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Women's Shoe Organization: Storing Heels, Flats, Tennis Shoes, and More

Picture this: it’s Saturday morning, it’s raining, and you’re rushing the whole family out the door to get to the kids’ soccer game on time. After a few minutes of searching through the coat closet and storage mudroom cubbies, you realize your rain boots might be in the garage, the basement, or wherever else you put seasonal shoes that don’t fit in the entryway. Fast forward to later in the evening–you’re getting dinner with a friend for the first time in weeks. When you go to look for your most comfortable pair of heels, you can only find the left one because the right one accidentally got put away with your special occasion shoes that you keep in boxes under the bed. Without smart women’s shoe organization, you’ll find yourself running all over the house wasting time, feeling frustrated, and dealing with a whole lot of stress.

Between boots, heels, sneakers, flats, wedges, sandals, and different pairs for every outfit and occasion, shoes aren’t easy to store or keep organized. Builder-grade wire closets or basic closet set-ups with zero dedicated women’s shoe organization never function exactly how you need them to, and they almost always require you to buy additional one-size-fits-all solutions that either don’t fit your shoes properly or leave a lot of wasted space. You may even resort to lining shoes up on the floor of your closet or stacking them in boxes, which makes vacuuming and cleaning up a pain. Plus, keeping shoes in the boxes they come in–whether they’re on the floor or stacked up high where you can barely reach them–creates clutter and makes it hard to find what you’re looking for.

If you’ve tried different DIY hacks and store-bought solutions to no avail, it’s because your closet doesn’t have the organization you need to be successful in the first place. The solution? Custom, adjustable shoe storage. Choosing a custom solution is the best shoe organization for women because it’s designed exactly how you want and need it to be while keeping your closet, your wardrobe, and your routines in mind. Something that’s created by closet design experts specifically for you is not only the best way to get on top of your shoe organization game, but it’s also the only way you can ensure that your shoe collection is easy to keep organized and can continue to sustainably grow for many years to come.

Benefits of Custom Women’s Shoe Organization

Get Time Back

According to IKEA, shoes are one of the top five items women spend time searching for in their homes. So, why not prioritize cutting down that time to ultimately cut down the stress and chaos? Research also shows that women with shoe racks are 7x more likely to be on time. With smart, dedicated, and completely custom women shoe rack ideas and storage, you will have easier access and totally clear visibility so you can find the exact pair of shoes you’re looking for when you need them. When your shoes are clearly displayed in your closet, it’s easier to envision outfits so getting dressed takes less time, too.

Make the Most of Your Space

With custom women’s shoe organization planned and installed by professionals, no space goes wasted like when you use quick-fix, one-size-fits-all solutions from the store. Having your shoe storage system designed by an expert ensures you’re getting the absolute most out of your space. A smart design will even save you room so you don’t need to pair down your wardrobe, and there’s no need to store off-season shoes in the basement or the garage. Thoughtful design and space-saving solutions allow you to fit more shoes in your closet, exactly where you want them to be.

Eliminate Clutter

A professionally designed shoe storage solution also leads to less clutter and mess, which creates more usable space and is also so much nicer to look at than mismatched shoe organizer ideas like boxes, baskets, and hanging storage. Beautiful, functional shoe storage will make your space feel so much more calm and it’s something you can truly be proud of.

Save Money and Protect Your Shoes

A custom, adjustable women’s shoe organization solution can grow and change with your shoe collection over time. This is the best way to ensure your storage system works for you now and will continue to work well into the future so you don’t have to spend money on costly remodels or continue buying quick-fix organizers from the store. Dedicated space just for your shoes also protects them against daily wear and tear and ultimately increases the longevity of the shoes you invest in.

Types of Shoe Storage Solutions

There are many different women’s shoe organization options because each person, closet, and shoe collection needs something a little different. Below are the most common shoe storage options our design experts implement in custom spaces depending on the customer’s wants and needs.

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Traditional Shelves

A common shoe storage idea is to utilize traditional built-in shelves that are just like any other shelf you would find in your closet. The difference is, these shelves are included in designs as a dedicated space specifically for shoes. However, this style of shelf is very flexible and can be used to store sweaters, bags, blankets–really anything else you might need it for in the future.

