Having a chair or bench in the apiary is standard equipment for me.  I encourage everyone who is a beekeeper to have a chair or bench to relax and watch the honey bees.  You can gather a lot of information just by looking at the entrance.  What color pollen is coming in the hive entrance?  How is the activity?  Are the guard bees doing their job?  A lot of questions can be answered just by being observant.  Placing the chair or bench close to the hives but out of the flight path is relaxing and educational.  In my opinion every apiary needs a place to relax and maybe enjoy a cup of coffee.  Do yourself a favor and incorporate this into the design of your bee yard. 

I find myself spending hours just watching the entrances.  It is very therapeutic for me and at the same time I am gathering information on each hive.  I sometimes take notes for my record keeping.  I especially like the setup in my home apiary where I have an old school desk with a chair attached.