Hallway Bench: Sizes, Seat Height, Materials

Hallway Bench: Size, Height and What to Look For

By Alexandra PetterssonReviewed by Alexander TjernströmUpdated 1 November 2026

Short answer

Depth: 15.4 to 15.7 in
Seat height: 18.1 in
Lengths: 25.5, 39.5, 51 in

Pick a hallway bench by depth first: ours are 15.4 to 15.7 in deep, so they fit a narrow hall. Lengths 25.5, 39.5 or 51 in seat one, two or three. Seat height 18.1 in, the same as a chair.

A hallway bench does one job many times a day: you sit, you put shoes on, you stand up and walk past it. That makes depth and seat height matter more than looks. Too deep and it blocks the hall. Too low and getting up with a bag is awkward. This guide is how to size one for your hall, which seat to choose for wet boots, and where Wilma and Alva fit.

How deep should a hallway bench be?

As shallow as you can sit on comfortably. Wilma and Alva are 15.4 to 15.7 in deep, enough to sit and lace a shoe without the bench taking over the floor.

Leave at least 23.5 in of clear floor in front, so you can stand up without moving the bench.

Narrow hallway: how shallow can a bench be?

Shallow enough to leave about 23.5 in of clear floor in front, deep enough to sit on properly. Wilma, at 15.4 in, is the shallowest bench we make; Alva is 15.7 in. Add the two and a bench along the wall needs a hall of about 39.5 in.

Measure at the narrowest point, and check the door: the bench must sit outside its swing.

Narrow hallway: how shallow can a bench be?
Hall width	What fits	Clear floor in front
43.3 in and wider	Wilma or Alva along the wall, any length	27.5 in or more
39.5 to 43.3 in	Wilma, 15.4 in deep, along the wall	24 to 28 in
Under 39.5 in	A 25.5 in bench where the hall widens: by the door or in an alcove	Under 23.5 in along the walkway

What seat height?

18.1 in, which is dining-chair height. Your feet rest flat while you put shoes on, and standing up is easy with a coat and a bag.

Lower benches look calm but are harder to get up from. Higher ones leave short legs dangling.

Which length?

Wilma Design Your Own takes a custom length up to 63 in if a wall or an alcove dictates it.

Which length?
Length	Seats	Hall it suits
25.5 in	1	Small hall, beside a door or under a mirror
39.5 in	2	Most halls, a family putting shoes on at once
51 in	3	Long hall or a wall under a coat rail

Upholstered or wood seat?

Vegan leather is the hall seat: wet coats and boots wipe off. Wilma comes in Jade Black or Latte vegan leather, or in boucle if the bench sits somewhere drier.

Solid oak Alva has a bare wood seat that needs nothing but a damp cloth. It suits a hall that already has oak floors or doors. Alva also takes a boucle cushion seat.

Do you make a hallway bench with storage?

No. Wilma and Alva are open frames, so shoes can sit underneath and the floor stays easy to clean. If storage is the need, a closed shoe cabinet is the better buy, and a bench beside it is where you sit.

Depth, then length, then the seat

Clear floor: 23.5 in in front
Seats: 1, 2 or 3
Custom: up to 63 in

15.4 to 15.7 in deep fits a narrow hall. 18.1 in seat makes shoes easy. 25.5, 39.5 or 51 in for one, two or three people. Vegan leather Wilma for wet boots, solid oak Alva for a wood hall. Made in Sweden, delivered assembled, 10-year warranty.