19 Shoe Storage Ideas to Keep Your Entryway Tidy

Do you have a lot of pairs of shoes? If you’re someone who has many more than you can count on one hand, you’ll need a ton of shoe storage ideas to keep your entryway tidy. Whether this means putting your shoes by your entry table or creating a hidden shoe storage idea, either one works well to keep your shoes contained. Maybe you have a large family and they all have shoes that end up strewn across the house and a smaller storage container isn’t enough to keep them organized. 

Whatever the reason, you need shoe storage ideas. We’ve picked out several excellent options for you when it comes to shoe storage ideas, and they’re things you can easily do in a day or two. They also fit both adult and kids’ sized shoes, and many of them allow you to upcycle bits and bobs you may have around the house to complete them. So, let’s dive into these shoe storage ideas and see if one strikes your fancy. 

1. Wooden Peg Organizer

All you’ll need for this shoe storage idea is a 2×4 and a few pegs for one organizer. The more 2x4s you get, the more you can make. To start this project, cut your 2x4s into the proper length for your chosen area. If you’re going to paint them, pick out your paint color and apply it. Allow the paint to dry completely between coats to ensure it doesn’t run or smear when you touch it. 

Space out the pegs on the painted boards to give yourself enough room to hang up your shoes side by side. You’ll only need to space them two or three inches apart for most shoes. Screw the pegs into the board. If you want to paint them, do so before you attach them. Screw the 2x4s into the wall. They’re now ready to hang your shoes on. You can add a poly coat or leave them flat paint. 

Vintage wooden coat hook rack by Ivan Radic / CC BY 2.0

2. Repurposed Cardboard Rack

This space-saving shoe storage organizer allows you to upcycle old cardboard boxes you have lying around your home. If you want to paint the cardboard, do this first and allow it to dry. Painting it is recommended because it’ll allow the organizer to look more high-end and uniform with your design aesthetic. You can cut the cardboard down to the correct size. For this tutorial, we cut a rectangle measuring 21-inches by 24-inches. 

Once you get the cardboard cut in this shoe storage idea, you’ll score it to create three equal portions. Fold these equal portions to create a triangle shape, and run a piece of duct tape along the edge to secure it. You’ll be able to slide one shoe in and put the other shoe in front of it in the triangle shape. As a bonus, you can stack the triangles to create more storage areas. They won’t stand up to water well, so prop them off the floor if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain or snow. 

Innovation in poster postal packaging by With Associates / CC BY-SA 2.0

3. Wood Crates

Old wooden crates like fruit crates make an excellent frame for this shoe storage idea. Get four to six crates, or however many you need to fit your shoe collection. Depending on the size of shoe and the type, you should be able to add two or three pairs of shoes in each crate. If they’re plain, you can easily apply a coat of stain and allow it to dry to give in a more rustic look. 

Once the crates dry, you can turn them so they’re sitting with the open top facing out and the end with the handle should be down. Stack them two or three high and secure them with nails to make them more stable. As a bonus, you can also put a few hooks on the side of one of the boxes to hold your keys right by the door so they’re in easy reach when you go out. 

Wooden Crate Drawers by Hernán Piñera / CC BY-SA 2.0

4. Small Wire Baskets

If you don’t have a lot of space but you want a dedicated area for your shoes, this shoe storage idea will fit right into your apartment decor. All you’ll need is a small wire basket, enough for everyone in your family that lives in the house to have one. Some paracord and a few hooks that you can screw directly into the wall are all you need to complete this shoe storage idea. 

You can keep the baskets plain or paint them everyone’s favorite colors to make it more personal. Once the paint dries, screw the hooks into the wall a little above the level where you want your baskets to hang. Get your paracord and tie one end to each side of the basket for support before looping it back up over the hook to secure it into place. Everyone now has their own basket to toss their shoes in as they go by. 

Vintage Wire Basket with Candles by Gemma Morgan / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

5. Welded Horseshoes

For a very rustic and western shoe storage idea that is perfect for storing all of your cowboy boots, you’ll need to weld or have someone weld it for you. Each end of the organizer is three horseshoes welded together at the middle with the open end sticking out. Two face down to give the rack stability and one faces up for decoration. Once you weld them together, you’ll weld a bar in the center for your boots to sit on. 

The, you’ll get eight to ten horseshoes and weld them together side by side with the open end facing out into the room. This is where your boots will go. You’ll set them on the bottom bar and lean them back into the horseshoes. You’ll attach this row of horseshoes to the top of the triple horseshoe end you created in the first step. You can leave it as it is or give the whole thing a coat of paint specifically for metal. 

Horseshoes by The Bees / CC BY-NC 2.0

6. Ladder for Heels

Storing your high heels or heeled boots can be challenging, especially if your closet space is at a premium and you want them in each reach. This shoe storage idea works best if you have an old wooden ladder lying around, or you can buy or make one yourself if you don’t have one. Get your ladder and sand it down until it’s smooth before spraying it with paint to match your decor. 

