About Bedroom Benches
Placed at the bottom of a bed, in an entrance way, or beside a kitchen table, benches can be decorative, functional, or even both.
We carry a variety of benches, appropriate for any room and setting. Some open from the top, allowing them to function as both a chest and a bench. Many of our benches have soft, inviting cushions that make them the perfect piece for reading, watching TV, or having a little extra room when guests come over. And some even have drawers, so your bench will serve as a storage solution as well as a decorative seat.
In short, our benches are more than just a place to sit—they’re also striking pieces that give your room additional character, seating, and in some cases, a place to tuck a few things away.
How to Use a Bedroom Bench
Bedroom benches are versatile pieces of furniture, and the best use for them depends on how you spend time in your room. Here are several ways to incorporate these designs into every kind of lifestyle:
- As guest seating. Inviting a friend to tour your room requires a bit of hospitality, and extra seating is the way to it. As you and your guest talk, having a seat besides the bed where everyone is comfortable will ensure flow of conversation and quality time.
- As storage for linens. Choosing a design that opens up will allow you to stash bedroom things such as sheets and comforters – two items that are usually two big for dresser drawers and nightstands. Choose a bedroom bench to complete your storage collection!
- As a way to catch loose blankets. Climbing into bed each night requires pulling back the sheets, which may or may not lead to throw blankets or comforters coming undone and falling on the floor – unless you have a well-placed bedroom bench! Place one at the end of your bed to catch bedding and make it that much easier to prep your bedding come morning.
- As an accent. Life is what you make it. So is your bedroom, and a bedroom bench doesn’t have to be anything you don’t want it to be. If you love a particular design simply because it is pretty and makes you smile, well, that’s perhaps the best reason of all to own one!
- As an extension of the bed. Nothing’s worse than dangling legs (take it from us tall folk!). If you have a standard mattress in a guest room and are worried it might not be long enough for some of your lankier visiting friends, a bedroom bench at the end of the bed acts as an instant bed extension that will keep over-the-edge feet supported.
- As a small TV stand. A bedroom bench pushed against the wall opposite your bed makes for an affordable TV stand that doubles as sweet décor. Make sure the TV is small enough for the weight capacity of said bench; then, power on and let your comfort shows lull you to dreamland.
- As a nightstand. Ever find yourself reaching over the side of the bed to grab a phone, glasses, book, water, lotion or remote – and wishing your nightstand provided just a touch more countertop space for holding all these items? A bedroom bench would like a word with you! Long enough to make spreading out your nighttime essentials a breeze, benches are an easy alternative to nightstands when placed along the side of a bed.
Styling a Bedroom Bench
Say you want to use a bedroom bench as a platform for showing off your most prized and beloved bedroom décor. You know exactly what you want to show off – but you’re not sure how to arrange them (or even make them stand upright on a bench). We have a feeling these tips will come in handy.
- On upholstery, make friends with trays. Soft benches can make standing a vase or jar a study in balance; the lack of hard surface is a surefire path to wobbling and tumbling over at the slightest vibration. The secret here is to provide a hard base in the form of a wood or metal tray – simply place tray on bench and décor on tray!
- Practice the art of leaning. A cute frame of your best buddies or a small canvas painting of a scenic landscape you scored during your latest flea market run would look so cute as décor for your bedroom bench – but these frames and art are usually too large for decorative trays. Instead of trying to fight gravity (you’ll lose): skip the balancing act and opt for leaning flat decorations against the wall behind the bench.
- Go for height differences. Three art frames, all the same size, leaning on top of a bedroom bench might look cute in your mind’s eye, but in practice, will look crowded (and bring down your feng shui). Try mixing up the height of the décor on your bedroom bench; the staggered effect will feel cleaner while breaking up negative space, drawing the eye lengthwise – and opening up a more spacious feel.
- Don’t overdo it. Don’t place every decoration you own on your bedroom bench if your collection contains more than three items. The rule of three can’t be stressed enough when it comes to bedroom décor; anything more than three items on one surface feels cluttered. Pick and choose the ones that match your color palette and complement your room’s thematic style story.
- Refresh every now and again. Think of your bedroom décor as your wardrobe; you wouldn’t wear the same t-shirt day in, day out, season after season. (Even minimalists need warmer garments in the winter months and cooler in the summer!) In the same way, your bedroom should reflect the times; every now and then, incorporating even slight changes in décor that inspire you can make you more in tune to your bedroom space, heightening creative energy and making it easier to fall asleep and wake up in the mornings.
- Try hidden fabric tape. If leaning or trays don’t get you excited, consider fabric tape, to secure items down (and prevent them from toppling at the slightest touch).Tape made for clothing can easily work on upholstery, so grab your favorite hard-to-stand-upright figurine and get to sticking!
