Entryway Benches
How to bring order to the drop zone just inside the door? Of course you need hooks for hang-ups (jackets, slickers, hoodies, and the like), but just as key is a landing spot: a place to put down backpacks, sit and shed footwear, and, ideally, stash caps, sports gear, dog-walking necessities, and more. A seat with storage can provide that, whether it has a big stowaway space beneath a hinged bench lid, or open shelves or cubbies that can hold bins and baskets to contain and conceal all manner of clutter-creating bits and pieces.
Chosen wisely, a storage bench is also a stylish addition to your entry. The seven versions on this page and the following one all boast clean-lined, compact profiles and handsome painted- or stained-wood finishes. So take a look at this industrious seating, where you can take a load off—and stow it away.
Classic Hideaway
Yield House
Size: 36″W × 15″D × 19″H
Made of: Pine with a distressed painted finish in Old Sage
Highlights:Clutter disappears inside this elevated trunk-style seat, which has paneling
detail for a handcrafted look.
About $160, American Country Home Store
Shelf Help
Winsome
Size: 40″W × 14″D × 22″H
Made of: Beech, MDF, and veneer with an antiqued-walnut stain and a lacquered finish
Highlights:A low-clearance shelf holds shoes; a larger one, everything else.
About $130, Wayfair.com
Pro Tip: Tom Silva chose clear, vertical-grain Douglas fir for his DIY entryway bench because it’s lightweight and easily worked but also quite strong. If you’re evaluating a store-bought bench like this one, look for solid wood or quality hardwood construction over MDF and veneer—especially on the shelf, which takes the brunt of wet, muddy shoes.
Crafted to Last
L.L. Bean
Size: 36″W × 14″D × 17½”H
Made of: Ash with a lacquered finish
Highlights:This one’s beauty is in the details: visible wood grain, sturdy square legs, and a solid shelf to corral containers.
About $190, L.L. Bean
Woven Perch
Ballard Designs
Size: 31¾”W × 11¾”D × 18¼”H
Made of: Painted rattan, MDF, and eucalyptus
Highlights:Whitewashed rattan sides and a woven top give this bench comfy, cottage appeal.
About $150, Ballard Designs
Cubby Compartments
Pro Tip: Tom Silva, This Old House general contractor, points out that with a basic cubby bench you can customize the design to fit your space: “Maybe I don’t want something that’s black. Maybe this isn’t the right size, it won’t fit next to my back door.” Building your own—or choosing an unfinished piece like this one—lets you tailor the dimensions, finish, and configuration to your entryway.
Mill Stores
Size: 40½”W × 16¾”D × 19″H
Made of: Unfinished pine (We painted it in Benjamin Moore’s Blue Nova.)
Highlights:You can add baskets to the bays and assign each to a different family member. The top cushion rail is ready for decorative padding.
About $110, Mill Stores
Pro Tip: This Old House general contractor Tom Silva built a similar cubby bench on the show, noting that the modular design is key: “It’s a big cabinet. And so you’ve got to move it in there wherever it’s going.” His solution was to build three individual sections out of ¾-inch plywood, each with openings for baskets at the top and bottom, then join them together on-site.
Open and Airy
Pro Tip: Splayed legs add visual grace but can sacrifice stability in lighter-weight furniture. Tom Silva’s approach for his DIY shoe-rack bench was to beef up the design with stronger wood and more robust joinery—opting for straight-grain fir over pine for a piece that’s both handsome and heavy-duty enough to sit on daily.
Linden Street
Size: 38″W × 14″D × 18″H
Made of: Pine with a polyurethane finish
Highlights:Gently splayed legs create a graceful shape. Widely spaced slats hold bags and casual footwear.
About $55, JCP.com
Sleek and Sturdy
When This Old House general contractor Tom Silva’s wife asked for a shoe rack to put by the entry, he didn’t like the flimsy construction of the ones he saw for sale. So he went to his drawing board and designed a Craftsman-inspired, solid-wood version sturdy enough to also serve as a bench—choosing clear, vertical-grain Douglas fir for its lightweight workability and strength.
If you want to build a sturdier DIY alternative, Tom Silva recommends straight-grain fir and pocket screws driven at a low angle across each joint. Dabs of wood glue keep the slats in place, but it’s the pocket screws that do most of the work holding the piece together—resulting in a bench that will last far longer than budget flat-pack options.
Pro Tip: Interior designer Kristina Crestin of Boston advises: “I always select storage bins before designing cubbies—or even a bench with bins below for shoes—so I know everything will fit!”
Ikea
Size: 32⅝”W × 14⅝”D × 20⅞”H
Made of: Pine with a stained and lacquered finish
Highlights:Square lines give it a streamlined but substantial appearance. The shelf’s wide slats help damp footwear dry faster.
About $80, Ikea
