More Than Seating: Ten Great Uses for Benches

I'm a sucker for a bench. At the moment I have my feet on a Scandanavian slatted one, and I'm looking at two small patent leather ones across the room. There's one serving as a bookshelf in my office, one at the end of my bed, one serving as a coffee table on my porch and one serving as a coffee table in my guest room. I also love the different styles. One used to be the base of a trellis in my grandfather's garden, one came from eBay, one came from the junk store, one was some sort of dairy barn milking thing, and the patent leather ones supposedly came from some playwright's Berkshires house.

I wasn't sure anyone could come up with more uses than I already have in my house, but as I browse images around houzz, I keep finding one great bench after another. There are so many styles, finishes, uses, sizes and placements that it gave me enough to whip together a list of different ways you can use them in your home.