So many shoes and boots, so little space. Sound familiar? Footwear is one of the most fun ways of adding flair and fashion to your outfits. But if your Shoe collection has begun to outgrow your closets, it’s time to get creative.
- Think Big.
Boots are some of the worst culprits when it comes to hogging space. Even 2-3 pairs can be difficult to wrangle, let alone if you’re a boot fanatic who sports a different pair of cowboy or fashion boots each day of the week. So we’ll start with these.
We need to get them off your floors and shelves, because heaps of boots not only take up a large amount of volume, but are bad for the boots themselves. You don’t your leather creased and wrinkled, ultimately leading to boot damage.
A hanging boot rack will store numerous pairs in a vertical column; you can also hang the rack from a closet doubler rod if that fits your closet better. Do your research and get one that’s sturdy and well-made, especially if you have multiple pairs of cowboy boots and / or boots with wooden heels.
- Pump It Up.
A fun solution for all you high-heel and very-high-heel fashionistas: We’re going to hang those up as well, this time on a wall. To do so, you’re going to use either baseboards or crown molding or a disassembled art frame. The idea is to have a slim piece of material that’s bolted to the wall that you can then hook those heels over.
Line up your heels on the floor, and organize them according to how you might hang them up. You can color coordinate, or arrange by heel height.
Then, measure out the space they take, both vertically and horizontally.
The horizontal pieces can either be purchased as-is if you have a standard size, or, cut to the exact specifications you need at your local hardware store.
Space these out horizontally according to your previous measurements, and install using screws. Make sure that the board is nice and level — you don’t want your beautiful heels sliding off and smashing onto the floor!
- Flip Your Lid.
Flip-flops don’t take up a lot of space, but, they can also be a pain to keep together. Instead of constantly hunting for the mate to your favorite sparkly pair, assemble this simple DIY project:
Hang a pegboard in an easy-to-reach spot. Hook bungee cords so that they’re taut, and place the flip flop pairs between the cord and the board.
- Back It Up.
The pegboard idea is also one that can installed onto the back of your closet or bedroom door. And that spot is prime for shoe storage.
Hanging shoe storage can be as small or large as you’d like it to be — from storing a few pairs of flats to a product that takes up the entire footprint of the door. Measure your door, and allow for space on both sides. Also check to see whether anything you install on the back of the door will hit or run into anything else in the process of opening and closing. This type of storage is most conducive to shoes with smaller volume such as flats, running shoes, and slippers.
- Bed Down.
If there’s nothing but dust bunnies under your bed, you’re missing out on some prime shoe storage real estate. But don’t just throw a bunch of shoes under there and call it a day. Instead, take some time to figure out what would work best for your budget and lifestyle, and the type of bed you have.
If the space between where the bed ends and the floor isn’t too tall, you can use wide but short containers to store your shoes. If you have more space, put in some containers with wheels for easy in and out.
