Harper X-Back Storage Bench - Wenge Dark Wood

Beautiful and Well-made

Recently I've been on the search for ways to minimize the clutter in my small house caused by my two sons (ages 2 and 4) and my husband (31). One "problem&...Read complete review

Recently I've been on the search for ways to minimize the clutter in my small house caused by my two sons (ages 2 and 4) and my husband (31). One "problem" I've been wanting to tackle was the shoe problem. The boys come in and their shoes come off … everywhere. Even I was at fault, not remembering if I put my shoes in the closet, under the bed, in the bathroom or even in the boy's room, if I came home late and took them off to read to them goodnight. My husband was the WORST – leaving his size 13 shoes in the living room for everyone to trip over. Surprisingly, it was my 2 year old who actually used the shoe basket I implemented, but even that would get messy and overflowing with various shoes.

So, I wanted a shoe cabinet – but what would I do with another piece of random furniture in a small house, right? Every piece needs to have a use, be practical. That's when I thought "Storage Bench". My find was this Linon Double X-Back Storage Bench. The depth is GREAT – not intruding too much into the house. It has 2 hinged seat lids that don't just slam shut on little fingers. The double X back gives the bench a lot of personality. And I love the dark color, hiding possible stains from the boys.

Usually I put together the pieces in the house, but my husband came home just as I started unpacking the box. It took him less than an hour to assemble the bench, which did require a screwdriver. All pieces were there and none were damaged. Once it was put together I put all of our oft-used shoes inside, along with the overflow of DVDs that did not fit in our other storage spots. Suddenly my house was that much more open! And it gave us another seating option, which is great since I had taken away one of our couches to make our small house look more open in the family room.

The only bummer is that my 2 year old already scratched it with a toy, but it's barely noticeable and my husband says it will happen over time and it gives the piece personality.

I was provided with this bench to write a review on my website and I am sharing my thoughts here, as well.