Nice for canvas or suede shoes, but I wouldn't use that for my good dress shoes that I wear to work, etc. as it would scuff the leather.

I did a similar paint-free setup. Posted it on Ikea Hacker :). http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2008/02/all-to-do-with-shoes-shoes-shoes.html

I wonder if you could cover the planks with some combo of foam and fabric to (1) protect dress shoes and (2) give it a bit more "grab" for those of your shoes that are flatter in the toe?

I just amused myself by imagining a Fin de Siecle Viennese home with the shoes lined up inside the door, and the Pope's shoes lined up inside his in his digs in the Vatican, and so forth. . . . What IS it with people's shoes right inside their doors? What happened to the concept of "the closet"?

I don't care HOW you arrange your shoes by the door: it's still a catastrophe. Put them AWAY!

While Aulaire does have a point - about neatness...

At least for Asian & other folks who take off their shoes when they enter houses - a shoe storage solution next to the door makes a lot of sense. It's a pain to have to drag your shoes off to the closet as soon as you get in the door - and multiply that by multiple family members - you get a mess unless you organize by the door.

I think this is a great solution.

..and taking of your shoes when you enter your home is also recommended, you don't want to bring s**t from outdoors inside your home.

This was here on AT yesterday/couple of days ago (i think):
http://consciouschoice.com/2008/01/healthyliving_lead0801.html

Fin-de-siecle Viennese and the Pope have one crucial thing in common here, though, Aulaire: household staff.

I don't have household staff, and my shoes still make it to the closet. Hubby has the hang of it, too. Considering he's a drummer, I'd say that pretty much anyone can handle it. ;) I stash a pair of slippers under my desk and just change when I come home.

Is it so hard to kick them off at the door and carry them to your dressing room and put them away whilst you get changed into your houseclothes?

I think we've got a cadre here of believers in putting shoes away! And I still find the trend of leaving shoes by the door appalling, despite comments in defense. As HongKonger says, is it so hard to put them away?

And I'll bet a spending spree at the most expensive shoe store in town that 99.9% of people in western society suffer through the unspeakable labor of putting their shoes away.

Let's for fun PhotoShop herds of shoes into everybody's photos of lovely rooms that they send in to AT.

Yes, Asia. But it's hard-wired into their culture since forever. I lived for a while in a Japanese house in Kure-shi, a suburb of Hiroshima. The entryway had a broad floor of smooth river rocks leading to several equally broad steps up into the house. At any given time, depending on the number of people inside, there were several to many pairs of shoes neatly lined up on the river rocks. But we were in Japan, and it was ancient custom, and it looked right, even great.

Usually when a new trend takes hold, there's something about it that pleases the trendies in some perhaps subconscious way. What is satisfied by the sight of shoes inside the door?

And really, Lilli K, shoes with poo are OK inside the door?

Aulaire - if shoes lined up in your ancient Japanese garden look so fantastic - are you saying that Asian people who live in modern apartment buildings are doing aesthetic no-no's when they take this custom to their modern everyday lives?

Interesting question, pods. I'm snagged on it, because (based on what I saw in then-comparable buildings) I have to answer a general yes to your question. Jumbles of ugly, often dirty plastic sandals? Yuck. I had the luxury of the perfect setting, which influenced my view. In the case you describe, generally an aesthetic no-no.

Some of us don't have closets or space in the bedroom but we do have a tiny bit of space near the front/back door. So that's where the shoes go, as organized as the space allows. And no, I do not have an overabundance of shoes. I have two pairs of flats, a pair of running shoes, and a pair of dressy shoes. All of which get good use.

While I don't particularly care for this solution (so strange! the floating shoes!), I'm sure that for some people (who are not trashy terrible people because of their shoe storage location) this would be a good solution to an unavoidable problem.

Also, some of us live in snowy/wet areas. . who wants to drag the water and snow into your house? leave them by the door!

We do not wear shoes in our house. Nor do guests.
We do not have a closet on the first floor (of any kind). coats are hung on hooks. We don't have a mud room or a hall in front of our door - just a small porch - I wouldn't ask someone to take their shoes off out there! Here in NY the weather is quite variable!

We also don't have a universal closet upstairs. Just personal ones (and not enough of those so they're usually pretty full creating that 'uh, where should I put them, just toss them in?' akwardness!) and anyway I'm loathe to direct my guests to my bedroom closet or drop everything to fetch their shoes to avoid it when one friend needs to leave.

Our solution is a two tiered IKEA slat rack that shoes fit in/onto. It sits underneath the coat rack just inside the front door. It has small legs so I can get under it with a swiffer. It's not beautiful or a piece of art but it is cute, keeps things tidy and my floors clean. Definitely not a catastrophe. I think the solution posted is cute too, and like that you can get under it with a mop too, and can see the point regarding finer shoes, corn pads discreetly placed on the underside of the top shelf would probably do a good job protecting them. I'm sure the vatican has a closet! I don't think I'm being lazy rather I think I'm being practical.

I'm with @Aulaire! I keep one pair of yard shoes by the front and back doors for taking the dogs out. Other than that, shoes go AWAY in the closet when I get home! Unfortunately, my roommate is in the other camp, and will pile up a week's worth of shoes by the front door. sigh...good thing I love her!

i cannot believe this has become a partly holier-than-thou argument about the habit of keeping shoes by the frontdoor.

some people like to, others don't. get a life, folks …

i like the solution, clever, simple, uncluttered. shoes too "good" to store like that simply can be put elsewhere.