Dining Benches and Banquettes
Become Popular Again

Restaurant-style dining is seeping into the home. But now, it's not just chef's kitchens and gourmet dishes: Think banquettes and fancy benches designed just for the dinner table.

These long benches seat two to three adults or a handful of children. Century Furniture, which hadn't made any dining benches since the 1960s (when these pieces were last popular), began selling a bench with an upholstered seat a few months ago ($3,000 to $6,000, depending on the fabric, at Centuryfurniture.com). Last month, Century expanded its dining-bench and banquette offerings with three more.

These pieces feel less formal than dining chairs. "It harkens back to when you squeezed a bunch of people together around the table," says Edward Tashjian, a Century spokesman. One drawback: Leaving the table can be a pain. So if you tend to get up a lot, single seats may be best. Some options:

• Lane Home Furnishings, a division of Furniture Brands International, just introduced a "Stockbridge Dining Bench" made of mahogany and leather with an antique-brass nailhead trim. ($699, go to Lanehomefurnishings.com for a store locator).



• Stanley Furniture Co. has a new dining bench in its Chanticleer collection that seats three and comes with a removable cushion ($1,190, go to Stanleyfurniture.com for a store locator).



• Marge Carson Inc. has "Valentino," an upholstered banquette designed to go with a round table. It comes with two pillows and is available in 500 coverings ($3,039 to $14,691, at Margecarson.com).

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