7 Amazing Shoe Storage Ideas From Real Homes
Whether you're into sneaks or stilettos, there's a storage solution for every shoe collection

Oh, shoes—we can never have too many of them. But the problem is: Where do we put all of them in our homes?
Shoe storage is one of our major problems, especially if we live in small houses and condo units. But as these examples from our Real Homes show, there is always a nook or corner that you can squeeze in a storage spot. Because the only other option is to purge some of your pairs!
Custom-made cabinetry
If you have the budget and an extra room, might as well have custom shelving and cabinets built. “Marami silang collection of shoes, bags, and clothes,” interior designer Pam Tan shares the reason why the homeowners had an extra room converted into a walk-in-closet. One side of this closet also serves as a workspace.
READ: A Modern Filipino Style For A Three-Bedroom Condo
Under-the-stairs storage
The void space under the stairs is always a good storage spot, and designer Jiselle Yu takes it one step further by adding four sliding panels in graduating sizes for the homeowner’s sneaker collection. “It’s a good way to make use of the space that would have been wasted, otherwise,” says Jiselle.
READ: A Couple’s Four-Storey Industrial Home
Inside the stair risers
In Bien Po’s 46sqm condo unit, the DIY maven and doctor used the kaidan-dansu (a traditional Japanese step-chest that also serves as stairs) philosophy to create stairs with carved-out risers that act as storage cubbies for books, shoes, slippers, etc.
READ: A 46sqm New York-Inspired Space
Vertical wall storage
Along one wall of the bathroom of this renovated 1970s house are a series of bins and racks for the owner’s shoes and clothes. To accommodate his large collection of sneakers and other athletic shoes, a combination of wire bins and stackable plastic shelves were used. (You can find similar organizers at Muji.)
READ: A Renovated 1970s House In Pasig
As focal point
In this unique loft-in-a-home, interior designer Erika Uichanco made the shoe display as the room’s focal point, instead of hiding the collection in a closet. She installed small, white melamine ledges similar to those used in retail displays, and if you look closely, the ledges spell out the letters “LA.”
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Slim wooden shelves
Architect Arlene Maslog and her family moved to a smaller Quezon City house, and instead of building an actual shoe cabinet, she installed slimmer, space-saving wooden shelves at one of the stair landings. Children’s chairs and wooden stools were added as spots to sit on while putting on shoes.
READ: A Family Moves To A Smaller Quezon City Home (And Loves It)
Utility room
If you have a utility room (or an unused maid’s room), you can easily transform it into a shoe cabinet by installing shelving. In this two-bedroom condo unit at Avida Riala in Cebu, interior designer Maybelline Te had a simple wall of shelves built so that shoes and other items can share the space with the washer and dryer.