Traditional shelves are typically 18 to 24″ wide, but they can be custom manufactured to nearly any width. They’re typically used in spaces where storage flexibility is needed, or when a shoe collection has a lot of sneakers, sandals, and flats. If you’re wondering how to store wedges or any other shoes with a heel, traditional shelves work well because they give heels the flat and even support they need.

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Slanted Shelves

Slanted shelves are designed and installed on an angle. They have a metal bar called a shoe fence in front that keeps them in place and prevents them from sliding forward. These shelves are typically only meant for storing shoes, and they’re a popular option for people who prefer classic women’s shoe rack ideas. Slanted shelves are also a great way to display shoes in a way that makes them easily visible.

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Shoe Shrine^®

Our Shoe Shrine^® is the ultimate space-saving, customizable women’s shoe organization solution. If you have a wide range of different types of shoes, especially boots and heels with varying heights, storing them becomes a challenge with traditional shelves because you often have to fold the boots over just to get them to fit or store them somewhere inconvenient like on the floor, in boxes, or even somewhere else in the house altogether. Our lightweight yet sturdy Shoe Shrine^® shelves are 12 inches wide and 14 inches deep, and they’re easy to adjust to any width, height, or size of shoe so each pair gets its own adjustable shelf. Our designers can make the entire Shoe Shrine^® as tall as you need to accommodate your whole collection.

Shoe Shrine^® shelves are also super slim which means they don’t take up any unnecessary space, maximizing your overall storage capabilities. They come in a range of colors and finishes, from clean and crisp White Wisp, to classic black Midnight, to sheer and elevated Rain Glass. This way, you can customize your shoe storage so it matches your particular style and blends in (or stands out, if that’s your preference) with the rest of your closet.

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Cabinets, Clear Boxes, & Under-the-Bed Storage

If you want additional protection for the shoes inside your closet, you can opt for custom cabinets with shelving and organization inside. You can even choose glass-front cabinet doors that allow you to see your slingbacks, loafers, and Mary Janes on display. For under-the-bed shoe storage ideas, we recommend clear boxes or other shoe organization systems that provide extra protection against dust while still making it easy to see and locate whichever shoes you’re looking for.

Pro Tip

If you’re going to store certain shoes in boxes, avoid using the corrugated cardboard boxes that the shoes come in. Cardboard not only makes it hard to see what’s inside the box, but it also makes your space look messy. Corrugate is also known to attract bugs and insects–no thank you! To avoid finding any surprise critters in your clothes, keep that cardboard out of your closet

Storage Needs for Different Types of Shoes

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Heels & Pumps

When you’re determining how to store heels in the closet, it’s important to organize them in a way that supports their delicate design. Storing them on a flat surface is the best way to protect the heel and ensure it lasts for a long time–we don’t want any heels snapping off on the dance floor. Because heels usually aren’t worn as frequently as other shoes, make the most of your space by storing them up high. For this same reason, customers and designers alike often opt to use heels as a display piece in the closet, creating dedicated storage for them behind glass-front cabinets.

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Sneakers & Athletic Shoes

You want your sneakers, tennis shoes, and any other athletic shoes to be sturdy and stand the test of time. It’s easy to slip them off after a run or workout at the gym and toss them with the rest of your shoes by the front door. But, it’s important to give your sneakers the same amount of care and attention you would give any other shoes–and avoid piling or stacking them up–so they last.

It’s no secret that athletic shoes also get stinky. When planning where and how to store tennis shoes, it’s important that they have room to breathe to prevent odor build-up. It’s best to store them somewhere they’re open to the air, like on open shelves, as opposed to in a box, a storage bench, baskets, or left in a bag where odors can get trapped.

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Sandals & Flats

Because sandals and flats often take up the least amount of space, they’re usually fairly simple to store. While they fit into many of the store-bought shoe organizers on the market, using these solutions actually wastes space because the thin shoe leaves a lot of unused room in the one-size-fits-all storage compartment. When asked how to store flats, our experts recommend that you don’t stack them to avoid causing any damage. Plus, it isn’t ideal for cleanliness or clutter.

