


June 2016
Fresh Ideas for Your Home
Benches are a beautiful, versatile and flexible decorating choice
You can use them for seating, storage, display and more!
Benches are just about the most flexible and functional pieces of furniture you can purchase! Just think of where you can use them:
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At the bottom of a bed
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Under a window in the living room or great room
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In the entry hall or mud room
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At the dining room table or kitchen table
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In outdoor living space
Benches come in all shapes, sizes, materials and colors; and they’re so easy to move around for multiple uses as the need arises. Use them:
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For extra seating
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As an impromptu coffee table
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For holding guests' purses and jackets
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To put on your shoes
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For setting down whatever you're carrying
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To serve drinks and snacks
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To display a stack of books or a collection of seashells
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. . . Even just for putting up your tired feet!
Benches can also include storage underneath – in closed drawers or cabinets or in wicker baskets - for blankets and pillows in the bedroom or for boots, umbrellas and other outdoor weather gear in the entry way.
Benches come in most any style from rustic to high tech. Materials range from wood to metal to upholstered fabric. For a unique look, have a bench made from recycled barn wood or purchase a used church pew! Two or three small benches can be put together to make a long shape – or separated for flexible placement in a room.
Always make sure any bench in your house is built to be sturdy. Even if you think the bench isn’t for seating, you know it will happen at some point, and you don’t want it to collapse!
Add flexibility, function and beauty to your décor this summer with a bench or two!

© 2016 Hunter Douglas