Shoe Storage

From a cupboard under the stairs to a concealed shoe rack, stacks of labelled boxes and simply plenty of floor space, every household has their own way of storing shoes – whether it’s the pairs we wear every day or the ones we only pull out for special occasions.

To provide the most practical means of storage, many retailers and show homes propose a number of different shoe storage solutions, including a handy shoe rack by the front door for those pairs you need regularly, and a well organised shelf for those you only wear on occasion. Here are just some of the best options currently available through our various retailers.

For shoes you wear every day

Having somewhere to store your shoes near to the front or back door is both convenient and ensures that no dirt is traipsed through the house. The most popular options for these daily shoes includes an open shoe rack, a shoe storage container with a drawer which – when pulled – flips out your rows of shoes, and a storage box which provides a rustic finish and can hide muddy wellington boots, trainers and other footwear.

TOP TIP: For those members with playful dogs, or who regularly let in visitors who bring dogs with them, consider shoe storage options which remove any stray shoes from the ground and place them out of the dogs’ reach.

For shoes you want access to, but which don’t need to be accessible every day

For those shoes you wear once or twice a week, including a shoe rack inside your wardrobe is a way of reminding you to wear them when you get dressed, without filling your space near the front door. These kinds of shelving units can be purchased separately from your wardrobe or else installed as part of the construction.

For children’s bedrooms, another solution to shoe storage is to invest in one of the popular shoe rack hangers which clips to the back of the door and provides multiple pockets to hold smaller pairs of shoes. This not only allows you to add colour in the form of the hanging rack, but also helps to teach your children about the value of keeping a well organised space, and can be used as an accessory for games such as “pair the shoes” – another educational tool.

For special occasion shoes

Different homeowners store their special shoes in different ways, but one of the most popular and innovative we have seen is keeping the shoes in their boxes and attaching a photo of the pair to the side of the box which can be seen when you open your wardrobe or storage cupboard. Not only does this create a really unique and interesting feature but is also saves time when you are looking for a specific pair – saving you from having to rifle through multiple boxes.

Another option, particularly popular with wellington boot owners, is a welly rack which stores larger pairs of shoes upside down – particularly useful when a pair gets particularly wet or muddy and needs to be allowed to dry.

When it comes to purchasing shoe storage solutions, consider the look you are going for and how often you use each pair, then invest in the solution which best fits the space. Homeware retailers tend to provide a variety of options, as well as department stores and even home accessory retailers – though the tailormade racks and wardrobe shelves may be best purchased from furniture specialists and artisan designers.