BH | Studio Arles Velvet Storage Bench

The bench with a hidden store beneath its seat descends from the chest, the oldest piece of household furniture there is. For centuries a lidded chest stood at the foot of the bed or beside the door, holding linens and doubling as the seat where you sat to pull on your boots.

It is a long, low bench with rounded ends that curve up like a pair of bolsters, padded throughout in dense foam that makes a comfortable seat, or a soft place to rest your feet at the end of the day. The cover is a stain-resistant performance velvet, a cut-pile cloth with a deep sheen that copes with everyday spills far better than ordinary velvet. The cleverness is underneath: the seat is hinged, and it lifts back to 80 degrees to open a roomy compartment for the TV remotes, a spare blanket, magazines and the novels you mean to finish.

Put it at the foot of a bed, where it holds extra blankets and gives you a place to sit and pull on socks, or under a living room window with throws stored inside for cold evenings. It is just as useful in an entryway for hats and gloves, or in a home office. Amber velvet glows like polished saddle leather: set it against a deep green or ink-blue wall with brass lamps and a kilim, or soften it with cream linen bedding. It is long enough for two to sit side by side.