Recently, my 10yo said, “Wait, isn’t that the same shoe shelf we used to use? Like . . . a really long time ago?”
Why yes. It is.
Do you remember the extreme decluttering of the shoe bench/cabinet that TOTALLY didn’t work?
At all?
Well, way back when . . . that shoe bench was a replacement for this shoe shelf.
We had this shoe shelf for years, and even though it wasn’t perfect by any means, I could tell my kids to put their shoes on the shoe shelf, and they could . . . put their shoes on the shoe shelf.
There was a place for shoes.
But then I became enamored with that stupid white bench and the IDEA that it would be so nice if we had a closeable place where shoes could be placed neatly and hidden completely.
Except that it never worked. If we ever put shoes in the bench’s closeable shoe section, we never thought to look in there again and those shoes were officially “lost” and much drama ensued when we needed those shoes again.
And the handy-dandy flat surface became a high-powered Clutter Magnet.
It was a disaster, so I got rid of it.
But that is the spot where shoes come off, so it became our official shoe pile.
Which was somehow still better than the white bench.
But when I was rearranging some things during the Master Bedroom Saga, I saw that old solution. The metal shelf.
And whatever it was doing wasn’t as important as what it did in its days as a Shoe Holdin’ Shelf.
Even though it wasn’t a perfect solution, it was a better solution than a pile.
So I went back to it. I’m sure a better solution is out there to be found, but there’s something to be said for a Better Than Nuthin’ solution.
Shoes! My nemesis until I put each child’s shoes in separate bins. Granted, we have them in the coat closet out of sight, but thought I would suggest it for you. My and hubby’s shoes are in our bed room so you may need to put that rack back where it was (was).
Jen, really good idea! My daughter has more shoes than the rest of us put together, so she must keep hers (for the most part) in her room.
Nony, do you have a hidden camera at my house? I have lots of ideas too . . .
I totally get this: I don’t have kids, yet a big messy pile of shoes is always waiting to welcome you to my house. I don’t get how ‘normal people’ deal with shoes. On a side note: are those the same Mary Janes you just got rid of? Or another pair just like them?
Yep! Good eye! I took this pic before that trip!
While my solution for shoes likely wouldn’t work for your family of five, might I suggest a larger version of your solution? If your family needs to have shoes in sight, there is certainly nothing wrong with that but I can’t imagine that the shoe rack pictured holds near the shoes it should to prevent a pile up in the future. Perhaps a nice five shelf bookshelf would work – or a three shelf that you add extra shelves to if a five shelf is too high. Each family member could be assigned their own shelf and if the shoes don’t fit perhaps a purge would be in order, limiting yourself from having too many shoes.
We used a laundry basket in our last house. Right inside the door we had a funky little space that perfectly held a doormat with a laundry basket. We just pitched our shoes in there! It wasn’t pretty, and we had to dig on occasion, but it worked. Now we have more people and living with parents adds another dimension…. So my and hubby’s shoes are in a drawer in our room, and the kids in an old milk crate in theirs!
Somewhere when my kids were little I came across the advice to make things easier for them to put away than to get out, and you’d have greater success with the putting away part. Baskets are perfect for that. Just toss the toy or shoe into it and you’ve cleaned up. Sometimes it might take a bit longer to dig to find something, but you’re usually more motivated then and willing to take the effort. Bottom line, we have a wicker basket at the bottom of the stairs for our shoes. (In our family we wear shoes on the downstairs tile, but not the upstairs carpet.) When the basket gets too full, it’s time to take some shoes upstairs to the bedroom closets.
We have a shoe shelf too. The only shoes that do not go on it are my husbands workboots and dress shoes. My four year old has picking up the shoes as his chore so at least once a day the shoes are all on the shelf at the same time. Ours is a big 3 1/2 shelf wire unit but we have 8 people here. Yes a shoes shelf is so much easier plus no surface clutter. Why does a wire shelf breed less clutter than flat wood? 😉
Hi, I have friends of an asian background and shoes are taken off at the door. Often there is open shelving which is boxed, bit like a naŕrow bookcase turned sideways. Sometimes it works as a bench to sit on, which is helpful when putting shoes on.