I've been looking for a shoe bench like this for years and I absolutely love it, but I took off a star for a couple different reasons. I purchased this bench along with the 15 cube storage bench (same brand and look, but slightly different shelves) and I would definitely recommend this one over the other.
First, there were a couple minor damage spots that are both pictured, but they weren't annoying enough for me to return the whole thing. One of the shelf corners is chipped and another shelf had a lot of scratching, but luckily those shelves were able to be installed where the damage wasn't visible.
Second, all the shelves had little flecks of sticky, white residue on them, similar in consistency to what's left behind after quickly ripping off stickers. It was easily removed by scratching with my fingernails and then wiping down each surface, but who wants to spend 10 min cleaning a brand new item?
Otherwise, I love the look of this bench. The mattress on top is comfy enough to sit on, remains attached with 6 velcro strips that are sewn into the mattress and stuck onto the bench top, and the unit seems to support my weight. The mattress also had a removable zip-cover that can be washed. The adjustable shelves fit my high-top shoes and shorter boots, and all the compartments easily allows two men-size-11 shoes to sit side-by-side (the other bench does NOT easily fit 2 shoes sitting flat). Despite the minor damages, I would definitely recommend and purchase this bench again.
Beautiful shoe bench with minor damage
I've been looking for a shoe bench like this for years and I absolutely love it, but I took off a star for a couple different reasons. I purchased this bench along with the 15 cube storage bench (same brand and look, but slightly different shelves) and I would definitely recommend this one over the other. First, there were a couple minor damage spots that are both pictured, but they weren't annoying enough for me to return the whole thing. One of the shelf corners is chipped and another shelf had a lot of scratching, but luckily those shelves were able to be installed where the damage wasn't visible. Second, all the shelves had little flecks of sticky, white residue on them, similar in consistency to what's left behind after quickly ripping off stickers. It was easily removed by scratching with my fingernails and then wiping down each surface, but who wants to spend 10 min cleaning a brand new item? Otherwise, I love the look of this bench. The mattress on top is comfy enough to sit on, remains attached with 6 velcro strips that are sewn into the mattress and stuck onto the bench top, and the unit seems to support my weight. The mattress also had a removable zip-cover that can be washed. The adjustable shelves fit my high-top shoes and shorter boots, and all the compartments easily allows two men-size-11 shoes to sit side-by-side (the other bench does NOT easily fit 2 shoes sitting flat). Despite the minor damages, I would definitely recommend and purchase this bench again.