Our design experts do recommend opting for an adjustable organization solution, like our Shoe Shrine^®, that can fit the exact size of the shoes you’re trying to store. Shoe Shrine^® shelves with flats can be moved close together, allowing you to completely maximize your space and keep your shoes easy to see, easy to find, and protected.

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Boots

When it comes to shoe storage, how to store boots is a topic that gives homeowners a lot of trouble. With their varying heights, boots don’t usually fit into builder-grade or store-bought shoe organization solutions. This is why adjustable storage is crucial. Once again, our Shoe Shrine^® allows you to easily move shelves around to accommodate the exact size and height of your boots so you’re not folding them into a space they don’t fit.

Aside from proper storage space, it’s important to take the time to maintain the shape of your boots so they’re comfortable and ready to wear when you need them, and also to ensure they last as long as possible. You can do this by stuffing the boots with tissue or newspaper, or you can even purchase dedicated boot shapers. Boots made from leather and suede also require special care. So, make sure you’re treating them according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and investing in any needed care materials to protect and extend the life of the shoes.

The Custom Shoe Storage Creation Process

When you work with an Inspired Closets design expert, they’ll not only measure your space and take inventory of your shoes, but they’ll ask all the right questions and consider every option to ensure the women’s shoe organization solution you end up with meets your exact needs.

Questions a design expert asks during your consultation:

How many shoes do you own?
Which types of shoes do you own?
Which shoes do you wear the most?
Does it make sense to keep some shoes in the entryway or mudroom?
Are you storing shoes elsewhere in the home that you would ideally like to store in your primary closet?

Your design expert will also talk you through how you want to organize your shoes (by type, color, season, or heel height) and help you determine which method will work best for you. They also consider what your overall goals are and walk you through what different shoe storage ideas will accomplish. For example, do you want to put your shoes on display and be able to see everything all at once? Is your goal to have easy access to each pair? Or, are you mostly hoping to save on space? Our experts are always thinking about the scalability and longevity of the design, too. They’ll determine how much room is needed to ensure you have space for any additional shoes you add to your collection in the future.

At Inspired Closets, we also provide you with a 3D rendering of your proposed design so you can see everything before it’s ordered. If there’s anything you want to change, our designers will make adjustments until you’re 100% confident in the design. Then, our team will help prepare your space before installation, removing old product, patching holes, and even bringing over garment racks so you can easily store your clothes until your new storage system is in place. On installation day, we have a team of professionals who neatly and efficiently install the new system for you. Our process is quick and easy so all you have to do is enjoy your brand-new, totally custom women’s shoe organization solution.

Expert Tips for Rotating Seasonal Footwear

With professionally designed, space-saving women’s shoe organization, you’ll be able to fit more in your closet. So, storing off-season items elsewhere won’t be necessary. However, many people prefer to separate their wardrobe into seasons and rotate these seasonal items as the year goes on. If that’s the case for you, our design experts have a few tips and shoe storage ideas to make this common puzzle simple and manageable.

Seasonal shoe storage ideas:

Depending on where you have the most space and whichever spot is the most convenient for you, the best place to store seasonal items you aren’t using is either in your entryway, mudroom, basement, or garage.
Avoid taking over the closet space in any spare bedrooms so they’re ready to accommodate guests when needed.
Our designers always recommend opting for clear totes or clear shoe boxes when storing off-season stuff. Being able to easily see everything will be your biggest time-saver and stress-reducer.

Simply put, women’s shoe organization–or a lack thereof–makes a huge difference in your day-to-day routine. Customized shoe storage that is designed with you, your home, and your shoe collection in mind is the best shoe organization for women’s footwear and the easiest way to ensure your shoes stay protected and organized for the long haul. Save time, get the most out of your space, and ultimately feel a sense of pride in your wardrobe, your closet, and your home.

At Inspired Closets, we’re in the business of solving everyday organization problems, adding value, and eliminating stress in our customer’s lives. We do this not only through the impact of a new, custom women’s shoe organization system but also through our easy and collaborative process. Our design experts will ensure you’re getting shoe storage that functions exactly how you need it to, and they’ll guarantee things go smoothly each and every step of the way.

Schedule Your Free Design Consultation Today

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Women's Shoe Organization: Storing Heels, Flats, Tennis Shoes, and More