Every housewife strives to equip her home with beautiful and functional furniture. In addition to the main items: a bed and a wardrobe, a sofa and a table with chairs, armchairs and a chest of drawers, the rooms may also contain an additional accessory such as a banquette. This decorative element will make any room comfortable and convenient.
Banquette for the bedroom - 68 photos of the best ways to create a cozy arrangement
A banquette is usually called a small bench with a soft seat, which is used as an additional piece of furniture for the living room, bedroom and other rooms in the house.
By definition, a bench usually does not have a back, but there are exceptions.
The banquette appeared in the aristocratic houses of Western Europe quite a long time ago. Many researchers consider its predecessor to be the “kline” bench used in Ancient Greece.
Be that as it may, the banquette appeared in Russia about three hundred years ago. An item that was originally intended only for the rich, with the development of the furniture industry, became available to everyone.
As a universal product, the banquette is useful both for practical purposes and as a design element. It is selected for the bedroom, guided by the general concept of creating the interior of the room.
Where can I buy
- The largest possible choice is, of course, provided by the Internet portal. It contains information and photos of models from a variety of manufacturers for every taste and color. It’s even difficult to say where exactly the assortment is greater: either on a specialized website like “Banquette. Moscow”, or on a common area where any cabinet and upholstered furniture is offered.
- The most complete information about the models can be obtained on the websites of the manufacturer or from a specialized furniture online store. Here the dimensions of the model, the material of manufacture, the method of finishing, and sometimes the weight of the product are indicated. Since in most cases, banquettes are made to order, online shopping sites also offer various fabrics and upholstery colors. If you are going to inexpensively buy a pouf or banquette for the hallway in an online store, you can see their appearance in the photo, choose the color of the furniture, both wooden and wrought iron.
Foreign manufacturers can also be found on the World Wide Web. But there is one thing: if we are talking about close countries - Belarus, for example, whose furniture makers have fully deserved their excellent reputation, then the product will most likely also be made to order, and delivery will take a relatively short time. Furniture from Italy or Spain is not ordered; only those models are offered here.
- A separate position is occupied by companies whose products are delivered by mail, for example, the well-known Ikea. Any furniture, including banquettes, is mass-produced, so the shape and equipment do not change here. The color can be ordered: in the catalogs of the same Ikea, banquettes for the hallway are always offered in different colors, possible for each product. Models are delivered disassembled and assembled on site.
- Furniture showrooms, especially upholstered furniture, of course, provide a wide variety of products for the hallway. Banquettes are offered both ready-made from stock and made to order.
- Forged furniture requires a different approach. Firstly, the most valuable in this case are the items where the maximum share of manual labor is expected. Accordingly, we are not talking about a specific brand here, but about a master blacksmith who is capable of realizing any fantasy in metal. Banquettes with cold forged elements - made of rod, smooth or embossed - are considered more standard. They are also very attractive, but more typical. Here it is fair to talk about a studio or workshop.
In this case, a domestic manufacturer is many times preferable: samples of workshop products are much easier to find and evaluate, and by negotiating directly with the master, you can explain your wishes much more intelligently - from sizes to individual features.
Photo of a banquette in the hallway from IKEA (LANDSKRONA)
Why do you need a banquette in the bedroom?
The versatility of such a piece of furniture as a banquette is undeniable. It can perform many functions precisely because it is small in size, easy to carry and use as you please.
Among other things, a banquette is:
- an object on which you can sit, relax, unwind;
- if there are niches and drawers - a device for storing household or personal items;
- part of the interior that can play a significant role in the implementation of design ideas;
- an object that takes up little space, it does not interfere, but can always be useful.
Manufacturers produce a wide range of banquettes, all of them differ in size, shape, materials used in production, and application.
Classic. A small soft bench (there is no backrest in this version), installed at the bottom of the bed. You can put something on it, place a tray of food, a laptop, or sit down.
The style should match the style of the bed.
With a backrest. Usually this is a classic piece of furniture, specially made for the bedroom. The presence of a backrest means that the bench can be installed against a wall or near a window.
With niches and drawers. The design of such a bench can be anything, the main thing here is functionality. The presence of places to store various household or personal items and bed linen is an important advantage for small spaces.
