11.8 inches.
That is the depth of this bench, front to back, and it is the number that decides whether it lives in your entry or goes back in the box. The listing leads with 31.5 inches because length photographs well. Depth is what you walk past every morning.
Depth is the number that decides
A bench can be long or short and still work. A bench that is too deep eats the floor you need to move through.
For scale: standard US interior door widths run from 24 to 36 inches, with 30 and 32 inches the usual sizes for bedrooms and bathrooms, according to door makers Marvin and Lowe’s. At 31.5 inches long, this bench is very close to the width of a 32-inch door opening. That comparison is easier to picture than a tape measure held against the wall.
Why a one-bedroom entry is a corridor, not a foyer
RentCafe data reported by Multifamily Executive puts the average US apartment at 910 square feet in 2025. One-bedrooms averaged 735 square feet, studios 460.
735 square feet does not come with a foyer. It comes with a strip of floor between the front door and the kitchen, maybe 36 to 42 inches across, with a closet on one wall. Anything you put in that strip competes with the path to the kitchen.
Do the arithmetic before you order. Measure the clear width of your entry, subtract 11.8 inches, and look at what is left. Twenty-four inches or more and the bench works along that wall. Less than that and it belongs at the end of the hall, or nowhere.
The three sizes, and what actually changes
| Lift-top 31.5 in | Lift-top 39 in | Two-tier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 31.5 in | 39.4 in | 31.5 in |
| Depth | 11.8 in | 11.8 in | 11.4 in |
| Height | 16.9 in | 16.9 in | 16.5 in |
| Price when checked | $89.13 | $95.90 | $89.41 |
Depth and height barely move across the three. So picking between them is not a fit question. It is a question of how many pairs of shoes you own, and whether two people need to sit down at the same time.
31.5 inches seats one adult with room to spare. Two adults on it means sitting shoulder to shoulder. The 39.4-inch version adds 7.9 inches of seat width, which is the difference between polite and comfortable.
What the storage actually holds
Lift the seat and there is a compartment underneath. It is shallow — the kind of space that takes gloves, a dog lead, an umbrella, a shoehorn. Not a second pair of boots.
The open shelves below are where the shoes go. Shelf spacing is not published on the listing, and that matters if someone in the house wears tall boots. Ask before you order rather than guessing from a photo.
Two things worth knowing
The bench is 17.6 lbs. Light is good when you want to move it to sweep underneath. It also means a shoulder on the way out the door will shift it.
At 11.8 inches deep, shoes sit on the shelf toe-in or angled. Sneakers, flats, sandals, no problem. If the household runs on hiking boots, measure a boot before committing.
Three measurements to take first
- 1. Clear floor width of the entry — wall to the opposite wall, or to the door swing.
- 2. Which way the front door opens, and how far. A door swinging into where the bench goes will hit it.
- 3. Your tallest pair of footwear, heel to toe, plus an inch.
None of these take more than two minutes. All three decide the purchase.
Where it works best
Against the wall beside the door. Under a window in a mudroom. At the end of a hallway that runs long enough to spare the depth. As a bench at the foot of a bed, if the bedroom has the floor for it.
The 11.8-inch depth is what makes those spots possible in the first place. A 16-inch-deep bench in the same places would leave you squeezing past.
If you want the same depth with more seating, take the 39-inch version. If you want a bench that is a touch slimmer in both directions, the two-tier entryway bench is 11.4 inches deep and 16.5 inches high. The 31.5-inch lift-top also comes in green if the dark wood does not suit the room. All of them ship from the US warehouse, and the whole seating range is worth a look if you are furnishing the entry as a set.
Sources
– RentCafe / Yardi Matrix data, reported by Multifamily Executive — “Average Apartment Size Climbs to 910 Square Feet in 2025” — https://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/design-development/average-apartment-size-climbs-910-square-feet-2025 — accessed 2026-11-05
– Marvin — “Choosing the Right Interior Door Size” — https://www.marvin.com/blog/best-interior-door-size-for-home — accessed 2026-11-05
– Lowe’s — “Interior Door Buying Guide” — https://www.lowes.com/n/buying-guide/interior-doors-buying-guide — accessed 2026-11-05