39 Genius Shoe Storage Ideas For Any Size Family!

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Decorative Easy Access Shoe Storage

Don’t hide ALL your shoes in organizing boxes, keep some of them out on display and for easy access!

Let’s look at some inspiring decorative shoe storage ideas!

1. Ladder Shoe Rack

I love this as a shoe rack idea! Using old ladders can be a great and interesting way to put your favorite shoes on display!

There are many different ladder DIY shoe storage solutions floating around online, so you might find it difficult to find the exact items used in each of them.

If you want to go for a ladder shoe organizer, try to find a ladder in your local hardware store that is similar to what you want. You may need to get a bit creative here.

The image above is a stunning example of using an old painter’s ladder used as shoe storage from the home tour of Katie Shelton by abeautifulmess.

Below is another great DIY from Design Sponge that shows you step by step how to create this ladder shoe rack from scratch!

Shop for ladder shelves:

2. Crates Shoe Display

Using wooden crates stacked on top of each other is getting more and more popular for displaying your shoes and handbags. It’s very easy to put together and will cost you next to nothing!

Buy Crates: http://www.cratesandpallet.com/crates

I fell in love with the idea of painting each crate in different colors as soon as saw this image from Thea’s Mania. If you have wall space, definitely consider hanging the painted crates on your wall as seen in the image above!

If you choose to hang up your shoe crates, it will keep your floor space clear, and hopefully nice and tidy!

Shop for Crates:

3. IKEA Lack Wall Shelf

A neat way of showing off your shoes is using the classic IKEA lack shelf. As always with IKEA, this is a quick, neat and cost-effective solution!

This shelf really emulates the “shoe store” look by keeping clean, geometric shapes, bringing all attention to the shoe collection.

Shop for similar shelves:

4. Modular Transparent Cubby Storage

These modular cubby compartments are excellent to show off your shoes with. You can put them together however you like to fit your home perfectly. The transparency brings a very light and airy feel to your hallway, however they do also come in black if you prefer that.

5. PVC Pipes

Using pieces of PVC pipes to store your shoes brings a fun, modern twist to your entrance.

This DIY from Home Stories A to Z provides an in-depth guide on how to make use of PVC pipes for shoe storage in a tasteful way.

You can easily find PVC pipes for sale at places like Home Depot!

6. ELFA Shoe Wall

If you want your entire shoe collection on display, then this shoe wall from ELFA will look amazing and keep everything within reach.

It is quite expensive though so if you want to go more budget-friendly I would suggest looking at IKEA. They have similar shelving units and it would be quite easy to put together something very similar!

7. Pedestal Shoe Display

If you are short on space, this pedestal shoe rack is a great idea for shoe storage. Allowing you to stack your shoes vertically without having to mount shelves on the wall is a welcome option! Good for renters, too 😉

8. DIY Wooden Shoe Stand

An excellent (and cheap) way of storing your shoes is sticking them upside-down on wood poles.

This simple shoe rack DIY is compatible with both shoes and boots!

If you’d rather purchase a ready-made version of this, here’s one from Amazon at a reasonable price.

9. Pallets

For years, pallets have been used to make anything from kitchen tables to skateboard ramps, so it should come as no surprise that pallets are well suited for creative shoe storage ideas as well!

I like this colorful DIY from wikihow (link no longer functions as of 2023); it brings a cozy family feeling into your home and is also very easy to make yourself!

Many people apply a more creative touch and modify the pallets a bit to make for a more conventional shoe rack design. You used to be able to purchase the exact pallet shoe racks pictured above from Dot and Bo, but they are no longer available.

For more creative ways to make use of pallets for your shoe storage needs, check out these 15 pallet shoe rack DIYs from CutTheWood.

10. Transparent Boxes With Side Lid

These transparent plastic boxes are excellent for stacking your shoes in a nice, organized way. Make sure to get the right kind that opens the right way (see second image) so that you don’t need to take any boxes down to access your shoes. Check out the links below for some functional options!

Shop for Shoe Compartment Boxes:

11. Minimalist Wall Holder

This quick and easy shoe organizer DIY from Emily Henderson is a nice touch to your entrance while always keeping your favorite shoes at hand. This is perfect if you don’t want to invest too much time or money but bring out the most of your shoe collection.

Not into DIY? No worries, you can get this wall shoe rack on Amazon and it looks very similar.

12. Flexible Shoe Cabinet

If you are looking for a way to store your shoe setup no matter the season, definitely consider something like this flexible cabinet. It allows you to store winter boots, fall boots, sandals, a set of high-heels, sneakers, you name it!

