Smart hallway and shoe storage benches to buy now

A hallway presents a unique set of decorating challenges. It is often both narrow and long, meaning larger furniture items, such as sofas or armchairs, cannot be easily used. At the same time, its life as a highway of the home means people are passing in and out, up and down, constantly, meaning you don’t want it to be left completely empty.

Yet, just because we don’t spend much leisure time in our entryway, doesn't mean you can’t add a place to sit to take off your shoes, hang up your jacket or do a final check of your appearance in that handy hallway mirror.

A hallway bench works whether you're looking to decorate an entrance hallway or simply a corridor in your house and is often a good alternative to endless chairs. The beauty of it is that a bench is so transferable. So, if you decide to move it out of your hallway, you can swap out your dining chairs for one of these benches, or use it as an ottoman at the foot of the bed.

Can a hallway bench double as a shoe storage cabinet?

Many hallway benches from the very best furniture stores have shoe storage racks or storage solutions that are ready to declutter your entry hall. If you’re wanting to look for a bench/organiser hybrid, we recommend looking for the following features:

• A padded seat. Cushioned seats will provide somewhere comfortable to sit when putting your shoes on or taking them off.
• A range of cubby holes. Cubby holes will provide a neat way to store multiple pairs of shoes.
• Open shelves. If you’re not excited by the prospect of cubby holes, tiers of shelves are another space saving hack.

There's no need to overcomplicate hallway decoration, a hallway mirror set above a bench can be a neat vignette. For inspiration, head to our hallway ideas guide.

Best hallway benches to buy