Allow the ladder to dry completely before you lean it back against the wall in your entryway. Each rung is capable of holding up to two pairs of high heels. All you have to do is stick the heel portion of the shoe over the ladder’s step and allow the front of the shoe to brace against the front of the rung. You can secure the ladder to the floor if you want, but it should be stable enough when you lean it backward. 

Ladder by ilan sharif / CC BY-NC 2.0

7. Paint Buckets

This quick and simple shoe storage idea involves repurposing old paint buckets. Chances are, you have a few laying around your basement or garage from previous projects. To start, you want to empty the paint buckets and give them a good cleaning. Peel off any labels and get rid of any glue or paint splatters and residue you see. You could paint them if you want with metal-specific paint, but they look nice without paint too. 

Take the handles off of the buckets. Space out on your wall where you’d like them to go. You’re going to nail the buckets right to the wall. Each bucket can hold one pair of tennis shoes or a few pairs of flip flops. They work well in a kid’s room, especially if you paint them fun and bright colors and hang them up in a closet. 

Empty Bucket Convention by Erich Ferdinand / CC BY 2.0

8. Repurposed Pallets

Wooden pallets are cheap and easy to source. If you don’t have any, you can head on down to your local home improvement store and ask for them. You’ll only need part of a pallet for this shoe organizer idea, but you can make it as large or as small as you need. You’ll hang the shoes in the slats, so map out how large you want your organizer to be. 

When you get it mapped out, get a saw and cut the pallet down to size. We used half of a pallet for this shoe storage idea. When you cut it, you will want to sand off any rough edges to leave it smooth to the touch before you apply a coat of stain. Allow the stain to dry before setting up your new organizer against the wall with the slats facing out. Tennis shoes can slide between the slats toes first to hold them in place, and heels can go in backwards to anchor them in. 

Una escuela fantasma by Dimitri dF / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

9. PVC Piping

You’ll get larger sections of PVC pipe that are big enough on the inside to slide a shoe or two in for this shoe storage idea. First, spray the pipe the color you want it if you don’t want to leave it white. Allow your paint to dry. Measure out how long your shoes are and add three or four inches to your measurements. Mark off these measurements on the pipe before cutting it into even sections following your guide. 

You’ll need a tensioning strap to hold all of the PVC pipe pieces together. Assemble the PVC pipe in a honeycomb pattern with four in the first row, five in the second row, and six at the widest point before working backwards at the top and stacking five pieces of PVC pipe on top of the six, then four, then three at the topmost point. Tighten the tension strap to hold everything together, set it against the wall, and slide in one shoe per hole to store them. 

Fpx051913-10 by Dennis Hill / CC BY 2.0

10. Tension Rods

Maybe you have a small space under your stairs or in a narrow hall closet that is dead space and you’re not sure what to put in there. You can create an instant shoe storage idea by getting a few tension rods. You’ll need a minimum of two if you have heels and flats. If you have heels, take one tension rod and put it halfway up your space near the wall. The next rod will get staggered outward four or five inches. This will allow you to place multiple pairs of heeled shoes on the two rods. 

For flats, you’ll put the tension rods up flat in this shoe storage idea. Leave three or four inches between the rods. One will be closer to the wall, and the second rod will come out three or four inches directly in front of it. Now you can set your pairs of shoes across the rods. A laser level will help ensure you don’t have uneven tension rods for your flats. 

Shoes by evilgurl / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

11. Wicker Baskets

If you want to disguise your shoes a little in your entryway, you’ll need to have a long table for this easy shoe storage idea. Set the table up against the wall, and the table should have a long open space under it. This is where your baskets will go. Get your wicker baskets, some twine, and cute chalkboard signs. You’ll need one for every basket to ensure everything stays organized. 

To start, attach your twine to one side of your chalkboard signs before wrapping it around the wicket basket to the other side. You can also attach the twine to the sign and weave it through the wicker for a more secure hold. When it’s secure, write one person’s name on each basket. Slide the baskets under your long table. Everyone now has a place to put their shoes, and your guests will see a nice table with storage baskets when they walk in instead of rows of shoes. 

Dorothy Shoes in Frida’s basket by Malcolm Murdoch / CC BY-SA 2.0

12. Floating Shelves

Making your shoes look like they’re defying gravity is easy when you use this shoe storage idea. For this idea, you can buy one board that is six inches wide and ½-inch thick for the wider bottom shelves and a board that is three inches wide and ½-inch thick for the top shelves. Cut the wood however long you want it as you’ll attach it horizontally to the wall. You’ll need L-shaped brackets and stain too. 

When you get the wood cut, stain it and allow it to dry. Get screws and attach the one L-shaped bracket by each end of the two boards. You’ll space two inches between the top and bottom boards. Mark this on the wall and attach each board with the smaller board on top of the larger board. Now all  you have to do is slide your shoes toes first into the open spaces between the shelves to give the illusion that they’re floating with this shoe storage idea. 

DIY Shoe Rack by John / CC BY-NC 2.0

13. Wine Crates

Wooden wine crates come with dividers inside them, so they’re easy to repurpose with no cutting in this shoe storage idea. You can drop by your local liquor store or grocery store and see if they have any wooden wine crates that they’d be willing to part with. Another option is to call around to your local bars or wine bars and get them. Once you have them, you can sand down any rough edges and stain them to get a classic look. 

