I have been talking about home telephones of late, which led me to compile my 10 of the best retro telephone benches.
Yes, the telephone bench. Or an entryway bench if you prefer. Quite a niche piece of interior design these days, and for one very good reason. Many of us are giving up on the wired home phone of our childhood and just using our more versatile mobile phones.
But not everyone. The retro home telephone is a great home accessory, as well as a functional one. Sometimes, you might want to check using a chunky handset, and when you don’t, you have something that adds a retro edge to your home.
There are plenty of reproduction home phones available. You can get plenty of colours of the classic dial telephone at Amazon, with more niche models also available, like the vintage Soviet-era TA-68 telephones on eBay I featured recently. Many more, too. I quite like the push-button neon telephones or the ridiculously cute 1960s Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone for adults. Personally, I have a vintage model of the iconic Ericofon, which is just lovely. So lots of choices out there.
It’s the same with telephone tables. A few years back, it was almost impossible to find one that wasn’t vintage. But retailers buying into the midcentury modern trend have realised that the people who want furniture from the 1950s and 1960s probably still have a phone. So they might need a telephone bench.
So, with that in mind, I have pulled together 10 of my favourites available to buy right now. Of course, I have also tried to find telephone tables/benches at different price points, which should mean something for everyone. Well, everyone who wants one of these.
Here they are, and in no particular order…
1. Midcentury modern entry bench by Moutinho Store
I have waxed lyrical about this company before and for good reason. Moutinho Store produces some wonderful retro furniture.
Check through the archives for other pieces for the home or have a look at this bench, which is pretty much identical to something you would have picked up in the 1960s.
Handmade, wood construction, fabric cushioning, two drawers and, of course, some angled legs. £591 is the price.
Find out more at the Moutinho Store Etsy website
2. 1950s-style Von bench at Heal’s
That understated style from a company that specialises in such a thing.
This bench takes inspiration from the Von 427 Chair by Hlynur Atlason, first designed in 1956. It has the same curves.
It is made of ash but offered in a variety of finishes and configurations. With the cushion and your phone of choice, this will look as retro as it comes. And unlike some designs, this will never really age. An investment piece if you like.
£799 if you want one of these.
Find out more at the Heal’s website
3. Oscar retro storage hall bench at Sazy
Discounted right now, so worth checking out this design at Sazy.
Typical of this kind of design, although it does have more of a ‘vintage’ look than some out there. It is made of pale hornbeam wood and upholstered in cream or dark blue polyester for the seating, with a pair of drawers for your essentials. Tapered legs, of course.
Officially £350, this is discounted down to £297.50 at checkout with the code on the retailer’s site right now.
Find out more at the Sazy website
4. Handmade oak telephone table by Natural Edge
A similar look to the last one really. But this is a handmade piece in oak and constructed using finger joint joinery.
Some nice turned legs, again a single drawer and surface space for your phone, along with a tweed cushion upholstered by local maker, Anna Horton Fine Upholstery.
Available online, it retails for £900.
Find out more at the Natural Edge Etsy website
5. Kubu rattan hallway bench at Homebase
Like a bit of ‘70s-style rattan? Then this is the bench for you, especially if you are on a budget.
Yes, one of the cheaper benches in the rundown, this has the wood finish and angled legs as you might expect, as well as somewhere to sit and even take a call if you have a home phone nearby. Storage is via the cupboard to the side, complete with that rattan finish.
£69 is the price of this one, which seems good value. Yes, it is in the sale.
Find out more at the Homebase website
6. Crosley Landon vintage-style bench
When is a telephone bench not a telephone bench? When it’s a turntable stand in this case.
You probably know the name Crosley from its record player range. And this is designed to fit one of those on, too, with a seat to listen to your music. But in terms of look and shape, this is pretty much identical to a classic phone bench/table, and as such, it has made the cut.
A lovely design in ‘acorn’ and available for just £250.
Find out more at the Amazon website
7. Homary budget upholstered telephone bench
A bench for under £150? That’s right. And it doesn’t look bad at all.
It obviously does the job of mixing seating with modest storage, like pretty much everything else in the rundown. A pine unit, a drawer and some velvet upholstery for the seating.
The tapered legs have a gold finish, which may or may not be to your taste. If they are, £148.99 seems good value, as this is now in the sale.
Find out more at the Homary website
8. Handmade Toledo bench by Dvalenti Furniture
Handmade doesn’t have to cost a fortune, as this Toledo entryway bench shows.
Handmade in pine, the bench does the same seating and draw combo thing, throwing in some lovely legs and a cushion for your seating.
£200 for this one, which is cheaper than I would have thought.
Find out more at the Dvalenti Furniture Etsy website
9. Modernist entryway bench at Homary
A second visit to Homary, but for something very different to the first example.
This one is a metal bench, matched up with faux leather for the seating. It’s the same concept as the others, but with a radically different look. And I quite like it. The design reminds me of British modernist designs of the 1950s – and that’s not a bad thing.
£395.99 means this isn’t the cheapest, but it is worth considering.
Find out more at the Homary website
10. Sternzeit modernist telephone table
You might know Sternzeit Design, as I have featured the label before. But not this design.
The 1950s-style Retrostar Chair is probably the label’s most famous piece and a great example of it using designs from the past and adapting them for the modern era.
This one too. Handcrafted and with something of an industrial look, it has a copper frame and a choice of cushion in seven retro shades. Room for a phone, naturally. It sells from €429 depending on the finish you go for.
