5 Tips & Ideas for Choosing Hallway Shoe Storage in Your Home

What does each of us do when we cross the house’s threshold and find ourselves in the hallway? Of course, he takes off his outer clothing and shoes. And if a storage system for things is decorated in almost every hallway, shoes are often randomly scattered over it. Many believe that an additional piece of furniture for storing shoes will not fit into an already small hallway. It is a severe misconception! The chaotic arrangement of shoes makes you perceive the room as more tiny and cluttered. It is much better to choose a shoe rack that is suitable in size and shape. Despite the seeming simplicity of the task, the enormous modern choice of these interior items can be confusing. Let’s figure out the primary selection parameters.

1. What Type of Shoe Storage Should You Prefer?

All types of shoe racks can be divided into two large groups:

• Open
• Closed

They can be presented in shelves, cabinets, or benches, be full-sized or compact. Depending on the combination of these characteristics, the following main types of shoe racks are distinguished:

• Galoshes. These are open shelves for shoes, but at the same time, their design can have both the simplest and unusual methods, be of any height. A clear advantage is the ability to put on shoes of different sizes, and even wet ones because due to airing, they dry out quickly and do not deteriorate. Minus – all the shoes are in plain sight, which may not please some pedantic lovers of order.
• Wardrobe. It is a relatively voluminous piece of furniture inside, and there are many shoe shelves: they can be inclined or straight. Shoes, Boots, and other items rest on the entire sole to not deform. Many people manage to fit all the shoes in such a closet. Doors can be glass, matte, blind, and by design – swing, sliding, or accordion, and if the boom is located inside the wardrobe, there will be no doors. The bona wardrobe allows you to store all your shoes neatly but is not suitable for small hallways. It is necessary to provide ventilation holes to ventilate the space inside.
• Slim shoe racks with their name allude to the fact that they take up a minimum of space. They have a very shallow depth, and the fold-out shelves open 45 or 90 degrees, allowing easy access to pairs of shoes stored vertically. We can fold individual compartments or the entire door back. Such shoe racks are salvation for small hallways because they can even fit outside the door. The downside is the impossibility of storing bulky footwear. Still, manufacturers today offer slim shoe racks with different compartments, which can be an excellent way out – the main thing is to think in advance what kind of shoes will be stored in it. By the way, it is better to put clean and dry shoes in it.
• Cabinet-tube is a low storage for shoes, equipped with hinged doors. Due to the size, you can store seasonal shoes in it, and the shelves can be of different heights, so the location of the boots in it will not cause problems. Shoes should be dry and clean, and in the small compartments, there is a place for shoe care products. Often, such pedestals are equipped with a seat on top so that it is convenient to put on and take off shoes, and they may even have the appearance of a chest.
• A shoe rack can be equipped in a wardrobe if nothing else fits in the hallway. Shelves for storing shoes can be stationary or retractable, the same in height or different, and contain only seasonal or all household shoes.

What Materials to Make a Shoe Storage?

The convenience and durability of using this valuable part of the hallway’s interior depend not only on the type of construction but also on the material of manufacture. Today, the most common options are:

• Wooden. Beautiful, natural, but massive and expensive. Suitable for spacious hallways, made in classic style. They require attentive care, and you cannot put dirty wet shoes in such a shoe rack. Moreover, you will have to regularly apply protective impregnations to maintain a neat appearance for as long as possible.
• Plastic shoe racks are the cheapest, reasonably practical, and durable, but their appearance will not suit everyone. In addition, some specimens are fragile and remain scratched.
• Metal is a Durable and practical product that is difficult to damage. Sometimes it will be necessary to renew the paint layer to protect against corrosion. Too thin sheets of metal can deform under the shoe’s weight, and this must be taken into account when choosing.
• Glass. Such shoe racks are made of durable glass, which is very heavy. The product looks original and weightless, but practicality leaves much to be desired because any traces of shoes and fingerprints will be visible on the glass, which means that you will have to wash and polish it almost every day to maintain its appearance.
• Particleboard has become one of the most popular materials for shoe racks. It is inexpensive, easy to care for, and allows you to create compact and lightweight products, but it can begin to crack or exfoliate when wet.
• The wicker shoe rack will be a nice decoration for the hallway and perfectly fit into the country or Provence style. It is a lightweight product that allows air to enter and ventilate the shoe.In this case, all possible variants of execution are also not limited to the listed variants. In some houses, you can find stone shoe racks – an exciting option that we cannot buy in a store – laid out on the spot.

3. What Should be the Dimensions of a Shoe Storage?

It depends on the size of the hallway, how many pairs of shoes are, and what type will be stored in the shoe rack. Suppose you intend to fold all the shoes of the family, incl. And winter boots, the shoe rack should be pretty bulky and voluminous. For storing seasonal shoes, small shoe racks, such as slim type, are suitable. It is an excellent option for a tiny hallway. You can benefit from the depth or height of the product.

Its standard value is 60-80 cm, but you can find options with a depth of 100-120 cm and even 13-18 cm. The latter can be easily placed behind the opening door, and they are suitable when there is no extra space at all, but you cannot put boots in them. Shoe racks with a depth of 40-50 cm are perfect for standard hallways in ordinary apartment buildings. If the height allows, you can increase the number of shoe storage places by using higher racks, cabinets, and shoe racks. The width depends on how much free space remains in the hallway.

Most problems arise when a family consists of 4-5 people, and the hallway is very small, and it is impossible to place a considerable shoe rack in it, and women’s boots will not fit in a narrow one. In this case, there is also a way out – a shoe rack with different heights and sizes of shelves.

4. Shoe Storage Style

Thanks to the massive number of possible materials and decorative elements, you can choose a shoe rack that will perfectly fit into any hallway interior, and even more – will become its highlight.

If the hallway is made in a classic or baroque style, then a great option is natural wood or, in extreme cases, chipboard. High-tech and minimalism are best complemented with a metal product, and glass shoe racks will also fit into the avant-garde or fusion style. If you decorate a wooden or wicker product with textile inserts, then such a product will decorate the Provence-style hallway.

5. Other Ideas for a Shoe Storage

Shoe racks can be the most non-standard and even handmade. If you want to show your imagination, do not forget that the product should, first of all, be comfortable, functional and not spoil your shoes. Perhaps some of these ideas will inspire you to create your masterpiece:

• After a minor restoration, we can use old buckets, wicker bags, and other items to store shoes and put them under the bench in the hallway. This option is not for everyone, but it will fit perfectly into some hallways.
• A shoe rack can resemble a chest or shelf on a train. The idea is that outwardly it looks just like a bench for changing shoes, and as soon as the lid is opened, a considerable space is formed to store the mass of shoes, and we can save even bulky items in this way.
• Owners of two-story houses can use a place under the stairs for a full-fledged volumetric shoe.
• Don’t forget about boxes and crates that can be used as shoe storage. One has only to put them in order a little and then hang or arrange them with taste.
• Custom-made products can be made to meet your exact requirements. Some of these shoe racks, at first glance, do not give out their purpose at all.

Conclusion

A shoe rack in the hallway is as necessary as a refrigerator in the kitchen. Shoes folded in one place are an additional plus to order and cleanliness, convenience for households and guests. A wide variety of modern models in design, dimensions, and material of execution will allow everyone to choose the best option, even if the hallway is entirely tiny in size.