apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

The shoe boxes do look neat and tidy, ditto all those specialty shoe containers, but why wouldn't you keep the original shoe box to begin with? I have shoes that are almost twenty years old (boots, court shoes), and they are still in their original boxes (and I have moved 9 times in 12 years).

Leather and textile conservationists advise against such tight storage containers, because leather and fabric need to breathe.

With a good marker, I write on every shoe box: when I bought the shoes, how much I paid for them, a better description of the shoe (Sally in white isn't much of a description :-) and where I bought them if I haven't run out of room on the box panel. I usually try to put the original sales ticket in the box too, but that is a habit I've only developed in the past 10 years or so.

I think one big advantage of using these boxes is that they open from the side, not the top. If you have a bunch of shoeboxes stacked one atop the other, it's going to be a pain to get that pair of shoes on the very bottom. Which makes me wonder, why don't shoe companies start providing boxes that open sideways?

Amen to the sideways comment. All my shoeboxes come tumbling down when I want to wear the pair on the bottom of the stack.

If you have the (mis)fortune of small feet, CD storage racks can be repurposed for shoes. I have two of Ikea Robin CD racks bought of Craigslist for about $10/each (like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/88878917@N00/124011956/) with more than enough space for all my shoes. I'll try to take a picture of it, because I think it's got its own appeal with the shoes sorted by color. In the winter, the upper cubbies get used for mittens, hats, and scarves since the sandals are all packed up.

I did the whole picture thing with my shoes and boots. And it is really great - the problem, as mentioned in a prior post by spaceagemouse, is opening from the top. Since, I have too many shoe bins, I'm not starting over. This would be an expensive endeavor, so I will suffer silently.

The Container Store sells an underbed shoe storage vinyl zippered thingy with compartments for different shoes. It has a handle to pull it out from under the bed and can hold about 16 pairs of shoes. It's great for storing away out-of-season shoes and can fit under a very low-profile bed.

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=73669&PRODID=64972