Shoes have a way of accumulating in piles, like sentient little creatures forming a herd. Left unchecked, the pile tends to expand as you accumulate more shoes. After a while, it can look like a rat's nest of shoes. The pile can get hard to walk around and looks awful. That's where a shoe storage bench can come in handy.
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A shoe storage bench can offer the best of three functons: it provides convenient storage, stylish design and added sitting space. But there are many different types of shoe benches to choose from.
Read on to learn about what styles, materials and color to look for in your shoe bench.
How to choose the best material for a shoe storage bench?
Shoe benches come in a few different types of materials. Below we'll cover which work best in different spaces.
Wood
The most common material you'll find in a shoe storage bench is wood. It's a sturdy material that holds weight, making it a good option for a bench design. Choose wood if you want a basic piece that can fit into almost any home style.
Wooden benches work best with rustic, mid-Century modern, vintage, French-country and cottage styles. Woodgrain finish will add unpretentious and organic warmth to any of the above styles, but you're not limited to these.
Choose wood with white coating if you have a light contemporary color scheme and a solid painted neutral color like brown or tan for timeless and transitional homes.
Metal
Another type of material you'll find in a shoe storage bench is metal. Metal benches are great in industrial, modern or minimalistic homes. Often, these have a metal frame that features a certain design, such as a bronzed appearance or black finish.
A combination of metal and wood is also a popular choice that perfectly emphasises the beauty of sleek interiors. For a touch of elegance, choose a metal frame topped with a leather upholstered seat.
Upholstery
You can also find storage benches lined with fabric. Sometimes the whole bench is lined in a fabric style or it's just topped with a fabric cushion. Fabric benches look best when you are attempting to match furniture or want a timeless transitional style. Velvet is a popular fabric option and will add an elegant touch to your space, whereas vinyl or leather are easiest to clean and this option may be a great choice for a family with young children.
Wicker
Wicker baskets are also a common material you can find as part of a shoe storage bench. These often sit in a cubby under the seating area and slide out. Wicker baskets look great in rustic or classic homes. Benches made entirely of wicker are the perfect choice for coastal style homes.
How to select the organizational style of a shoe storage bench?
You might be surprised to learn that shoe storage benches can get quite creative in how they allow you to store shoes. Below we'll look at some of the most common organizational styles to choose from and in what situations they work best.
Cubbies: One of the most common styles you'll see is the cubby system. Almost always open on the front, these tend to have smaller individual compartments to store pairs of shoes. Choose this design if you like the idea of separating shoes from each other, when you have smaller pairs of shoes and want them easily accessible.
Shelves: Another very common style you'll see is the shelf system. Often, these shelves have different heights. Choose this type if you have tall boots or heels to store.
Lid: Sometimes a shoe storage bench opens to reveal space to store shoes, often in a cubby system. Choose this option if you have a very sleek home style and want the shoes completely hidden. Just remember that it's one of the least convenient options to access your shoes.
It's best to look for benches with built-in removable dividers. These create multiple slots for your shoes, and if you remove them, you end up with a great bedroom chest for storing blankets or extra bedding.
Fold-out: These have a type of compartment that folds up and down to reveal shelves where you place the shoes. This is another type you should choose if you want the shoes hidden when not in use, but you want the organizational ease of a fold-down system where you can easily view the shoes.
Bins: Another way to hide shoes for sleeker home styles is the bin system. The bins slide out if you need to grab shoes. Getting a style with larger bins can be good for storing larger shoes, like boot styles.
Shoe storage benches tend to come in neutral tones that can fit into a variety of home styles. You'll commonly see them in deep wood textures, black, brown, white or tan. It's hard to go wrong, so go ahead, choose a shoe storage bench you love and add more organization to your home!
