Is a Dining Bench Right for Your Home? Here’s How to Decide

A dining bench can transform the way a table is used. It seats a changing number of people with ease, tucks neatly out of sight and brings a relaxed, sociable feel to family meals and busy weekend gatherings with friends. It is not right for every household, though. People who need back support, older relatives who find it hard to step over a seat, and anyone who lingers over long dinners may prefer chairs. In this guide we set out what a bench does well and where it falls short, then work through the questions worth asking before you decide: who will sit on it, how long meals last, how the table base affects legroom and where the bench will sit. We include practical sizing guidance, compare wooden, upholstered, backed and storage benches, and explain why many families settle on a bench along one side with chairs on the other....