Sitting Pretty with Lots of Storage

• What: Homepop Faux Leather Settee Storage Bench
• When: Before and during parenting
• Why: Hide toys, contain clutter, increase storage space
• Where: Target, Amazon

If you’ve heard me rave about my plastic outdoor storage bench as a way to corral toys in the backyard, wait until you hear me extol the virtues of my indoor storage bench.

HomePop Faux Leather Settee Storage Bench at Target

I got it several years ago to replace a clunky outdated love seat we had. I liked the narrower frame didn’t stick out into our small room as much, yet it offered just as much seating surface. The seat lifts up to reveal tons of storage space inside.

I can get loads of blankets or other stuff inside and still store bins of toys underneath.

The easy to clean fake leather material means I don’t worry about the kids spilling food or drink on it, unlike my actual upholstered furniture. It is not, however, cat friendly. I learned that the hard way. I feel like my cat just thinks about it and leaves marks. Since ours holds a prime position near the window, she loves to sit on it or use it to jump up on her own furniture, leaving tiny claw-sized holes in the process. (I could probably work harder to eliminate this problem, but I choose to spend my time and effort elsewhere – like keeping the house habitable for humans.)

Our bench is rarely free from toys unless we expect guests.

We’re using ours in front of the window in our living room currently, but it would make a great place for a front entry or mudroom, and also fit perfectly at the bottom of a full size bed. In fact, it would go in pretty much any room where you need extra storage without sacrificing seating.

Homelegance Cushioned Top Storage Bench on Amazon

Even better, because ours has legs about eight inches tall, I filled the space underneath with bins for toys. I store lots of toys down low where my kids can reach them to play and put them away, and I don’t have to look at them when I settle down in the evenings. I can fit three six inch high bins underneath easily, and any number of things inside, and still have people sit on it in a pinch. (The dogs and cat like to monopolize the sitting space.)

Sadly, as I learned, the faux leather is not compatible with cats, who leave marks when they claw it.

My kids have never discovered the interior storage, so that works doubly well for me. But I can also imagine the wide, shallow space works great for Legos. In fact, we have our giant Lego board parked almost permanently on top, so it becomes a second coffee table surface for us. Only I don’t have to fight my kids or their myriad creations to use it, because I can keep the real coffee table for myself.

You can see the inside storage space as well as bins of toys underneath.