10 Best Storage Benches

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Because an extra place to put your stuff is never a bad idea.

Unlike a sweeping sectional or petite loveseat, a bench is an incredibly versatile piece of seating. It can overcome the limits of a living room and find its suitable place at the foyer, hallway, window, or even the outdoor patio. But a bench's journey as seating doesn't stop there; some small functional benches can have a purpose beyond just resting. These benches often have built-in storage space or storage compartments that'll help declutter your space in one way or another. Just like that, the storage bench is now your go-to furniture item for anywhere you can fit one.

Storage benches with a generous interior chamber lets you put away anything that needs not be out of plain sight in just a simple moment. You can place one at the foot of your bed for setting aside off-season outerwear and bedding, or in the living room as a makeshift coffee table, or in the mudroom for resting your grocery bags and footwear after you return home. It's also a great place for storing all your throw blankets and accents pillows when you're not huddled up on the sofa for movie night. These genius furniture pieces don't short on style or form, and our picks of the 10 best storage benches will make your home even more organized.

The old-school wood drawer may have gone the way of, well... the old-school wood drawer. But the Quincy is bringing all of those sleek elements to its otherwise granny-looking category. It's, again, mid-century modern, but with more contemporary trimmings like subtle brass hardware, straight legs, and a sculpted, asymmetrical drawer front that really add a layer of texture to all that throwback charm.

Forgive us for blasting your timeline with three mid-century modern styles in a row. Something about those tapered, angled-out legs supporting a clean rectangular silhouette just looks so swell. West Elm's rendition of it is also very practical, stretching out at over 60 inches and making room for two spacious cabinets. The smooth sliding door design also uses less space.

Burrow, the practical luxury furniture brand, does storage bench seats with the kind of style-and-substance balance you'd expect. Its Totem is the perfect example of a minimal form with maximal functionality: The Scandinavian outer made of hardwearing solid wood looks inviting and at-ease with other furniture pieces, but the interior hides a generous storage that easily lets you shove in anything you want out of sight.

The safest route is to choose a timeless style that looks classic, and will go great anywhere in your home. Mid-century modern is that style—out of this world and ahead of its time. The Mosier storage bench captures the mid-century modern form in an elegant velvet outer that's bound to fit in any room nicely.

Like most upholstered ottomans, Davina is padded and heaped with a cushion for comfort. But unlike most footrest ottoman benches with a to-the-floor build, it has got legs to flex. All in all, Davina is a rare ottoman-style seating that can stand out as the mainstay of the room it's in and also help curb the room's clutter effortlessly.

With a silhouette that can make for a bedside bench as well as a parlor seat for guests, the Melrose is a storage bench you'd be glad you own. The flip top opens to a reliable space that's got your stuff covered. You can also customize the fabric material (like boucle, weave, tweed, velvet) and color so the Melrose can stand in unison with your interior design needs.

For when you can't make up your mind about what bit of furniture to keep in your entryway or narrow hallway, this is the perfect utilitarian accent. It's a shoe rack with a bottom layer of metal cross bars for storing kicks; has a small seating space with an upholstered foam cushion; and even a drawer for some extra storage. And, you can throw a few show pieces on top of the drawer as well because, why not?

Sometimes you just gotta get things in and out, not hindered by doors or tops, lifting or sliding. A bench seat with an open shelf that doesn't require you to use a finger (besides the fingers needed for grabbing your thrown-around mess of blankets, manuals, and whatnots, that is) to stow stuff away in the compartment, is simply the easiest option to go for. Because enjoying a more tidied living space shouldn't come with much guesswork, not even one division of labor.

Besides looking like it can win an Esquire Home Design Award or two, if you're looking for a lifetime-level storage bench—or just bench—this is the one. It's upholstered in customizable leather fabric, and cushioned with foam to support your glutes—pretty much everything you'd expect from a luxury bench seat in terms of durability. Then there're a few things you wouldn't, like the clear polished acrylic frame that can withstand the test of time longer than wood, and looks way nicer.

You might think you don't have enough space for a storage bench, but we beg to differ; even your most confined, crammed area deserves some big design love that'll turn all eyes as the centerpiece, as plain and simple as the piece looks. One can even say it's that sheer simplicity that makes this wood bench so "loud". That thoughtful minimalism comes in the form of this stunning bench crafted from locally-sourced hinoki wood in Japan.

Maverick Li is the Style & Commerce Editor of Men's Health, where he covers clothing, footwear, watches, and grooming. He was previously the Assistant Commerce Editor at Esquire.

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