When fashionistas and designers tell our society, “You can never have too many shoes,” we take it to heart. Since most of us have a wide variety of footwear ranging from purpose to price, we may ask ourselves at some point, “How am I going to organize all of these shoes?” Whether you live in small apartment with limited storage or a spacious home, organization of your shoes will help free up precious time and space.
Take Inventory
Gather all your shoes into one location in order to assess what you are working with. Don’t forget the ones under the bed or in the back of your car!
Pair-Up and Pair-Down
Pair-up your shoes with their respective shoe mate so you can easily view your options.
Create an area for any shoes that no longer have a mate.
Pair-down (aka donate or toss) any shoes that are no longer functional or needed.
Categorize Your Shoes
Determine how you would like to store your shoes. Each pair should fall into one of two categories:
- Frequently worn: work, gym and around the house
- Infrequently worn: special occasions, seasonal
Shoe Storage Options
Congratulations, you are now ready to determine and design how your shoes will be organized.
There are many options to choose from, and it is best to consider two things before diving in.
- Space: Decide if you are going to repurpose a space, invest in a piece of shoe organizing furniture or simply add in a pre-made shoe organizer.
- Budget: There are many ways to accomplish an organized space for your footwear. Regardless of the method that you chose, there are always price variations that can fit into your budget. Also consider storage options that you already have around the home.
After considering your budget and space you are ready to implement some creative options.
Shoe Organizing Storage Ideas
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Photo by www.decorpad.com
Install shelves or racks: A great option that can eliminate stress is to hire a closet organizing company to install storage for you. If you want a less expensive option, you can always install them yourself.
- Hang boots: Hanging boots with boot hangers found in your local home accessory store is an easy way to preserve and keep boots from cluttering the floor of your closet. You can also insert an empty paper towel roll into the boots that sit on the floor to keep them in an upright position.
- Box and label: Placing shoes in boxes with lock tight lids makes for an easy way to stack and store. Take a photo of each pair and attach the photo to the front of the box. This way you easily see the shoe style and color in the picture in order to save you time and stress when getting ready. As an added bonus, it keeps your shoes free from dust.
Photo by www.organized.com
- Shoe organizer: For even more storage, purchase an over-the-door shoe organizer to store all of your everyday shoes.
- Storage benches: This can be an excellent piece for an entryway, is attractive and functional,and works well for storing everyday shoes.
- Shoe cabinets: For the entryway, mudroom or bedroom, this multi-purpose piece serves to organize your shoes as well as other items.
Photo by iheartorganizing.blogspot.com
- Shelving: Installing shelves will create a customized look. A quick way to accomplish this look is to use large bookshelves; this also enables you to add to the design as you need more space in the future.
- Ottoman: If you have the space, an ottoman is a creative and aesthetic way to store and organize your shoes. The bonus is you have a place to sit while you put on your shoes!
What’s Mine may not be Yours
For those of you who share a space with someone else it is a good idea to consider how your preferences may differ. The goal is to have an organized space. Feel free to mix different ideas in as long as they work for everyone. For example, in our home, my husband and I prefer two different types of shoe organizing products. Using what we both like ensures the shoes are put back in their place.
Organizing your shoes is a project you can complete quickly, and the sense of accomplishment will feel great.
Warmly,
Laura Leist, CPO
Organizing with Laura
