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Look! Built in Shoe Storage (Or Is It?)

0811_ShoeStorageFar.jpg

While taking Bacon for a walk around the neighborhood the other night, we came upon this glowing glass porch. The first thing we noticed was a fairly elegant shoe storage system which seemed to be built in, right next to the door. But as we got closer we realized it was much, much, simpler...

 
 

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Once we got up close, as you can see, we realized it was just an inexpensive white bookcase — tucked snugly into the recess of the wall, blending in with the white trim. Although it felt less special, the reality is much more accessible and something that anyone could achieve.

We have a lot of shoes and, sadly, many of them end up living next to our front door. No matter how well we line them up, eventually they begin to overtake the entryway and must be put away — until the vicious cycle begins again. To us, this would be the best of both worlds: easy access to our shoes right by the door and a clean, organized system to keep them from taking over the entry. A full size bookcase might be a bit much for us, though, so we're brainstorming ways to scale this down for our apartment...

Check out these other shoe-storage posts on AT:

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Look!, shelving, landing strip, entry, shoe storage

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Comments (29)

I have been trying to come up with a solution in my garage. This would work perfectly. Shoe, and other item, storage easily accessed and kept neat and tidy. Also something I can probably talk my wife into letting me do.

posted by ttucker on November 20th 2008 at 3:25pm
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i need a bacon update that's pictorial in nature.

posted by kristykreem on November 20th 2008 at 3:30pm
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I like that a lot! We don't have the space in our entryway, but I've been trying to figure out how to organize the shoes in my closet... I dig it.

Emily

posted by Emily Sneds on November 20th 2008 at 3:33pm
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we also have a shoe problem in our entry (mostly due to my hubby). i was thinking about putting a couple low shelfs behind the door, because we always end up with a pile of shoes, but i think my 1 year old would just take them off the shelfs (we have a short bookcase besides the entry and the takes everything off of that)

so i'm thinking of getting a couple of those wall mounted shoe cabinets from ikea.

anyone have experience with them? how are they?

posted by eribear12 on November 20th 2008 at 3:48pm
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just curious do you guys have to get permission when taking photos of the inside of someones hosue like that?

i mean i wouldn't care- but it would be kinds crazy to stumble across the a pic of the inside of my home on AT!

posted by eribear12 on November 20th 2008 at 3:51pm
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I think it's a "don't" to highlight one's shoe porch such to attract weird decor bloggers that get excited about a cheap bookshelf. How crazy would it have been if they did have a built-in? Convenient but strange.

posted by K T G on November 20th 2008 at 3:55pm
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yeah I find these pictures a little creepy and stalkerish, haha

posted by kathyh on November 20th 2008 at 4:27pm
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I came across a great idea of turning a bookcase into a bench in the entryway...the cubby holes allow you to store shoes...check it out:

http://thesalerack.blogspot.com/2008/09/case-for-repurposing.html

posted by The Sale Rack on November 20th 2008 at 4:38pm
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Wes here-

The pictures are taken from a sidewalk and reveal absolutely no personal information about the home owner or where the home is.

If you want creepy speculation check out Kyle's Post:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/green-ideas/2-small-condos-1-large-lighting-difference-069537#comments

posted by Wesfs33 on November 20th 2008 at 4:40pm
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This image isn't anything that couldn't be seen casually walking by the person's house at night (as the post suggests). I don't find it creepy. If the homeowner's really wanted their shoe nook to be private they could have a blind or a curtain.

Rules for distributing photographs are complicated. Photographers have rights to share photos taken in public places. While the home is private property, the street and the sidewalk are considered public. I believe that anything that can be photographed from a public place (such as a sidewalk)is fair game...

posted by StudioStarter on November 20th 2008 at 4:54pm
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I agree with kristykreem. What's Bacon been up to?

posted by mattab on November 20th 2008 at 4:57pm
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yes, let's see what's up with Bacon!

posted by Pixie on November 20th 2008 at 5:04pm
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eribear12, i have a shoe cab from ikea and love it.

pics:
http://tinyurl.com/6muxkt
http://tinyurl.com/5ebl9f

these hold at best two per cabinet, though i can cram 3 pairs of flats in some. i'd recommend getting as many as you can fit in, horizontally of the 2x2 unit :) though ikea also makes a 3x1 and 4x1 for more vertical space.

posted by funkia on November 20th 2008 at 5:05pm
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Also...