- When all else fails, don’t be afraid to go bare. Sometimes, no matter how much you move around decorative items, the overall look feels forced, cluttered and not it. When this happens, clear the bench and just . . . go bare. A minimalist, nothing-on-top aesthetic may feel simple at first but will grow on you – especially if you’re after a tidy room appearance.
Where to Place a Bedroom Bench
A bedroom bench can be placed in several locations throughout a bedroom. Most commonly, one is used at the end of a bed. Another option is to place one opposite the foot of the bed (so that the bench runs parallel to the wall of the bedroom facing the bed). If you want to go a bit more alternative, try a bedroom bench along the side of a bed for use as (extra long!) bedside storage in place of a nightstand.
Of course, bedroom benches can also be used in other rooms of the house! These designs work terrifically as extra seating in living rooms, home offices, guest rooms, play rooms and dens.
Bedroom Bench Styles
Bedroom benches add quick and timeless style to bedrooms, and themselves come in distinct styles. Mid-century modern types often feature tapered legs, wood bases and flared backrests; mid-century designs feel more as places to sit rather than as storage or décor. On the other end, glam benches are often metal or metal-studded fabric; they feature soft velvets, moody-dark legs and detailed tufting – perfect for spaces that need a glow up. Another style is the traditional bench, which is simpler and feels more about getting a practical job done; this is usually wood or fabric, featuring straight legs and arms and backs, tufted upholstery (if it is upholstered) and floral-print fabrics or molded trim. Finally, the cottage and rustic styles of benches is all about the (good kind of) stress; washed-out, worn-out, stressed-out paint, wood veneers, even leather upholstery create a lived-in feel undeniably cottage/rustic.
Bedroom Bench Features
Along with style, features come at play when choosing the perfect bedroom bench for your home. Before any other feature, think about storage – and whether you’re for or against it. (You can’t go wrong with either one when it comes to perfecting your bedroom style, but knowing your storage needs, or lack thereof, can make the decision a lot easier if the goal is to maximize space for all possible function and organization.) Once you know whether or not you’re going for a bench with storage, think about comfort features such as armrests and backrests; if you are planning on using the bench for seating, go with these features, but if you are not planning on using the bench for seating, skip these features. Finally, at the end of the decision funnel, when it comes to bedroom bench features, is the material: harder surfaces go better in rustic and industrial styles, while softer surfaces such as fabric go better in traditional and mid-century styles, so knowing what your style is before shopping can make sure you choose the best bedroom bench to complement it – and your room is as put-together as can be.
Why Choose a Bedroom Bench?
A bedroom bench should be chosen for one or all of these reasons: storage, décor, seating. Any combination of the three can help determine the best design for your space; if you just need it for storage and seating, you can ignore the styles and go straight for function (skipping details such as button tufting and decorative feet), while if you are using it for seating and décor, you can skip the storage (and save yourself the heftier price tag that typically comes with a built-in storage design).
DIY Bedroom Bench as Window Nook
A window nook turns any bedroom into a suite, and bedroom benches come in an array of sizes to help you get the look. To add a charming nook to a bedroom window, choose a bedroom bench slightly longer than the window; too short, and the bench will look engulfed by the window. Place the appropriate size seating (once you have it measured out and compared!), and decorate with a couple of cozy pillows and throw blankets for the coziest, dreamiest bedroom corner that really looks like it could have been part of a bedroom remodel (but really cost next to nothing to achieve!).
Bedroom Bench Don’ts
Fair warning: bedroom benches should not be used as stools! Reaching something on a high shelf, your instinct may be to hop onto the nearest knee-height block of wood or metal you can find – a bedroom bench may look compelling in such a moment, but we are here to tell you it’s not worth the risk.
Here’s another “don’t”: don’t stack furniture or other heavy objects on top of a bedroom bench. Unless you are sure of a high weight capacity, doing so will compromise the structure of the frame – and may cause the bench to collapse.
Finally, don’t obsess over your new bedroom bench. While we (totally) get it – we too tend to drool and pontificate over our fave benches, dining and bedroom alike – spending too much time thinking about any material possession can lead to unhealthy attachments. Place a new bench in a room and then try to get some rest at night; the ambiance of the perfect bedroom bench is conspicuous and easily blends into its environment. Conspicuity is a good thing, if your goal is a room that feels more relaxed and ready for bedtime.
Bedroom Benches: Closing Thoughts
A bedroom bench is a great option for rooms that need more seating, décor and/or storage. Common materials include wood, metal and fabric. Features will have you feel more relaxed, as common ones include armrests, backrests and tufted upholstery. Use a bedroom bench at the end of a bed or against a wall – either way, we’re sure you’ll love any of these designs!