A very neat solution if you are single or perhaps a couple with not too many shoes.

Check out this DIY from Shanty 2 Chic for a full guide on how to make this cabinet yourself.

13. Display Cabinet

Display cabinets, generally used for plates etc, is a very elegant way showing off your shoe collection. Ikea has some great ones, but you can find them pretty much anywhere.

Look at garage and thrift stores for really inexpensive display cabinets to store your shoes.

14. Corner Shoe Shelves

If you have a free corner that you don’t know what to do with, why not turn it into a neat-looking shoe storage!

15. Revolving Shoe Display

A lazy susan for your shoes! How neat is this.

If you want to go all-in with a revolving display, this DIY from Great Home Ideas teaches you exactly how to build this from basic materials.

If you have enough space it can be built into a closet for an extra premium feel like the image below. This is not very space-efficient, but it’s very cool 🙂

16. Classic Hallway Bench

The hallway bench is a classic, and it’s undeniably beautiful!

While it may seem unoriginal, a neatly kept bench with a small selection of shoes is really cozy in my opinion.

Hidden Easy Access

Don’t want your shoes to be visible but still want to be able to access them in a flash when you’re leaving the house?

Then you will love these easy access but out-of-sight shoe storage ideas!

17. Magic Shoe Cabinets

There are lots of options for these magical shoe cabinets that seem to hold more shoes than physically possible. I personally love the idea and we actually have the IKEA version in our hallway for shoe storage and winter accessories.

Not only do they look nice in your hallway and hide most of your shoes, but they are also great space savers!

I’ve included some of my favorite shoe cabinets below, just click on the images to shop!

18. Pegs & Hangers for Flats

Hah! A very smart solution to hanging your flats! Pegs + Hangers!

19. Hallway Shoe Bench

Another perfect solution to tucking your shoes away out of sight is a shoe storage bench. You can get these in a variety of sizes and colors, you will definitely find one that fits your style!

These offer a compact, space saving solution to your shoe storage needs without cluttering the closet with all your shoes.

And it’s great to be able to sit down when you put your shoes on 🙂

I personally like the flip drawer kind as it is a little easier to access your shoes, you can even be sitting down as you pull them out.

The ones with a detachable cushion look a little more expensive though as they have a classic bench design.

20. Shoe Organizer Under Your Stairs

Ok this next one is very specific as it requires you to have a set of stairs in your entryway, if you don’t – move on 🙂 But if you DO! Then please do me a favor and install one of these slide-out shoe organizers, it’s so fancy looking 🙂 And practical!

If you have some carpentry skills, I highly recommend this video from Neil Lovegrove detailing how you can make your own under the stairs shoe storage (video also embedded below for your convenience!).

21. Behind The Door Storage

Using the inside part of your closet door is probably the best shoe storage solution around for keeping your shoes out of sight but readily accessible. Grab your jacket and a matching pair of shoes in 3 seconds!

22. Hanging Closet Shoe Storage

In similar fashion to the previous solution, but not hanging on the closet door. This will look a little tidier and less “crammed in there” but it is of course not as space-saving as using the door.

I like these shoe dryers as they can hang off each other and keep your shoes expanded and ready for use!

We of course also have the standard hanging compartments option as seen below.

Family Shoe Storage Solutions

If you have a family and your entrance is a constant shoe-mess, fret no further. Let’s deal with that right now 🙂

While many of the solutions above may serve you well as a family, I’ve included some special shoe storage ideas just for you as well!

Refer to the SHOE CYCLING method mentioned above for a neat and tidy entrance to your home!

As mentioned in the introduction, I recommend each family member selecting 2-3 pairs of shoes which we will keep readily accessible. The rest of your shoes will go into more permanent storage until you need them. These can be kept in labeled boxes, large shoe organizers or anything you like.

The point is, we don’t want ALL our shoes in the hallway, which is why it’s great to limit your selection a little bit.

You don’t need your winter boots in the hallway in July.

So let’s look at some of my favorite solutions for keeping your hallway nice and tidy!

23. Labeled Baskets

Naming baskets or crates to tuck under a hallway bench is a classic yet one of the best solutions out there. Everyone can sit down, pull their basket out and put their shoes on.

This works excellent with the shoe cycling method as you can easily fit 2-3 pairs in your basket.

24. Vintage Mail Sorter

If you have a lot of shoes and really need them all accessible then you can repurpose a vintage mail sorter into a family shoe organizer.

