Housewarming Gifts: The Case for an Oak Shoe Bench

An oak shoe bench is one of the most useful housewarming gifts you can give, because it solves a problem every new home faces from the first day: nowhere to sit and nowhere to put shoes. In this article we make the case for choosing oak, a hard wearing hardwood that suits almost any interior and develops a gentle patina as it ages. We explain how to choose a bench without knowing every detail of the recipient's hallway, from keeping the size compact and the shape simple to selecting a natural finish and asking a discreet question about the space. You will find a selection of styles that work well as gifts, small extras that make the present feel considered, and ideas for presenting a piece of furniture without wrapping paper. We finish with care notes to pass on and other occasions when the same gift works just as well....