Bench pouffe. A small piece of furniture, without unnecessary parts (backrest, armrests), intended specifically for sitting. Typically, such banquettes are made round or square, comfortable for a person.
DIY bench
If there is no soft bench on sale that would fit perfectly into the existing interior of the room, then you can make this piece of furniture with your own hands. To make it we will need the following materials and tools:
- screw-in legs from an old chair;
- stain;
- foam;
- plywood;
- hot gun;
- leather for upholstery;
- buttons;
- stapler with staples;
- scissors;
- saw;
- drill.
The banquette for the hallway will be made in the following sequence:
- Preparing the legs. We clean each leg with sandpaper and cover it with stain.
- We cut foam rubber and plywood. Choose the dimensions of the future banquette at your discretion, based on the fact that each person should have at least 50 cm of future seating. We lay the cut sheet of plywood on the foam rubber and cut it, leaving allowances of 2-3 cm on all sides.
- Using a hot gun, glue the foam rubber to the plywood along the entire perimeter.
- We mark on the plywood the places where the buttons will be located.
- Using a drill, we drill holes at these points, making sure not to damage the foam.
- We cut the upholstery to the size of the seat, leaving an allowance of 2-3 cm.
- We sew all its parts together. We sew a special border along the edges over the seams.
- We attach the edges of the trim from the bottom of the seat to the plywood using staples.
- We sew on the buttons by first inserting the needle into the button and then threading the thread through the hole drilled in the plywood.
- If desired, you can cover the back of the seat with fabric, although this step can be skipped to reduce the cost of the product.
- We screw the legs to the seat, our banquette is ready.
Design and styles
Like the rest of the furniture, the banquette can be made in one of many styles. The main thing is that it harmoniously combines with the decor of the bedroom and does not fall out of the design concept. Each style of furniture has its own banquette.
The style is classic. For such a set of furniture, a banquette with upholstery fabric in muted tones is suitable. The legs should be made in the same style as the bed.
Provence. This style provides sophistication, expensive wood, rich upholstery and, most importantly, light, pastel colors.
This is a luxury item, the legs of which are turned by real craftsmen, and the upholstery is selected by a specialist who has a good sense of the Provence style.
Modern. A more modern banquette with freer shapes is suitable for this style. Forged legs and back, upholstery with images of flowers or leaves, eye-catching patterns - these are the features of a banquette for the Art Nouveau style.
Ecostyle. This is a style that has no clear restrictions, except for one thing: furniture design must resonate with nature. We are talking not only about the external similarity to something that was not created by man, but also about the use of simple, poorly processed materials.
Style restrictions are relative. All modern interiors are built not so much within the framework of some design direction, but rather within the framework of cooperation between the designer and the customer. Therefore, you can choose the one that you like best, which seems more practical and reliable.
Shape and dimensions
There are:
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- single;
- double;
- triple;
- quadruple.
One place is taken at the rate of 55-60 centimeters per person. Single and double rooms are suitable for home and garden use. For waiting rooms, schools, reception areas, clinics, courts, children. gardens, theaters, three-seaters or more are better suited.
Shapes:
- round;
- rectangular;
- square;
- triangular.
Banquette for the bedroom: photo, review, selection tips, reviews
When choosing bedroom furniture, you must be guided by the principles of convenience, comfort and functionality. It is important that there is free space for movement. A bed must be installed in the room. The remaining items of the set are selected taking into account the needs and taste of the owners. Increasingly, a banquette takes pride of place in the bedroom, but sometimes the variety of designs baffles the average person. If you want to install this piece of furniture at home, then you need to familiarize yourself with the functions it performs, understand why the bench is needed, and choose the most suitable one for your needs.
Types of banquettes for the home and beyond
Various types of banquettes, designed for the simplest purposes in everyday life, look very worthy. The most durable and even exotic type can be considered the type of forged banquettes.
Country option
They can easily be installed on an open summer veranda, in the garden under a shady plum tree, or in any recreation area. Light weight and high strength make it easy to deliver furniture to the dacha and not have to worry about dacha furniture. For more sophisticated types of furniture, it is necessary to provide polyethylene covers that protect against birds, insects and weather surprises. This type of garden furniture is much more comfortable than plastic monsters that easily break in the middle of the season.
Advice! The legs of home furniture have always been sensitive to soft ground, so the area is often pre-compacted or a hard surface is used.