I realize that finding one of these pieces can be a challenge, so here is a DIY that will show you how to recreate this beautiful piece.

25. Labeled Pull-Out Shelves

Installing slim pull out drawers and putting each family member’s name on each is a handy way of keeping shoes out of sight and easily accessible for everyone.

Extra points for the use of comic sans 😂

26. Peg Wall Hangers

Using a simple coat hanger to hang your shoes on is a simple yet effective idea. It’s easy to grab your shoes and put them back when you take them off.

High Heel Shoe Storage Ideas

27. Crown Molding DIY

Hanging your heels off pieces of crown molding attached to the wall is a fantastic way to display your heel collection. To quickly DIY a crown molding high heel shoe rack, follow the simple steps below:

• Choose your preferred molding, suggestions included below.
• Cut pieces to size.
• Paint in your desired color or leave as is.
• Attach to your wall and DONE! 🙂

28. Double Decker High Heel Holder

These plastic holders provide a stylish way to store your heels while saving a lot of space. If you simply want to store your heels on a shelf but you are running out of space this is a great solution.

29. Wall Rack

The wall racks we usually have in the kitchen also work great for hanging your heels on and take up very little space. This solution also works for other shoes but it looks a little extra nice when you hang high heels on them.

30. Floating High Heels

Similar to the one above, you can also skip the little hangers and only use the rail. Use the heel as leverage against the wall to make your high heels look like they are floating!

Boots Storage

Boots are generally a pain to store along with your other shoes as they are such a different size.

If you are having trouble storing your boots, this section is for you!

Many of the shoe storage solutions above encompass both boots and shoes together, but here are a few tricks that are boots specific.

31. Boot Hangers

If you have a lot of boots and some extra closet space, these boot hangers will suit you perfectly. The hangers are a bit pricey but these hangers on Amazon are supposed to be one of the best in terms of quality – boots are heavy and you don’t want them breaking.

32. Fancy Boot Hangers

As seen in the Shoe Wall from Elfa we have a slightly different style of boot hangers. These look really slick but are slightly less space saving as you can’t stack them like the ones above. Still a solid choice, especially when hung so close to the ground! These are actually really affordable at $15! Check them out on Amazon!

33. Boot Shapers Foam Rolls

Foam rolls (also known as pool noodles) can be used as boot shapers for cheap, they also keep your boots from falling. If you are keeping your boots on the floor or on your shoe rack this is a must-have!

Shop for foam rolls (aka pool noodles):

34. DIY Boot Storage

Using PVC pipes stuck onto a wooden platform will work as a great boot rack! This simple boot storage DIY is easy to pull off and will only cost you a few dollars!

Mudroom / Outside Shoe Storage

If things tend to get a little messy, consider setting up separate shoe storage intended for dirty days.

35. Outside Boot Hangers

Using pegs with a shelf above to protect from the weather is a fantastic solution if you want to keep your gumboots outside. This way you can just let them drip off without worrying about mud getting inside!

36. Hanging Wire Baskets

Placing a plastic tray underneath hanging wire baskets provides an excellent solution to dealing with the dirt. Just make sure the dirty ones are on the bottom level if you have 2 rows like the picture below 🙂

Instead of just using a plastic tray, this solution lets your shoes dry off much faster. If they stand directly on the plastic trey they will soak in their own dirt keeping them wet for much longer.

Place one of these waterproof trays underneath your mesh baskets to protect the floor.

If you want to get a little creative you can follow this tutorial on how to turn milk crates into a shoe rack.

Luxury Shoe Storage Ideas

If you want a more luxurious feel and a very fancy display for your shoes, this section is for you. You will need to spend a bit more though 😐

37. Slanted Shelves With Mirror Backing

Gorgeous way of displaying your high heels.

For this shoe storage idea, we are looking at slanted shelves with a mirror behind and LED strips under each shelf to illuminate the shoes. This would actually be quite a straightforward DIY project if you have some tools at hand.

38. Stairs Drawers

Oh this is exciting! This will probably … definitely require you to hire a carpenter, but oh so beautiful and cool! Shoe drawers hidden underneath each stair step. Such a smart storage solution and use of space, too!

39. Backlit Shoe Compartments

Another great design if you want to put your shoes on display. To recreate this look you need glass shelves mounted in front of frosted glass with a light behind it. Not for the faint of heart in terms of DIY but definitely luxurious looking!

Have you figured out how you want to store your shoes? Which of these shoe storage ideas do you think would work best for you?

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