Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

Most people will probably be disappointed by how small the actual bench is, but I was delighted because I had been putting off buying this bench thinking it would not fit in the space we have for it. The measurements must be from the very edge of the armrests since I had measured and re-measured the space and was convinced I would have to cut a notch in the bench to fit over a pipe, but the bench fits with room to spare. Our twin toddlers love the bench and immediately knew to store their shoes in the cubby holes. Plus, it's a nice looking piece of furniture.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

This is in my foyer by my front door and is a nice sitting place for my kids to put their shoes on and off. I even sit on it too, even though it sits low for adults. It is attractive to look at, but on close expection you can see the scratches, chips, untight joints where the preassembled pieces weren't assembled well at the factory. Price was too high for the product.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

This is a nice looking bench and it's the perfect size for my 2 year old son. The wood is a nice quality - it doesn't look like stained cardboard! Our only issue was that the wood was chipped in several places. Most of them were hidden once the piece was assembled, and the stain is dark enough that the visible chips 'disappeared' with the help of a black Sharpie. I would recommend this product.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

Pretty easy to assemble, except for the back of the bench which had warped making the last part more difficult. All in all good sturdy construction.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

This is a two part review. I've included both the good and the bad here to be honest and give a complete analysis.

Unfortunately, this bench is not of furniture grade quality. The back wall is flimsy, and bent during assembly. The holes do not line up well either. You can expect considerable aggravation while assembling. It has that familiar "Made in China" cheap and unfriendly construction.

That said, once assembled, this is a great looking product and works well. I have three toddlers under 4 years old, so getting ready to go out is not that easy. I can get them all to sit in their spaces on the bench and get their shoes on and then wait for me. It has plenty of room and is the perfect size, although I would suggest adding cushions to the seat.

Overall, I think it is a good product. Only time will tell if it will last.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

We really like the bench and it is a great size for our 3 year old. She likes filling the bind and the spaces, and loves sitting and laying on the bench.
The bench once asssembled is nice looking and sturdy.
However, in order ot get it together we had to file down the ends of the back in order that it would fit into the slots. Easier to make tghis modification ourselves than go through returning/trying to get replacement parts when it was hard to know if the back or the slots on the end were the things that needed replacing)Needed 2 people to manage the assmbly (and we're pretty good at these things).

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

I am impressed with the construction, stability, and look of this product. I think that it is a perfect size for my 2 year old, has good storage space, and looks good in our hall. The wood seems like it will hold up well. The only negative I have is that there was poor quality control regarding the staining and finishing of the wood. You can see that they skimped on varnishing the edges just a little bit. A bigger deal was the fact that the very top piece of wood in the box, which ended up being the side railing, had about a 3" slice on the corner of a piece of wood, showing the bare wood underneath. There were also several chips and scratches (although smaller) on other pieces in the box. I confess that I did not contact customer service, rather just decided to use a furniture marker to stain it dark and recognize that it is toddler furniture and wouldn't be perfect for long anyway. I just mention this to say that there were some quality control issues, and you shouldn't expect this product to come in perfect condition.

Overall, very satisfied for the price and would recommend.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

We purchased this bench because it was on sale - one of the daily specials through onestepahead.com. Due to the lowered price, we are very happy with the item. It is the perfect size for both our 2 year old and 6 year old to sit on and get dressed for school in the morning. They love having their own place to tuck shoes in the cubby underneath and to set out their clothes each night so they can dress themselves.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

Our daughter has AFO's & twister cables, so the bins are the perfect size to hold the AFO's. We can drape the twister cables over the side. It fits perfectly in the corner. And we can keep all our shoes under the bench. It works great for us. Will have backpacks on it when school starts. Will have to make cushion - when I have time.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

The bench would have been perfect if it was of great quality. I love the size and the design because it's great for my toddler but it was cheaply made and of very POOR QUALITY.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

This was the perfect find for the kids. They each have their own space for shoes, gloves, hats, etc. We have it in our foyer at the base of the stairs, so when getting ready in the morning or coming home at night they go right to it get their stuff or to put their stuff away.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

Love this product.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

I've got a 2 1/2 year old and an 8 month old and this bench seemed a perfect storage place for their little shoes. It's height is low which is perfect for a toddler to hop on to. Plus, it has enough little cubbies for our shoes and socks and hats. I've very pleased with the wood and quality.
It was HARD to put together. The instructions were not clear and you had to really break down the instructions to do it the right way. They should add about 4 more pages of instructions breaking it down a little more thoroughly.
I like the piece but it was NOT easy to assemble.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

I was surprised at how easy it was to put this bench together. No problems at all with the screws fitting; instructions were clear and easy to understand...but of course I didn't unpack all the pieces and when I realized that (I was convinced the seat part of the bench wasn't built properly because I could not for the life of me get it to fit with the assigned holes) I had to undo everything I've completed and pretty much start over...when I finally did it right with all pieces accounted for, the seat connected as it should to the cubicle part of the bench like a glove...sheesh, what a stupid mistake it was to overlook one piece; ended up taking way too long; shoulda been 30 mins max...anywhoo, I'm really happy with the construction and the color of the bench. It's a lot brighter and prettier than pictured. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase.

Comments about One Step Ahead Wood Entranceway Bench with Storage Bins:

The piece itself looks great and it serves its purpose however the directions are all "Follow the Picture Steps" which is annoying becuase if you put one piece in backwards, the whole thing needs to be re-done. Our kit wasn't exactly labeled correctly either.
Also... the wood isn't great... the bottom board came with three holes pre-drilled and the screws however it was warped and split and the screws won't hold at ALL! Extremely annoying because I like my projects to be "completed" and this one can't!
As far as it functioning... its been great. My children have all their hats and gloves in the bins and shoes in the slots... they know exactly where to put them when we come into the house. I love it for that! They even like to sit on it and play games and read books. I didn't think they'd would being that its in the hall but its their space and they love it! For that, I'm very happy with it!

**I would recommend this to a friend but I'd very honestly warn them about the quaility of the wood.