Closet Re-do! Part Two: Shoe Organization

Shoe storage is tricky. They take up a good deal of space and it's hard to sort out how to accommodate the different shapes and sizes of each shoe.

For years I swore by the plastic shoe boxes by the Container Store, and I still recommend them. They're a fabulous storage solution and multifunctional - I currently use many of them as drawer dividers. My shoe closet was always neat and organized.

Here's an old shot of my shoe closet. I stored all of my flats and sneakers in the center boxes and vertically stacked my boot boxes along each side. While everything was certainly neat and visible, it was a bear to get to my shoes. I found myself wearing the same pairs of shoes repeatedly because I didn't want to pull a box out from the lower levels. And grabbing a single pair of boots was no easy task. Storing my purses on the shelf above my shoes was a great idea but really needed to make better use of that shelf for shoe storage.

I spent a lot of time online looking at different shoe storage options and I found the one that I feel works best for me. My three-day weekend was spent putting together these expandable shoe racks from Target. I stacked four units on top of each other to create an open storage plan that's far easier for me to view my shoes and easily grab exactly what I'm looking for. Here's a quick view of the outside and inside of my shoe closet:

On the outside of the door, I mounted two double hooks so that I can hang my backpack or other items outside the door. The top hook gives me a great spot to hang wet jackets after a storm before they get placed back into the closet.

On the inside, I stacked the storage racks onto each other and placed my summer sandals at the bottom and all of my fall and winter shoes towards the top. I pushed the shelf up to store my snow and rain boots and some shoe cleaners.

So far, I'm really happy with the results. I may still look to find a better way to store my tall dress boots other than to lay them flat along the top levels of the shoe racks, but for now it works. Here are my tips and tricks for organizing your shoes:

• As I shared in my vanity organization post,  I'm a big fan of modular storage. I picked racks that can stack on top of each other and can expand and retract in size so that I can optimize the unit to fit my needs. 
• I know that I'm the sort of person who needs to see my things in order to remember that I have them and to use them. The racks are a great way for me to really take inventory of my shoes - I now feel like I can shop my closet.
• Keep your shoes in shape. Take your weekly newspaper or magazine and roll it into a cylinder to make a free boot shaper. Pick up some tissue paper from the gift wrap aisle and stuff your shoes with them - you'll keep the shoes you've broken in in shape. And a large binder clip is a great way to keep your taller boots together.