The simplest type of banquettes (photo) has always been a design that resembles a soft chair without a back. It is more versatile in use, but provides minimal comfort and seating comfort. In most cases, these types are used for the kitchen or bedroom.
For overweight people, this could be a double or triple width pillow type. Thanks to the specific shape, it is much more comfortable for people with radiculitis or other types of back diseases to sit on such furniture than on a chair or even an armchair.
Scope of application
The bedside banquette for the bedroom has a long history. Aristocratic young ladies used furniture in their rooms back in the Middle Ages. But its purpose was more limited to tying the corset by the maids, because on a small elevation it was much easier to do this.
A modern banquette can look completely different and combine a practical and decorative role. Furniture is most often used:
- for folding clothes and bedspreads before going to bed;
- as a place for reading;
- a bench with a drawer is suitable for storing bedding and other home textiles;
- as a pouf in front of the dressing table.
However, when choosing such a piece of furniture, you need to focus not only on compliance with the style, but also on the area of the room. Otherwise, the bedroom banquette furniture will turn from a functional and practical decor into an irritating element that interferes with free passage.
Under shoes
Two- and three-seater banquettes are most often additionally equipped with a practical compartment for shoes. The single-seat design is least often made when using shelves. The whole family can store shoes in banquettes, which are made of different materials (wood, metal, combined models).
Bench for shoes - small and practical
Most often, double structures are equipped with one shelf for shoes. In the case of three-seat or extended models, partitions can be used. Visually, thanks to the partitions, the structure does not look so bulky.
Differences in appearance
The furniture industry offers banquettes of completely different shapes, sizes and materials. Let's look at the main types and their purpose.
Banquette with drawer. It is an elongated pouf with a spacious drawer under the seat. You can put bed linen, towels and other necessary things in it. Recommended for use in a room where there is little space to install a cabinet. Usually the bench is upholstered in thick fabric or leather. A synthetic analogue can be used.
Banquettes for the bedroom in a classic style. This is traditional furniture that was used in aristocratic families. This modification is devoid of armrests and backrest and serves as a continuation of the bed. When choosing such a piece of furniture, you should focus on the height of the sleeping bed so that their size matches.
Banquettes-poufs. They resemble soft poufs, only with a more elongated shape. Often used near the dressing table.
Model with back. The furniture resembles a small sofa, which is distinguished by rich upholstery and additional elements in the form of monograms and curls, giving an aristocratic look. This bench is recommended for installation in a bedroom designed in baroque or antique style.
For a modern bedroom, devoid of extraneous elements, it is better to choose a simple option without decoration, carvings and unnecessary decorations. However, you should rely on your taste and needs.
Materials for making banquettes
The cost of a banquette with a backrest in the hallway directly depends on what materials were used to create it. Moreover, it plays an important role in choosing the right product. After all, it should fit harmoniously into the interior of the room.
Today, the following materials are used to produce this piece of furniture:
- wood – wood products are an integral part of a classic interior. Wood has high strength and wear resistance characteristics, but the raw materials are quite expensive;
- metal - forged banquettes in the hallway are durable and look very beautiful. Metal structures have increased strength and therefore can withstand heavy loads;
- Chipboard and MDF - these materials are an alternative to wood. Banquettes made from this raw material are inexpensive, but outwardly they are difficult to distinguish from wood;
- rattan - beautiful banquettes are woven from dry stems and branches of palm trees, which fit harmoniously into some interiors. An important characteristic is the duration of their operation. A banquette in the hallway with a rattan box will look harmonious in a classic interior;
- plastic is a budget option, but not the best option. Since such structures are quite fragile, they are easy to damage. Putting stress on them is highly not recommended.
The upholstery of banquettes can be made from natural and artificial materials. The most expensive are banquettes with a seat upholstered in genuine leather, tapestry or bouclé. They look very unusual and beautiful, so it is not surprising that such models are extremely popular.
A banquette bench for the hallway with a seat, upholstered in artificial material, is also a fairly popular model. Because they are no less beautiful, but at the same time their cost is much lower.
Most often, velor, eco-leather, and other synthetic fabrics are used for upholstery. The only downside is that some people are allergic to synthetics.
