Is your collection of shoes expanding? Then you may need some new shoe storage ideas. In this article I will highlight many shoe storage ideas, so you can always find the perfect shoes for every outfit.
Why shoe storage is important
Whether you have a shoe collection to rival that of Carrie Bradshaw, or you prefer a paired down shoe capsule, what you don’t see, you don’t wear. That’s why you need the right shoe storage ideas and develop a good system.
By putting in place some of these tips, techniques and tools, you’ll find that your hallway, your bedroom and your closet will be tidier, and you’ll probably discover some shoes you’d forgotten you had!
Don’t forget to share in the comments at the bottom some of your own shoe storage ideas. What are the best shoe storage solutions you’ve found?
What to consider when choosing your shoe storage
Before moving on to some specific shoe storage ideas, here are some things to keep in mind.
The space you have to work with
While you may be lucky enough to have an enormous walk-in closet; in which case you probably have plenty of shelving for your shoes, you may be more limited in space. If you are working with a small space, you will have to be inventive when it comes to your shoe storage. It’s also important not to turn everything into storage.
You don’t have to keep your shoes in one place
When thinking about shoe storage ideas, you don’t have to keep your entire collection together. You may, for example, opt to keep the pairs you wear more in a storage solution close to your front door, and the rest of your shoes in your closet.
You can also choose to have your party shoes together and your workout shoes. That way you can keep part of your collection separate, yet still have a good overview.
Can you see them easily?
There may be some shoes – such as those you wear for special occasions – that you can put away at the top or back of your closet. But, for your day-to-day shoes, it’s vital to be able to see, and get to, them easily.
Different ways to store your shoes
Just as there are countless shoe styles, there are myriad ways to store them. Below are some of the most efficient.
1. Shoe rack
You can either pop a shoe rack in your hallway or inside your closet. These are ideal for smaller spaces as they come in all sizes.
Shoe racks are ideal for smaller spaces or can be fitted in cupboards. A small shoe rack is great for just outside the door (it’s customary in Asia to take your shoes off before entering the house). The disadvantage is that they can quickly give a messy appearance to the house.
Simple Houseware 4-Tier Shoe Rack Storage Organizer
2. Under the bed
This is a very nifty solution if you have the kind of bed where you can fit storage underneath. If you have a normal bed then under the bed drawers could work well too. You would need to know where to find your shoes though.
storageLAB Under Bed Shoe Storage Organizer
3. Over the door
This can be another efficient way to store your shoes if space is limited. These racks can be hung inside or outside of doors.
SimpleHouseware Crystal Clear Over The Door Hanging Shoe Organizer
4. Shoe cubby
These nifty little storage cupboards can fit a pair of shoes in each hole, without taking up too much room in your home.
ClosetMaid Stackable 15-Unit Organizer
5. Closet shoe organizer
If you want to keep your shoes in your closet, but you want to make sure they are organized and off the floor, then a hanging storage solution could be right for you.
Whitmor Hanging Shoe Shelves Closet Organizer
6. Shoe bench
While you can’t fit dozens of pairs of shoes into a shoe bench, they are a handy solution for the footwear you wear the most. Plus, you can sit down while you pop your shoes on.
7. Shoe carousel
These are some great alternatives for small spaces. You pop the toes of your shoes over the racks for storage, and you can turn the rows around so you can easily get to them.
Household Essentials Three-Tier Adjustable Revolving Shoe Rack
8. For narrow spaces
If you don’t have much room, you can opt for tall, narrow storage rather than shelving which takes up a large footprint. You could easily fit shelves like the ones below next to your front door.
Tangkula Space Saving Vertical Shoe Rack
9. Shoe slots
Not a storage solution on their own, but a handy way to fit more shoes into your existing storage! They have an adjustable height making them fit everything from flip flops to heels, and you can line them up in rows, meaning you can fit twice as many pairs of shoes in your space.
10. Clear shoe boxes
I do a lot of my own shoe storage in boxes. I like the idea of using shoe boxes or boxes that are just a bit nicer (you could wrap your shoe boxes with paper so they all look the same) and then putting an image of the shoe in front of the box.
That way you still get an easy overview of all of your shoes, without your house and cupboards looking messy. Of course, you can also opt for clear boxes so you can easily see what is inside!
Whitmor Clear Heavy Duty Stackable Shoe Storage
11. Cardboard shoe boxes
My personal ideal would be to have good shoe shelves in my cupboards. If ever I get the chance to design or buy a new wardrobe, that is what I would do. For now I think I’m going to look for some good shoe boxes. See-through ones when they are placed in cupboards and nice closed ones with pictures in front for open spaces.
To me shoes make a space look messy very quickly, so although I want to be able to see them easily, they need to be hidden away from public view.
Prasacco Visible Cardboard Shoe Storage Boxes
12. Wall mounted
Another idea, either for within your closet or in an open space is to opt for a wall-mounted solution. You could just have one of these racks as part of your hallway storage, or you can line them up in rows.
j-me Horizontal Wall Mounted Shoe Organizer
13. Closet boot storage
Now that you’re thinking about whether you are storing your shoes in the best way, how about your boots? Boots can be trickier to store and can soon become misshapen if they aren’t stored correctly.
