Banquets in the hallway

The theater begins with a coat rack, and the hallway begins with a banquet. Perhaps this is how you can modify the well-known expression, given the long-term popularity of this elegant and graceful piece of furniture.

The first impression of any house is formed even in the hallway. Therefore, every detail of her interior must be thought out to the smallest detail. And the bench is not only a neat, compact, elegant bench, but also a rather functional thing, without which it is difficult to imagine a modern interior. This piece of furniture will be discussed in our article.

The bench, as an element of furniture, appeared many years ago. As early as the 18th century, it was used as a small elegant bench for ballrooms. The shops were of the same shape, design and size.

Later, this bench became an obligatory attribute of hallways, corridors, bedrooms. It looked like a bench with a soft, backless seat.

The modern bench is presented in a huge assortment of models of different shapes, sizes, designs. It can be a functional addition to the interior of the hallway or its stylish decoration. You cannot do without it when you need to put on shoes or answer a phone call, dress a child or fold outerwear.

Some models provide a seating area for one person, other sofas can easily replace a full bench for several people.

Banquettes are rarely used solely as a seat. Today, they are complemented by drawers and shelves for storing outdoor and indoor shoes, spoons and shoe care products, as well as other small items needed in everyday life. They provide a compact, neat arrangement of things in free access.

Now the banquets are presented in different stylistic solutions and are made of different materials.

Today, you can easily purchase a banquet for the hallway to perform a specific task, for a specific interior and size of the room.

Main types:

1. Benches-poufs are round, square, rectangular stools without legs or with small legs. Leather (natural or synthetic) and textiles are used to decorate the seats. They are great for small hallways. At the same time, they can be used as a small storage of clothes, linen, useful little things.
2. Banquet stool. The model differs from the classic stool in the presence of a soft seat, original design and beautifully curved legs. Such a piece of furniture is useful both as a functional item and as a beautiful addition to the interior of the hallway.
3. The bench-bench looks like a compact sofa. It can have a small back or be made in the form of a bench. Has different heights, shape of legs, design options. It can be hard, semi-rigid, soft. The spacious seat allows several people to be accommodated at the same time.
4. Ottoman - a kind of bench that does not have a back. It is made of wood, metal, has a seat of medium hardness. You can sit on the ottoman if necessary, but there is nothing to rely on. This model is widespread and is often used in hallways decorated in a classic interior.
5. Banquet sofas.Most often they can be found in spacious hallways, where free space allows you to place a cozy, beautiful, soft sofa along the wall. Such furniture has a wide range of models. Equipped with a back and armrests of various shapes and sizes. The upholstery and frame are available in different materials.
6. Banquet chest. The original piece of furniture outwardly completely imitates the old "grandmother's" chest. Such a piece of furniture primarily acts as a storage place for household items, and the cover upholstered in soft material can also be used as a seat.

The main types in which the banquets are presented today are divided into many different models that differ from each other in different parameters (purpose, material, the presence of additional elements, size).

Benches with shelves effectively solve two problems at once: they provide a comfortable seat for 1-2 people and allow you to neatly and compactly place home or outdoor shoes, household and household items. Such benches most often have a rectangular shape, and in their lower part there are 1 or 2

Benches with backrest represent the most convenient and comfortable option. Here you can not only sit down for a short time, but also settle down for a telephone conversation or reading a book, for example. The model is often complemented by one or two armrests. Soft materials are used as upholstery.

Bench with drawer usually intended for storing shoes, but may well serve as a place for placing other items. The model is equipped with 1-2-3 drawers, which can be of different sizes, for example, for storing large items and small items.

Model with a bedside table is an original piece of furniture, which is most often decorated "antique". Curved legs, a compact bedside table for a phone, a book, keys, a beautifully designed seat, a backrest, a comfortable armrest - this bench reminds of palace furniture. First of all, it will play the role of an original interior decoration and only then a functional item.

A banquet with a table is a variation of the previous version, only the bedside table here also plays the role of a small table where you can leave anything - from keys and a cell phone to the morning newspaper and a cup of coffee.

As for the design differences, they mainly consist in the shape, design and size of the legs, seat and back.

Benches can be rectangular, square, round or oval seating, which in turn can be soft, hard and semi-rigid. A soft model can easily replace a small sofa, and a hard one is a beautiful alternative to a regular bench.

Benches can have legs of different thickness, shape and size, or they can be made without them (puffs). The abundance of modern models allows you to choose a suitable height option (for a child, a tall person, the elderly). Legs can be of very different shapes: straight, curved, crossed. Furniture with legs is multifunctional. Usually she plays the role of a bench, sofa, ottoman.

Models with a backrest can be supplemented with one or two armrests, have a base of different rigidity. Such options are more suitable for spacious rooms, since they take up a lot of space.