How to choose a banquette
A bedside banquette for a bedroom must meet the owners’ requirements for functionality and appearance. It is important to pay attention to any minor details so that the furniture does not disappoint later.
First of all, it is worth assessing the quality of execution. The upholstery should be durable, with straight seams and no protruding threads. You need to take a close look at the materials used. If coarse fabric is stitched with thin threads, or delicate silk is stitched roughly, then it is better to refuse such furniture.
If the bench is planned for a permanent seat, then it is better to choose more practical and rougher materials. It is important that the upholstery is well attached to the base. For such purposes, it is recommended to consider leather (natural or artificial). If the piece of furniture will be used more for decorative purposes, then you can consider chiffon, velvet or fur with long pile.
The desired functionality is equally important. A bench for the bedroom can act as additional storage space. To do this, you should choose an option with a spacious drawer. Nowadays forged products are becoming fashionable, but this design is not recommended for the bedroom. Their best use is on the veranda or terrace.
Upholstery
Textile. Any fabric is impregnated with special compounds. Velor, velvet, cotton, chenille and others are more often used.
Leather substitute is characterized by a lower price compared to natural leather. It is used in inexpensive, budget options, most often from chipboard. Leatherette is characterized by easy care, cleaning, and a short service life.
Genuine Leather. The most expensive, forged or wooden models are sheathed with it. It is characterized by easy care, durability, presentable appearance, wear resistance, and practicality. There is a large selection of colors and textures.
The following are used as fillers:
- Latex is used for premium furniture. It is characterized by long service life, resistance to deformation, safety;
- for budget options, gas-filled plastics are used or left without upholstery.
Selecting colors
In this matter, you need to focus on your own taste. However, it is recommended that the furniture matches the main color of the walls or accessories.
You can also play with contrast. Then the banquette should not match the chosen color scheme, but be a bright spot that will support another element of the interior.
For an adult bedroom, it is better to look for a banquette with a restrained color scheme. However, such an element will find its place in a children’s room, especially if it is a girl’s bedroom. In this case, you can choose a product in bright and life-affirming colors.
Living room
In the living room, this piece of furniture is also beginning to be used more and more often. This is a great option to comfortably accommodate all your guests who do not fit on the sofa and armchairs. For the living room, give preference to a larger model. It should have a soft base. If space allows you and many guests gather in your home, choose a banquette with 3 or more seats.
In the living room it can also serve as a footrest. In this case, it is better to choose low models. Such a bench will provide a comfortable rest in front of the TV in the evenings.
Convenience level
Quite often a banquette is purchased for the bedroom. Whether it will be convenient or not to use depends on the configuration of the furniture. Thus, some models are equipped with a small backrest, which undoubtedly adds convenience, but makes the furniture more voluminous. Therefore, it is better to sacrifice additional comfort and choose the classic version without a backrest if the bedroom is small. Otherwise, there will be a feeling of a pile-up of unnecessary objects, and when walking, the owners of the room will constantly trip over them.
It is equally important to decide the rationale for having storage boxes. In the store you can find a wide variety of models without them and with quite spacious ones. If there is enough storage space, and the banquette is purchased as an interior decoration, then drawers are not needed. If the housewife loves order and does not accept having things in the public domain, then an additional niche will come in handy.
Non-standard types of arrangement of banquettes
If necessary, you can use one of the types that does not have a back and has a flat surface for use as a dessert table. This type of bench can be used as a laptop stand or as a coffee table.
A specific type of banquette can be used to welcome guests or visitors in the guest room. Most often, a minibar, a cooling rack for beer or spirits, or a coffee machine are built into these types of furniture. At the request of the client, the types and options of built-in structures can have a whole package of additional functions, but most often these are ordinary boxes for things.
Users' opinions
Of course, the main role in the bedroom is played by the bed. But, as reviews from the owners show, it is the banquette that becomes the finishing touch. It is often used by owners as a place for a seat, a bedside table (if there are drawers) or a hanger.
Models with additional internal space were especially appreciated by the owners of small apartments, where it is problematic to place an additional wardrobe. In such furniture you can store all your bedding and use it as a sofa. The bench is quite compact, takes up little space, but has sufficient functionality. Reviews indicate that her presence is conducive to relaxation and allows you to store necessary little things. The main thing is that it matches the size of the room, matches in style and does not interfere with free movement.
