Entryway Shoe Storage That’s Functional
Entryway shoe storage is all about creating a beautifully organized, intuitive + functional space the moment you step foot through that front door of yours. Of course, whether your entryway gets used every day or every so often largely depends on the way your home is laid out.
But regardless of how you plan to use the entryway in your home, knowing the exact steps that you should take to get your entryway organized + to identify the right shoe storage solution is important to you. And if you’re reading this, know that you’re headed in the right direction.
No matter how big or how small this area of your home might be — you’re not alone when it comes to wanting to make a great first impression when guests pop over for a visit without fearing that they’ll be greeted by a heaping pile of shoes scattered all over the place.
Am I painting a vivid picture for you, yet?
Lucky for you though, you’ve not only landed on THE place to be for all things home, but entryway shoe storage doesn’t need to be overwhelming.
Entryway shoe storage in a Seattle, Washington home designed by interior designer Sherri Monte.
How To Organize Shoe Storage In Any Entryway
The first thing we want to be sure of, is that we’re not putting the cart before the horse. In other words, we can’t start with pretty bins, containers + other clever shoe storage solutions. We must begin first, by evaluating the functionality of your entryway + then my love, keeping this front of mind — progress to “shoe storage.”
Identify Function
At Elegant Simplicity, we have our own philosophy about home, but our success is built on established key principles. In fact, one of them just so happens to be that the function of a space always precedes the aesthetic desires for a space. Let me ground this for you —
You can’t jump feet first into piling on the pretty without first taking the necessary time to understand how a space is used (in this case the entryway). Additionally speaking, we also know that shoe storage is a must.
So consider this, how often will the entryway be used? Will it be multiple times a day? Once a day? Once a week? Only when guests come over?
Who will use the entryway shoe storage? Everyone living in your home? Only guests? Not only do you want to consider what the functional purpose of this area of your home is but who will be using the entryway — and what do you or they need to actually use it?
What will be stored here? All of your shoes? A few pairs of shoes? Seasonal boots or flip-flops?
One of the final things we recommend you consider as it relates to entryway shoe storage is when will the entryway shoe storage be used? In the morning? In the evening? In the wintertime or only the summer?
Realizing we’re not always organizing + designing our client’s primary residences — we’re often working with clients on their vacation homes — so it makes a lot of sense to consider the functionality because depending on how you use your home these things can vary quite a lot.
Identify what you need
When we talk about “need” as it relates to entryway shoe storage it’s a topic that can become all too consuming + overwhelmingly unbearable. And if you’re like most of our clients this isn’t uncommon, so let’s consider “need” in these contexts.
Based on how often you’ll be using the entryway, are your needs for every day or only when guests come over?
In thinking about who will be using the entryway + how many shoes will likely be stored here — what is it that’s necessary? A place for all of your shoes? Some of your shoes? Seasonal shoes like boots or flip flops?
What about the physical limitations of who’s using the entryway shoe storage you’re considering? Do they need a sturdy bench or place to sit down so they can comfortably take off their shoes? A place to set down their purse, cell phone or keys?
Thinking about what you “need” in the entryway is such a fantastic exercise for how to ensure everything you need when it comes to entryway shoe storage is actually present (or at least considered) before you begin making changes.
Make room for guests
We’ve already touched on this quite a bit in terms of “who” will be using the entryway but there’s an important distinction between identifying who will use it + then taking it a step forward to actually allow or make room for them.
If you cringe at the thought of having a dinner party where shoes line the entryway — then, you’ll want to ensure there’s not only plenty of room for all of your personal shoe storage needs BUT that you have overflow parking, for guests’ shoes.
And when considering space for guests, ask yourself:
Are these dinner guests?
Overnight guests?
Guests staying with you long term?
What is your shoe policy?
Create An Exit Strategy
Creating an exit strategy is simple but it’s often overlooked. Consider how you will deal with an overflow of shoes in the entryway. Where will you put shoes that no longer need to be stored in the entryway? Where will you store them elsewhere?
I know it sounds incredibly basic but I promise, these are the organizing systems that establish + help create an entryway shoe storage solution that’s not only to die for but that you’ll love for many years to come.
If you don’t use the entryway to come + go — don’t put your shoes there
If you’re reading this you’ve probably got a fairly sizable need for entryway shoe storage but writing this got me thinking. If you don’t use your entryway to come + go when entering or leaving your home, then by golly –– don’t put shoes here.
