White it’s always nice to find a place to rest your feet, it’s even nicer to find a compact yet comfortable place to rest your whole body, particularly in public venues. Comprised of pieces that are part ottoman and part bench, the Plus series of Short Benches by Bretford represents an ideal modular solution—an excellent “lightweight, backless seating option.”

Plus Series Short Bench. Manufactured by Bretford.

The Bretford Plus Benches Offer Modular Ease

Bretford’s Plus Benches are a Godsend not only for the habitual denizens of malls, airports, and office open spaces, they’re also a boon to those charged with organizing said spaces. Particularly if—let’s say—you happened to be the Vice Principal of a middle school, Bretford’s Short Benches would make your life a whole lot easier.

I’m thinking back to my own experience at that age and remembering the woeful assortment of melamine topped tables and hard plastic chairs (in the requisite bright orange), which always looked a mess and certainly didn’t elicit any kind of comfy or productive collaboration. Not that there’s much of that spirit to be found during the age in question anyway, but Bretford’s Short Benches would certainly bring it to the fore were it somehow lurking beneath.

The Benches are easy to move. They nest together in a seamless fashion that’s aesthetically appealing as well as highly functional. Further, the short style facilitates a large number of seats in a relatively small space. And they mesh nicely with the Long Bench as well, thus creating some pleasing visual variation. Lastly, the upholstery palette is bright and fresh, offering everything from a robin’s egg blue to a rich, rougy rosewood.

About the Manufacturer: Out of Franklin Park, IL, manufacturer Bretford tackles the tough job of providing the tools for education. Under the credo of “learning happens everywhere,” the company creates all manner of infrastructure for learning environments, including shelving, seating, tables, carrels, credenzas, lecterns, and easels. Their Plus Series of Benches are made for schools but could certainly pass muster in any public venue: “Adding lightweight benches to a versatile space gives users more freedom to decide how they want to get stuff done.”