Turn the wine crates on their side with the open top portion facing outwards. You can nail or screw a few of the crates together to create a nice shoe storage tower, and screw a few to the side to make it stretch out horizontally and stabilize it. Every family member can have a crate, or you can divide up the sections in the crate for different types of shoes. 

Wine crates by Jodie Wilson / CC BY 2.0

14. Old Lockers

Your boy’s room can get a style upgrade if you can get your hands on some old school lockers. Estate sales or school upgrades can yield lockers that you can purchase for this shoe storage idea. Once you get the lockers, install them next to a wall in your kid’s room. You might want to paint them if they’re peeling, or you can leave them as-is if they’re in good shape. 

For the narrow interior of the locker, get PVC pipe or cardboard and create individual shoe holders that you can stack or stagger from top to bottom. For cardboard, you’ll cut out rectangles to fit and fold them into squares that fit two side-by-side. For PVC, you’ll cut it slightly shorter than the locker and stack them up inside. When you get the shoes in, you can neatly close the door and hide them. It’s a slightly more industrial look for this shoe storage idea.

Lockers by Andrew Malone / CC BY 2.0

15. Corner Shelves

For those DIYers out there, you can use up the dead space in the corners in your garage by the entry door to the house to create shoe shelves. You will have to be able to measure and cut baseball-diamond shaped or square pieces of wood to fit snugly into the corner for this tutorial. When you get them cut, you should sand off any sharp edges that you could accidentally run into. 

Start attaching your shelves to the corner of your garage. Leave between six-inches and a foot between each shelf. This will give you enough space to store tennis shoes or rain boots without having to cram them in. Start close to the floor and work your way up, making sure everyone can reach their assigned shelf without an issue. You can stain the shelves to make them last longer and look nicer, but this is completely optional. 

Cross brace in corner by Boyd / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

16. Picture Frame Rack

For those that have a desk or table in their entryway with a slightly larger gap between the bottom of the piece of furniture and the floor, you can use an old picture frame with this shoe storage idea to take advantage of the unused space and hide your shoes at the same time. First, you’ll have to find a larger picture frame that will slide under the furniture. Canvas with a raised edge also works well for this project. 

Flip the picture frame over so the glass side is facing down. Remove the glass but keep the cardboard insert in place. Set your shoes into the flipped over picture frame and slide them under your piece of furniture until you need them again. This will work best for flats or sandals, and taller shoes won’t fit unless you bend them over to get them into this space. It’s a nice gift idea too.

Canvases by Jim Winstead / CC BY 2.0

17. Small Dresser or End Table with Drawers

You can easily get a hold of a smaller dresser or end table that has a few drawers in it for this shoe storage idea. You can look in your local Facebook groups, Craigslist, estate sales, or ask friends and family. Chances are, someone will have one that they’re not using. When you get it, decide if you want to refinish it to match your decor style. It’s going to sit in your entryway, so you want it to look nice. 

To start this shoe storage idea, move your dresser or end table in and paint or stain it. Once it’s dry, all you have to do is dedicate one drawer per person in your house for their shoe storage space. You can get fun name tags and label each drawer so there is no confusion. It creates a nice hidden area for the shoes so your entryway looks uncluttered and organized. 

CWR02A_1 by Bonsoni.com / CC BY 2.0

18. Rolling Crates

Anyone who has an industrial design style will like this shoe storage idea. It involves getting a small bench with an open space underneath it and a few rolling metal crates. You can get these crates online, or you could make your own by getting medium-sized metal storage crates and adding rolling wheels to the bottom. Whichever you choose, it’s a very durable option that can withstand getting damp. 

Each person will get a crate for their shoes. This works best if you have a low bench that the crates just fit under, but you can get away with a higher bench too. Attach a small name plate or paint the person’s name on the crate and allow it to dry. Put the shoes in and slide it under the bench for storage. 

Sheet metal box by Micah Elisabeth Scott / CC BY-SA 2.0

19. Old Bookcase

Maybe you have an old bookcase that you’re not using anymore. If so, this shoe storage idea allows you to breathe new life into it by repurposing it as an organizer for your shoes. This is a very simple project, depending on how fussy you are. You’ll get your bookcase and decide if you want to repaint or stain it. Do this and allow it to dry. 

Make small name plates and attach them to each shelf. Every person will get their own shelf for their shoes, and they can line them up neatly in a row. If you want to hide it more, you can attach a piece of fabric to the front of the bookcase that you push aside to get to the shoes. Set a few knick-knacks on top of the bookcase to complete the shoe storage idea. 

Bookcase by David Muir / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Bottom Line

These 19 shoe storage ideas allow you to create a fun and organized entryway where everyone can have space to store their shoes where they’re not an eyesore. Most of these shoe storage ideas are so simple that a brand new DIYer can take them on without worrying about getting stuck, and you can look and see which ones work best for your space and skill level.