More Than Seating: Ten Great Uses for Benches
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia. I've been writing about design online for quite a few years over at Hatch: The Design Public Blog.
Houzz Contributor. Hi There! I currently live in a 1920s cottage in Atlanta... More »
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.
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.
1) As a Landing Strip. A bench in an entryway is a great place to put temporarily put down your belongings as you come in, and to sit upon when you put on your shoes as you leave.
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by Niche Interiors
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2) To break up that feeling of "bedroom set boredom."
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by Niche Interiors
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| A closer look shows the upholstery job on this one - the fabric adds a rough texture to the room. |
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Here the foot of the bed bench introduces a nice amount of wood into the room.
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This pair of smaller X-benches are another good option.
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| 3) To Turn a Window Bay into Usable Space. There aren't many perches greater than those in windowseats with views like these! |
| 4) To Keep Guests from Getting Suitcase Cooties on Your Bed. Adding a bench to a guest room is always a good idea. It provides a good spot for guests to open their luggage (don't you hate it when people put their gnarly suitcases on your nice bed linens? Ugh!). |
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6) To Ground a Large Painting, Gallery-Style.
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7) To Provide the Perfect Sunning Platform. Simple wooden slats on concrete form a modern bench that fits in perfectly with this pool area.
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| 8) To Maximize Storage in a Sneaky, Hidden Way. |
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| 9) To Break Up a Boring Dinette Set. |
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10) To Store Books.
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BONUS: To Camouflage Ugly Elements Like Radiators.
| I don't have a use beyond seating for this one, I just like the design of the gabion wall and the built-in bench. I suppose the bench is doubling as a wall here. |
Ideabook updated on May 29, 2010.
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