For instance, in our home, we use the mudroom (which is sandwiched between the kitchen + our garage) for shoe storage so our needs, as a family, are much smaller when it comes to entryway shoe storage. Certainly, all of these fundamentals in terms of how to create a beautifully organized entryway shoe storage can be applied wherever you store your shoes.
That said... if you don’t use the entryway to come + go then don’t put your shoes there. Save the space for guests + create an organizing system that makes sense for how you intend for your guests to come + go from your home.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENTRYWAY SHOE STORAGE SOLUTIONS WE LOVE
Realizing the size of your shoe storage solution is largely dependent on how much space you can dedicate + what your needs are, we’ve put together a list of all the different “types” of entryway shoe storage solutions that we use + why.
Additionally, when considering all of these shoe storage solutions you want to keep in mind the types of shoes you’ll be storing. Sandals are going to take up much less space then rain boots + lord knows I love me some chunky knit sweaters + thigh-high boots which obviously take up more space + have a larger footprint then John’s Nike’s :)
Let’s begin, shall we...
BENCH SEATING
Benches make a ton of sense when it comes to entryway shoe storage because, well, when you want to put on or take off your shoes it’s nice to have a comfortable place to sit down.
Even more important is if this bench has a shelf underneath it or opens up — this can be an excellent way to hide away or neatly stow some of your go-to everyday kicks or regularly worn shoes.
CUBBIES
Whether this is in the entryway or even tucked away in an entryway closet, consider ways that small cubbies (overhead or below a bench) might help corral shoes that you use fairly frequently. Cubbies are fantastic because not only do they provide shoe storage but they create a very polished look. The downside is you want to get the size you need for shoe storage cubbies correct.
BASKETS, BINS + SHOE TOTES
Whether you have a bench or built-in cubbies in your closet baskets or bins are a great way to store shoes. Like cubbies, you can have areas for frequently used shoes (whichever season is in) + then stow shoes higher up that are out of season. For families, each person might have one or two baskets for the shoes they use regularly. Either way, baskets or bins are a fantastic way to corral shoes in one spot, keep the entry organized + also looking fabulous.
When it comes to shoe totes, these are probably going to be in an entry closet. Maybe they’re hanging on the back of the door or off of a coat rack in a shoe organizer or perhaps they’re a shoe tote stored on a shelf.
SHELVES
Another more permanent solution is floating wall shelves. Depending on how many shoes you’re needing the entryway shoe storage space in your home to hold — this may or may not be a good option. From wood to metal, your floating shelves could have the shoes displayed on them (similar to a shoe rack) or again paired with fun baskets to store more shoes + also keep a very clean look.
SHOE RACKS
Similar to floating wall shelves, shoe racks are a very popular solution. While you won’t be storing shoes away in baskets or bins — each + every pair of shoes you have in the entryway will be on display which is why it makes the most sense for a shoe rack to be inside a closet.
SHOE TRAYS
Shoe trays are very popular because they capture all the stuff that comes in from the outside on the bottom of your shoes. They’re a great solution for a few pairs of shoes or boots for you or your guests. These come in a to of different finishes, some of these are galvanized metal + other times these are a composite. Either way, you want something that is fairly easy to clean.
CUSTOM CLOSETS
Before you dive into creating custom closets in your home — it’s really important to declutter + get organized. But as one would expect, once you know what it is you truly need to store, custom closets provide an excellent solution for entryway shoe storage.
First, they can maximize the space you have available to you. From benches + cubbies to shelves or even drawers, instead of being locked into what is already there the sky (ok, fine the ceiling *wink*) really does become the limit.
Beyond the flexibility of creating a shoe storage solution that fits what you need, because it’s custom to you, the items you use all the time can be made easily accessible.
And lastly, custom closets look exactly how you want them to look. They become a place to showcase what is important to you.
Organizing your entryway shoe storage + consequently even making design-related decisions to your home takes time, energy + of course financial investment. But the reality is, it’s an investment that improves the flow of your day-to-day life.
Plus, when you finally cross the finish line, not only will you have an amazing sense of pride in your home but you’ll also be overwhelmed (in a good way, of course) with confidence because you’ve created an organized entryway that’s brimming with livable luxuries + personalized systems — organized systems that are intuitive + actually work.
Which is why at Elegant Simplicity, we believe that home is –– everything you need + nothing more. So my friend, as you continue onward, along this journey of living a more organized life in a home you never w-a-n-t to leave, know that, we’re here to support you. Near or far, no matter where you live, Let’s Chat :)
Psst… Check out our FREE Video Course:4 Days To A More Beautiful + Functional Home