If you have multiple pairs of boots, hanging them in a vertical row can save space in your closet.
Boot Butler Hanging Boot Storage Rack
14. Boot hangers
A good solution is to hang your boots. You can make use of spaces that are currently not used and your boots are clear to see so they are ready to wear for transitional or cooler weather.
Boottiquie Boot Rack-Short Garment & Boot Rack
You may also need:
If you really want to store your shoes correctly, you will want to ensure they retain their shape and ensure they don’t become damp. Cedar shoe trees can help to remove unwanted moisture as well as keeping your shoes in the right shape until you want to wear them.
All of these shoe storage ideas and solutions and many others have been pinned to my storage ideas Pinterest board where you can also see the sources of many of these images, so be sure to check that out. I will update that board as I come across new solutions.
How do you like to store your shoes? What are the best shoe storage ideas you’ve found? More ideas are always welcome!
Continue reading:
- How To Create A Shoe Capsule Wardrobe
- How To Find Lots Of New Outfit Ideas Through Re-Arranging Your Closet
- Best Shoes With Arch Support – Comfortable Walking Shoes To Walk In All Day!
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As much as I’d love to display my shoe collection, I’m all for keeping their original boxes which makes it easy when shipping and keeps them from collecting dust. At the moment I have the boxes stacked according to style and a Polaroid of each pair on its box! A bit OCD but makes my life so much easier 🙂
Hi Rana. Thanks for your feedback. Yes it’s a good tactic to do it this way, but I’m currently really enjoying seeing my favorite shoes (finally made some space by getting rid of a lot of old t-shirts!)
Great post and a common issue for us all.
The problem with putting shoes in boxes is “mold” I am in the real estate business, specializing in property management.
Closets tend to be dark, and mold likes “dark”, especially moist and dark; leather shoes are a prime target. I have seen cases where mold gathered in toes of the shoes and spread throughout the closet area.
Good point. The boxes I’m currently using are open at the front, so I guess that helps. Or use boxes only for shoes you use frequently?
Normaly my shoes live in clear plastic shoe boxes in my small closet, but like you I’ve been purchasing new ones and now ther are regular shoe boxes stacked up on the side of the closet with more shoes on top of them. It’s not ideal, but all my garments need to fit in my closet space. Our house is very small. We want to move to a larger home but when we do I will be looking at closet space and will design something really great for storage!
Love Ted shoes on the wall like art. If you had a collection of expensive shoes that would be a beautiful way to display them.
I’m like you Heather. Sofar, mainly shoeboxes…. until I find something better!
Footwear storage is an ongoing struggle for me as well. I typically keep them in their original boxes or repurpose boxes from footwear that has been discarded. I know that my method isn’t the most space efficient one so I’m always interested in other ideas. Thanks for the tips and product suggestions.
Rena
Great ideas Sylvia!!!! Indeed shoes can make a space so messy and if we have just a few on hand we may forget the others. It’s happening with me.
I have a shoe reck but it’s full, so I have some in boxes. I also have to divide S/S from F/W because of the space.
The over doors system is also very interesting.
Good luck with getting organised!
I agree with you about shoes making a space look messy very quickly. For the every day running in and out of the house shoes, I do have an over the door shoe bag in the foyer closet. For my nicer shoes, I still use boxes in my small clothes closet…mostly because it’s tidier and we always live in the world’s dustiest houses so if I had room for nice shoe cubicles like your top photo, I’d have to always be dusting my shoes. I like the idea of making all the boxes look alike with a photo of the shoe on the box…that sounds really tidy! I have teased my husband about putting my prettiest shoes in our curio cabinet and getting rid of all the useless knick-knacks. 🙂
And I’m sure he really likes the idea 🙂
LOL!! He has a couple nice pairs of shoes, too, so I told him he could have a shelf. 🙂
Great! Well, if it ever becomes a reality be sure to send us a picture!
I definitely will! 🙂
We have an antique ottoman by the door where everyone can sit down and take their shoes off. then they can be conveniently stored away. Also we have a small shoe rack beside this where we keep our slippers. Its a very old house dating from 1800 and storage space is at a premium, so this method really does work for us. You do have some excellent ideas for storage.
Yes, that is similar to way I do. Although I don’t have something to sit on! A lot of my every day shoes are stored near the entrance in a cupboard and then my more special shoes upstairs in another…. Thanks for your feedback!
Thanks for the lovely article. I am half way there. I dedicated one cupboard to shoes but ruined it by putting other things there as well, like draws for necklaces.
Biggest problem is boots. All the lovely pictures don’t show long boots. And I own quite a few. Takes up lots of space.
Yes, I think boots will just have to be stored at the bottom of your cupboard most of the time… I see if I can find some solutions for boots as well and pin them.
Sylvia, this is such an AWESOME post! I have always had storage issues with shoes, I really needed this! 🙂
thanks Rachel. Hopes this helps to find a solution for you!
I think I need a bigger apartment ,help !!!!!