Ordinary metal or wooden benches look more elegant and compact. They do not have a back and armrests. They are used mainly to sit down for a few seconds, putting on shoes or putting the finishing touches to the image.

If at the time when this piece of furniture just appeared, the size range was minimal, then today you can easily find the ideal option for a hallway of any size.

It is difficult to equip a small hallway in such a way that it is as functional and, at the same time, beautiful.Each unnecessary item takes up an already small space. In this case, a small bench will be a real salvation. Poufs or stools will perfectly fit even the smallest corridor. Such a mini-chair can be placed in the corner, and the seating problem will be solved. If this is a pouf, then its internal space can also be used to store various things.

Narrow models with a width of 25 cm - 30 cm and a little more, installed along the long wall of the hallway, allow you to place a cut of several people. On them you can fold clothes, hats, put a bag, package. Such models usually have a length of at least 80-100 cm.

A long narrow or wide bench is a great option for a large family, when several people, including children, need to dress and put on shoes at the same time. Each family member will find his place, the hustle and bustle in the morning will disappear before going to work, kindergarten, school.

The height of the bench is an important criterion for its selection. If it is planned to use it as a classic seating position, then the height of the product can be in the range of 40 cm - 45 cm - 50 cm. The best option for people of different ages to sit comfortably for a few minutes and easily rise without using armrests and auxiliary funds.

Models with a height below 40 cm are useful for a family with small children. The kid will comfortably sit on a low sofa to put on shoes or dress on his own.

The banquet can have a very different shape: from the classic (semicircle, rectangle, square) to the most original and unusual, fantasy options.

A semicircular bench is a pouf or an upholstered bench made in the form of a sector. With its straight side, it leans against the wall, and the semicircular part can be used to seat several people at the same time. Due to its rounded shape, this model is very comfortable and safe for children (there are no sharp corners). Such a bench can be used as a corner bench by placing it in a suitable corner of the hallway. It does not take up much space, is compact and looks very original.

Square or rectangular models are the most popular. They go well with any interior style. Available in a wide range of sizes, so you can easily choose the perfect fit for a spacious or tiny hallway.

The elegant “boot” model is perfect for the smallest spaces. This is an unusual ottoman, which will also become an original, stylish decoration of any interior. Most often made of wood and complemented by soft upholstery in a contrasting color.

Today's variety of materials allows you to create a variety of variations on the theme of the banquet. Depending on the material used, they can be heavy and light, strong and fragile, massive and graceful. To create this kind of furniture in one product, several materials are used at once: for the body or base, upholstery and filling.

The following materials are used to create the base:

1. Wood. For many hundreds of years, wooden furniture has been deservedly popular and loved by residents of different countries of the world, and this is not surprising. Such a beautiful natural material with a delicate aroma and healing properties has proven itself well in everyday life. It is strong, durable, aesthetic. Its disadvantages include only a fairly high cost.
2. Materials close to natural wood in aesthetic and operational characteristics - chipboard and fiberboard are slightly inferior in quality, but much more affordable than solid wood.
3. Metal (forging) is ideal for creating a strong, sturdy, reliable, durable and aesthetically pleasing design.In addition, metal is ideally combined with other materials and looks great in any interior. Forged banquets are real works of art, so beautiful, diverse and graceful is the light, openwork pattern made of metal.

The following materials are offered for upholstery:

1. Natural and artificial leather. These materials are distinguished by high strength characteristics, wear resistance, practicality, and look great externally. Leather furniture always looks very expensive and solid.
2. Textile. Most often, these are strong, durable and beautiful materials (cotton, flock, velor). They are well cleaned, do not lose their color intensity even after a long time of use, and give the furniture a special beauty and charm. Furniture models with decorative stitching as a decoration, for example, banquettes with quilted velor, look very beautiful, expensive and spectacular. Another option is furniture with a carriage coupler. These sofas are more comfortable and practical than benches with smooth upholstery.
3. Wood and metal. The bench can be pure wood or metal. The first option is most often used. Such models simultaneously act as a bedside table. On them you can not only sit down, but also put things, put bags, lay out clothes. For a comfortable and comfortable sitting, you can use a blanket, bedspread or decorative pillows.

When creating furniture for the hallway, more exotic options are used, for example, bamboo or rattan. The rattan bench is an elegant sofa with a wicker seat, back and side sections. Rattan is most often combined with natural wood. The result is a very lightweight, almost weightless construction that beautifully and unusually decorates the interior.

The bench is, rather, an additional, decorative element of the interior than its basic, main part. Therefore, the choice of color for its decoration mainly depends on the style in which the interior is sustained, the color combination of the hallway, as well as the material for making the furniture.

If the furniture in the hallway is made of wood, then it is advisable to select the bench in a shade of natural wood (oak, pine, wenge, ebony and mahogany, walnut, cherry, alder and other species).

