I needed something in my entryway for shoes, socks, school items, and something to sit on when putting on shoes. I used to have an ottoman bench there, but stuff on top fell off when we opened the ottoman. This cubbie bench is perfect, looks attractive and looks expensive. I bought black canvas storage bins for the cubbies. The interior designer who picked out everything else in the house probably would be mad that I bought this on my own without her expensive input. The only thing I dont like is that when I was hammering on the back panel, I got too close to the top surface and the nail slightly raised a small portion, the area of a postage stamp, on the top surface. It is not noticeable unless you really look for it, but I know it's there.