I wrote last year about finding the perfect narrow hallway bench seat for our wonky little cottage.
We didn’t have to look very hard, as I found the perfect small hallway bench with storage from GLTC.
The Abbeville storage bench is SO useful and a master of disguise.
It works well as a little reading nook.
Or as smart storage for a child’s bedroom or playroom.
But — after much deliberation — we decided that it was a perfect hideaway. Particularly for the mountain of shoes that seem to accumulate by our front door.
It’s roomy baskets offer plenty of storage; perfect stashing things away neatly.
Plus, it doubles up as a bench seat, thanks to the comfy cushion on the top.
It’s the perfect place for the little ones to put their shoes on. Or sit and gaze out of the window.
It’s so versatile but also, when you’re short on room, it’s diminutive dimensions mean it’s perfect for small spaces.
But best of all Great Little Trading have cleverly designed their baskets and boxes. They perfectly fit the recesses of this neat little hallway bench. Which gives lots of scope to update the look of it.
Particularly if you’re a bit fickle (like me) and like mixing things up regularly.
Previously, we had charcoal grey rope storage baskets. Plus a pale grey cushion patterned with white stars. But I’ve just changed these in favour of some two-tone baskets in ivory and natural; plus an Abbeville Storage Bench cushion in natural.
It changes the look of our hallway bench completely!
A couple of little changes and it feels like we have a totally different piece of furniture.
The Abbeville is such a great size, we’d struggle to find a better small hallway bench with storage. But the ability to change the look and feel of it so simply, just with some new accessories, means that I’ll give it houseroom for many years to come.
I’d perhaps like Great Little Trading to produce a lovely cushion cover in a ticking-stripe fabric. Maybe in charcoal grey or cherry red (hint!).
And, if I’m feeling crafty, perhaps I’ll update the baskets with pom-poms (as they’ve done on their blog). Which will tie in nicely with my gorgeous summer ‘market basket’, that I picked up in The Hambledon last month.
But facelifts, pom-poms and ticking-stripe aside, our little hallway bench still makes the very best place to sit and look out of the window.
Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.
Caro I love the updateI Useful and pretty tick tick.
shoes are my problem too, i have too many but luckily they now have their own room… Whoop!
bestest
ashley x
You’ve got a WHOLE ROOM for your shoes????!!!! Ash — that is AMAZING!!!! Now feeling like my little shoe storage is just not quite cutting the mustard ;)
Lovely job Caro. I always love how a small change of colour scheme can give a space a completely different feel.
It’s such a useful little unit — it houses SO many shoes!! So nice to be able to give it a quick facelift too!! Definitely a bonus for someone as fickle as me!! ;)
We have so many shoes in our hallway! Your bench looks lovely, I love the 2 tone baskets but I think I would need 2 of them for my family.
Aaah shoes cluttering up the floor were the bane of my life Claire!! Although, GLTC DO make Abbeville storage with more apertures — enough for 8 or 9 baskets — so you buy a larger version if you have lots more shoes! ;)
Aw what a cute bench! I love it! It’s so hard finding nice looking, multifunctional storage items.
Debs
It’s SO hard — although GLTC have it nailed. I think people associate their products with children but most of the things we have from there are in the communal areas of the house, rather than in the twins’ room :)
We have the same bench in my son’s bedroom and love it! It’s so handy, stores so many toys in the baskets and gets a lot of use, and even after several years, it still looks perfect :-). Love it in your hallway!
They really DO hold a lot of stuff, don’t they? It’s amazing!!
I LOVE the update you’ve given this, Caro! You’re right, it looks totally different. I’d love something like this in our hallway. But there are small hallways and there is my hallway. Teeny and VERY narrow. We’ll be forever sitting on the bottom stair to put on our shoes :) Ah well…
Thanks lovely — although to be honest, our actual hallway sounds a lot like yours!! It’s about 2ft square, so no room for ANY furniture!! This sits in our dining room, which doubles up as a hallway! ;)
Oh that bench is lovely! The new baskets really do change the look completely too.
Thanks so much Nicola!