Unique Storage for Shoes

Your love for new shoes knows no bounds, and now you're paying the price -- time to find a new and creative way to keep your shoe collection from becoming a serious obstacle to enjoying your home. Use different spaces in unusual ways to create shoe storage solutions that don't take up extra room or create an eyesore. Does this Spark an idea?

Underbed Shoe Storage

If your mattress is raised on a platform bed frame, you can use that empty space underneath your bed to store your shoes. Underbed storage drawers are available in wood models as well as zippered fabric styles and can be very inexpensive. Specially made underbed storage compartments for shoes are also available, such as the Shoes Under system. Invest in a couple of underbed storage containers to fill with your shoes and push them out of sight and out of mind.

Over-the-Door Shoe Storage

For small apartments or bedrooms in shared houses, shoe racks designed to hang on doors are another way to get your shoe collection off the floor without taking up additional space. Over-the-door shoe-storage systems are designed not to interfere with shutting doors and have separate compartments for each shoe or pair of shoes.

Shoe Racks

Shoe racks can tuck neatly into unused corners of rooms or basements, where you can organize your shoe collection in a highly visible and accessible way without causing clutter. You can also get a customized shoe rack designed to fit inside a closet or specific corner, and you can specify how many rows you need as well as the shoe-rack dimensions. Contact a local carpenter to discuss shoe-rack possibilities. Ready-made shoe racks are also available at department stores and multipurpose stores like Target and Walmart.

Hidden Storage Compartments

Make your furniture do double duty. Contemporary furniture manufacturers make models of common room staples with hidden storage compartments. Look for a decorative ottoman with a removable cover that reveals an empty compartment just begging to be filled with shoes. Chairs with storage drawers underneath or coffee tables with hidden storage compartments are additional design ideas that can solve your shoe-storage problem.

Decorative Baskets

Good for a long-term storage solution for seasonal shoes, a large, decorative wicker basket lined with cotton or canvas is an attractive way to store your footwear. After piling your winter boots and rain boots inside a decorative basket, you can push it into your coat closet for easy retrieval for the next time the weather is not up to snuff. Home goods stores, like TJ Maxx and Pier 1, are promising places to look for storage wicker baskets. Models with removable tops can also minimize unpleasant foot odor that can emanate from large stores of shoes.