The white model is versatile and will perfectly complement the classic and modern interior. In addition, furniture of light shades visually "lightens" a small space, making it lighter. It can be a beige, sand, milky and other color banquet, kept in pastel colors.

However, the banquets do not always have to match the color scheme with the rest of the furniture or decoration of the room. To visually revive the interior, to make it more interesting and bright, it is enough to add a few accents to it. One of them may well be a bench with upholstery in a contrasting color, for example, turquoise, wine, blue, black, red.

A bench is a very "plastic" piece of furniture that looks great in a variety of stylistic solutions.

The model in the classic style most often has a rectangular, square or round shape, restrained colors, austere design. The upholstery can be plain or decorated with geometric / floral prints.

Retro-style furniture is decorated with curved legs, fancy-shaped armrests and backrests, forged decor, carvings, and painting.

The Provence style implies light, light colors, beautiful design, decorative elements. Such a bench can be made of metal or carved wood, decorated with velvet, velor, tapestry. Maybe this model is not very practical, but it perfectly complements the interior.

Banquets in a modern style, such as minimalism or hi-tech, are characterized by a laconic, austere design, universal colors and an almost complete lack of decor.The main thing for such furniture is convenience and functionality.

The modern bench is presented in a wide range of models. But for the most part, different models have a fairly simple basis - a bench with or without a back. Therefore, many of them can be made independently in order to decorate your own interior with an exclusive piece of furniture.

To make a shoe bench, you will need a furniture board with a thickness of more than 18 cm (made of oak, pine or spruce), fasteners, mounting tape for furniture, foam rubber for stuffing, upholstery, decorative elements for decoration, carpentry glue, jigsaw, screwdriver, hammer, tape measure, varnish for wood, accessories.

Outwardly, such a bench will look like a sofa with lockable wardrobes.

Work process:

• sketches of blanks are applied to the furniture board and cut out with a jigsaw;
• blanks are carefully processed with sandpaper;
• holes are drilled and the workpieces are pre-connected to each other;
• after the workpieces are completely ready (butt together, do not protrude beyond the edges of neighboring workpieces), their end parts are glued together, and for reliability they are additionally fixed with self-tapping screws;
• hinges are attached and doors are hung on the cabinets
• a soft seat is made (the foam blank is covered with fabric and fixed with threads and a needle);
• the finished structure is assembled, the product is varnished;
• a soft seat, fittings, decorative elements are attached.

You can make a bench with your own hands from scratch, or you can use an old coffee table for this, for example. To do this, you must first remove the old tabletop and make a blank of the future bench or pouf from it. To clean the legs and tabletop with sandpaper from old varnish or paint, prime the structure.

Then fresh paint is applied in several layers and a soft seat is made. For this, a piece of padding polyester or foam rubber is wrapped in cloth and fixed with threads. To make the upholstery look more original, for decoration you can use buttons to create a carriage tie, for example, or use braid (fringe, satin ribbon). All the details are assembled into a single structure, and the original decorative item for the hallway is ready!

How to make a do-it-yourself bench - see the video below for more details.

It is very easy to choose an original and nice furniture element for a corridor or hall. It is enough to adhere to simple recommendations:

1. Consider the number and age of people living in the apartment. This point is important if the bench will be used as a seat. It should be long enough and roomy. For older people, it is better to choose stable, reliable models with armrests, on which you can always rely on, if necessary. If there are small children in the house, then the bench should exclude the presence of sharp corners or decorative elements.
2. The size of the hallway is important. For a small room, neat, miniature models are suitable. For an elongated corridor, elongated options are acceptable; in a square hall, round or square ottomans will look harmoniously.
3. If furniture is purchased as a functionally useful item, then special attention should be paid to its additional elements (shelves, cabinets, cabinets).
4. The style of the bench should fully correspond to the interior in which it is located. Stylish, modern furnishings call for the same beautiful, original and unusual premium decorations. Designer models will help to decorate the classic, restrained interior. The main thing is that the whole environment looks very harmonious and holistic.

If the bench is planned to be used not only in the hallway, then preference should be given to a laconic, strict model.A stylish bench with leather or other beautiful upholstery will look great in the interior of a bedroom, living room or any other room.

An unusual design option for a standard small hallway. Furniture and decor elements are made of thin metal rods. This design adds grace and sophistication to the interior, while the rich orange color of the seats fills the atmosphere with bright colors.

The multifunctional bench made of dark wood simultaneously serves as a soft, comfortable seat, storage for shoes, accessories and other things, as well as a decorative decoration of the hallway.

The original shape of the pouf harmoniously complements the interior, designed in a combination of light green, dark brown and milky colors. Very elegant, sophisticated and stylish!