy or concave.

Despite the fact that the main assortment is made in the traditional linear version, you can find corner-type products on sale. This is convenient when you need to equip the corner of the hallway with maximum functionality and space saving.

The width of the seat for products is usually small, or even narrow at all. As for the sizes, they can be very diverse, it depends on the desire of the buyer and the place allocated under the bench. For example, can you find options on sale with length / width / height parameters? 894x372x475, 1000x440x970, 1150x540x880, 700x350x420, 965x420x890, 1728x370x500, 1077x406x872, 900x406x805, 1200x450x450 mm. Models with asymmetrical backs can be high. The height of their larger edge usually exceeds 1.5 m. Small benches rarely exceed a height of 45 cm.

In the production of benches for hallways, manufacturers use wood, chipboard, MDF, metal, plastic. In addition, products are often equipped with soft bedding and pillows. Wooden furniture is considered the most reliable and durable. Wood products look great in any interior. They are especially effectively combined with elements of forging: forged furniture adds a special flavor to the interior composition.

Wood derivatives do not have a long service life, this is a budget type of benches. However, they can also become a completely acceptable element of the arrangement, they can be supplemented with metal parts or wicker baskets. Plastic furniture is completely impractical. Despite the fact that today it has the widest range of colors, it is short-lived, afraid of scratches and mechanical damage.

The color of the product depends on the design idea, as well as the existing basic furniture. For example, in stores you can find models in white, beige, brown, gray, black and any shades of wood. White looks nice, but it is of brands, which is why buyers usually choose more practical tones, ranging from dark beige to mocha. Benches in pistachio and gray-mint tones look beautiful in the interior. The models with gray-blue upholstery are also refined.

Today brands present to the attention of buyers hallway benches of the most varied types and designs. Laconic options are performed without unnecessary decor: often such benches have a deliberately rude appearance. Models with backs are variable: it can be lattice, carved, flat, wave-shaped or crown-shaped, decorated with textile upholstery, which gives it a special look.

The design of the armrests is also different. They can be symmetrical, asymmetrical, curved, wavy, carved, forged, openwork. Models with a stand and a folding seat look beautiful. Other modifications have compact tables, wicker baskets. Others differ in the decoration of the facades; in a separate line, the emphasis is on the contrast of the materials used or color schemes.

Variants with soft mattress seats are unique, analogs with metal fittings also look organic. Sometimes the design provides for the decoration of laconic models with thin mattresses and cylindrical pillows, which are placed at the armrests.

When buying a product in the corridor of an apartment or a private house it is necessary to pay attention to several nuances.

• Before buying, measure the place under the bench. This will allow you to determine the size of the product. Too big a thing will not leave room for the passage.
• The color of the product should be practical, the material should be durable. The priority is materials that are resistant to accidental mechanical damage.
• The product should be practical: closed shelves rid the stored things of dust, open shelves collect not only dust, but also dirt.
• The storage system should be comfortable. When buying options with boxes and doors, the mechanism of operation is always checked: it should not jam or slow down.
• It is necessary to pay attention to the quality of the assembly: if something is loose, this indicates a marriage or a torn thread of the connections.
• The color of the product must match the color of the furniture installed in the hallway. If desired, it can be related to the existing furniture elements.
• The shape of the product and the design are selected taking into account the design of the hallway itself. The status of the furniture must also be appropriate.

Here are 10 examples of stylish bench designs for placement in the hallway.

• Option for a narrow corridor with an unusual design.

• Compact but roomy model for decorating the hallway.

• Cabinet model with spacious drawers and top shelves.

• Playing on the constructive protrusion of the hallway.

• Harmonious placement of the bench in the interior of the minimalist style.

• An upholstered bench in a modern style interior.

• A blue bench with a padded seat and shelves.

• Made of wood with leather upholstery and slatted doors.

• An open-plan bench that allows you to zone the space with an extraordinary backrest.

• A modular set that uses two benches.

For information on how to make a bench in the hallway with your own hands, see the next video.