BH | Studio Hambledon 58-Inch Panel-Leg Bench

Before chairs were common, most of a household sat on forms, long backless benches made of boards, pulled up to the table in Tudor halls and farm kitchens alike. Their ends were often cut from a single broad plank, and the idea has never gone away: a bench seats whoever turns up, then slides out of the way when the meal is over.

The middle length, it has the same simple build: a straight hardwood top on two broad panel legs, each split by a slim gap that gives the base a little shadow line. It seats three at a table. The finish, Chestnut or Almond, deepens the look of the grain. Adjustable feet with protective pads sit under both legs, so you can level it where the floor dips and draw it back from the table without a scrape. Some assembly is required.

It suits a dining table for six, tucked under one long side so three can sit in a row, or a mudroom wall with hooks above for coats and a basket underneath for gloves and dog leashes. In a living room it makes a low perch beside the fire. The warm wood looks best with things that have some age to them: a rag rug, iron hooks, a pair of hurricane lanterns. This listing is for one bench.