For Bacon updates he can alway be found HERE

posted by Wesfs33 on November 20th 2008 at 5:06pm
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Fair game and a zoom lens. That picture looks like they walked right up the steps. Why stop there when you could have shown us the inside, which would appear to be visible through the inner door window.

Anyway, amazing shoe porch, neighbor! It's a great sight to see your fake built in shoe shelf (are we being impressed by ready-made shelves that appear at first to be built-ins, or is it that shoes can be lined up on a shelf?) all lit up for the passers by. People with all kinds of windows like that ought not be surprised when their interior spaces show up on the internet.

posted by K T G on November 20th 2008 at 5:11pm
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Fair game or not, I find it rather creepy that you are taking close up/zoomed in photos of stranger's homes. And all for a bookshelf of shoes?

posted by twenty twenty-one on November 20th 2008 at 6:00pm
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Oh man. Glanced through this article and didn't notice the bit about bacon being a dog so when I saw the comments on Bacon updates I was confused (as in what in the world could bacon have to do with bookcases and shoes). Just looked at the bacon's flickr page...I wasn't ready for that amount of cuteness. It doesn't help that I've been wanting a french bulldog for ages.

I'm officially going to stalk your dog and his flickr page.

posted by girlonthem00n on November 20th 2008 at 6:25pm
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bacon's flickr page makes me squeal like a piglet!

posted by kristykreem on November 20th 2008 at 6:41pm
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thanks for the info funkia! i really like that shoe cabinet in particular so its good to know how much it will hold! i like the 2x2 so it can serve as a console table as well, and i can get rid of the book shelf that my baby loves trashing! looks great in your space btw.

man, i really need to spell-check my comments, i made 2 mistakes in my first comment.

posted by eribear12 on November 20th 2008 at 7:31pm
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Yes, I need a bacon update too... what breed is he?

posted by appleton on November 20th 2008 at 7:49pm
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And now for something completely negative...I HATE this. It is a fairly grand house (or was), judging by the columns, formal entry and leaded glass. Nothing could make a worse first impression than shelf after shelf of shoes, stacked as high as the ceiling. The fact that you can see it voyeuristically from the street just emphasizes how much it detracts from what otherwise might be a fairly grand and welcoming entryway.

I am not a feng shui expert, and I am a big believer in keeping shoes by the door (and not wearing them inside), but I think they should never be far above the floor. They're dirty, all kinds of gross stuff is usually on them (that you wouldn't want to see at eye level) and as a "collection" they are rarely aesthetically pleasing.

posted by madsarah on November 20th 2008 at 8:42pm
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Bacon's flickr page= no work at work for me for a little while.

posted by gquaker on November 21st 2008 at 9:39am
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This image is VERY CREEPY!
Not as bad as Kyle's post, but still.....

Whether or not it's "technically" allowable to photgraph the interior of somebody's home at night, without their knowledge or permission, and post those photos online for all the world to see, doesn't make it the RIGHT thing to do.

My neighbors can see through my living room window during the day when I have my curtains open and I suppose they COULD also photograph the interior of my home through that window then. BUT would I want them to? Would I be disturbed if they did? Would I be creeped out if they did, whatever their real intentions are? Absolutely NOT to the first statement and absolutely YES to the latter two.

posted by Daily Nuance on November 21st 2008 at 10:46am
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There's no identifying info about the house, and it's not like it's the living room or something, so I think this is fair game.

I do agree that it seems like a formal house in which the shoe storage is out of place.

If you want creepy, check out the street views in google.

posted by KarenAnne on November 22nd 2008 at 12:12am
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Hope those are NEW shoes. Wouldn't want that to be the smell that welcomed visitors to my home...

posted by quiltmaster on November 22nd 2008 at 1:35pm
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Wes & Kayla should be the only AT bloggers that use "we" instead of the usual "I" unless other bloggers team up too.

posted by Stephie_is_a_dork on November 23rd 2008 at 1:51am
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I walk by this house all the time with my dog and just noticed this last week as well. We must be neighbors!
We have metro shelving in our tiny enclosed back porch where we keep the dog stuff and our shoes, but shoes get really cold in the winter and wet boots don't really dry.

posted by lyra on November 25th 2008 at 1:25pm
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these pictures looks like they were taken by a stalker.
stay away from my neighborhood shoe- perve

posted by elinka189 on December 2nd 2008 at 2:14pm
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Love it, though I'd hang a sheer in front of it or put doors on the cabinet so I wouldn't have to look at all of those shoes all the time :)

posted by osric on December 21st 2008 at 9:27am
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