Indoor Storage Benches

1. Indoor benches offer homeowners a way to minimize clutter while providing attractive additional seating for any room in the house.

2. Slim entryway benches are a convenient place to put on or take off shoes, as well as a practical place to keep umbrellas, ponchos and other weather-appropriate items.

3. Some shoe benches are designed specifically for entryways, foyers, and mudrooms, complete with coat and hat hooks.

4. Upholstered benches and fine wooden benches are elegant enough to store china, glasses, table linens, magazines, and books in dining and living rooms.

5. The intended use of an indoor storage bench often determines the style you choose; backless benches work well at the foot of a bed, for example, while benches with backs and arms may be better suited for storage and seating in a living room.

6. Where an indoor storage bench is put also factors into the bench style you choose; outdoor benches might be best in plastic, while kids benches should be smoothly finished and upholstered for maximum use and safety.

7. Consider pairing a pegged-back entryway bench or hall tree bench with a slim, tall hall tree; you can store hats and gloves on the bench's pegs and longer coats and scarves on the tree.

8. Make a statement in a small entryway with an intricate, elegant, practical hall tree.

9. Capture timeless elegance - and plenty of storage space for books, seasonal clothes, linens, and keepsakes - in an heirloom-quality cedar chest.

10. Kids can benefit from benches, too; an upholstered toy box keeps bulky, odd-shaped toys off the floor, and a comfy upper surface serves as the perfect place for story time.

11. In rooms too small to accommodate a full-size bench, utilize a storage ottoman to organize magazines, remotes, newspapers, reading glasses, and knitting.

12. Storage ottomans, like their bench counter parts, double as comfortable alternative seating in a living room; choose a large unpadded ottoman as a coffee or side table in a small space.