We couldn’t do all of this work in the laundry area and just ignore our sloppy shoe situation. Since the side door into our laundry room is our most-used entrance, it’s also the dumping ground for most of our footwear (since we try to keep shoes off in the house). Up until now, our “storage solution” has been a shallow woven basket from Bed Bath & Beyond about five years ago (that and a pile next to it – not pictured, because I don’t want to ruin the illusion that we’re not complete animals).
This system actually worked fine at the old house since the basket stayed in the sunroom, where it sort of fit the casual feel of the room. Plus, when it overflowed it didn’t create a tripping hazard on our way out the door or to the washer since that was a much larger space.
But since we’re now dealing with a 3’5″ wide room, we realized we needed something with a more “organized” vibe, like this cheap-o shoe shelf for all shoes for cross country running that once lived in Clara’s closet at our first house (originally snagged at Target a while back).
It wasn’t bad (especially if we had taken the time to notch out the back to fit around the baseboards). But it wasn’t great, either. Why? Well, we seem to have a mini Carrie Bradshaw on our hands thanks to Clara, so shoes often become playthings and end up looking more like this:
That’s when we agreed that concealed storage was what we needed to be hunting for.
There are lots of good options out there for shoe cabinets, it seems. Ikea even has a few different versions to choose from. But everything was too wide (we only have 24″ to work with) or too tall (we’d didn’t want it going higher than the window sill so it would look nice and streamlined since the built-ins we added lined up with the sill as well).
After a few other stores were a bust too, we contemplated using a plan from ana-white.com to custom build something (she has amazing and completely free furniture tutorials for those not in the know). But before we went out and bought a ton of lumber and worried about building something that could stand up to everyday slamming, Roberta saved the day with this comment about affordable and ready-made Ikea recycling bins that might just do the trick:
Yup, she kindly introduced us to Retur, who we met in person on a recent trip to Ikea. We liked him so much that we came home with him and his twin brother (at $19 a piece).
It hadn’t come up in our search results because, as Roberta noted, they’re technically “recycling bins” but are coincidentally designed just like a shoe cabinet. Plus, their 23.5″ width made them a PERFECT fit for our 24″ space. That was enough for us to overlook that they:
- weren’t bright white (they still read as white in the room, and we’re not really die-hard about all of our white tones matching perfectly anyway)
- were plastic (wood might have been nice, but Sherry pointed out that something wipe-able, less precious, and virtually ding/scratch proof might be good for shoes anyway)
Another little detail that we did our best to overlook: between the two of them they only came with one screw to hang them. Yup, somebody must have been daydreaming about swedish meatballs on the Ikea assembly line or something.
But after digging out some of my own screws, they were a cinch to install (four screws/anchors per piece through pre-made holes in the back). We were in business in practically no time (for those who actually want a time breakdown it was probably fifteen minutes total). And so far Clara hasn’t so much as touched them once (I think the lack of knobs to pull on has her stumped for now).
The most amazing part is that not only was the width perfect, but the height was almost too good to be true. When the two stacked units were placed right on top of our baseboard the top was perfectly flush with the window sill. We still can’t believe it. And there was about a centimeter of breathing room on either side (so it looks nice and intentionally centered between the door and the sill).
So now that whole wall is almost like one seamless shelf thanks to the window sill that visually connects the ones I built to our new shoe cabinets (which are all on the same exact level). And I shouldn’t fail to mention that although they’re made for recyclables, they store shoes quite nicely too (including room for some frequently-used pairs to be stashed underneath).
In short, we’re thrilled – and eternally grateful to Roberta The Perfectly Timed Commenter. The rooms feels sooooo much more organized without a mess of sandals and running shoes waiting to greet us. And the Returs are so danged narrow (they only stick out six inches beyond the door frame) that the room actually feels more open than it did with the more invasive basket or stacked shelf options that we had going on before.
Eventually we’re thinking that we might do something to gussy them up a bit more – maybe paint them or cover the fronts/top with decorative paper (or even grasscloth wallpaper or colorful labels) but we want to wait for the rest of the room to come together before doing anything that could end up being “too busy” in the end. You know, since the whole space is only about as wide as a bathroom stall, as demonstrated by my monkey-toed self in this photo from a few weeks back (so not every item in the small space has to scream “look at me!”):
Speaking of the rest of the room, here’s our almost-totally-crossed-off laundry room list:
Paint the odd brown quarter round near the baseboards glossy white
Redo all the dinged up trim (also in semi-gloss white)Paint the wallsReplace our dryer hose with a safer all-metal oneAdd adjustable built-in shelving in that nook next to the stacked washer & dryerPrime & paint the upper cabinetryReplace the hinges and knobs on those upper cabinetsHang the ironing board to obscure the giant metal fuse box- Get a new light fixture <- we’ll be back to share our homemade clothespin chandelier tomorrow morning
- Add a window treatment (maybe a homemade one?) <— might just frost it when we convert the carport to a garage
Add other functional storage near the door for shoes, Burger’s leash, etc- Hang some art to keep it cheerful
Now it your turn. What’s your go-to shoe storage solution? Did you repurpose something like a basket, bin, ottoman, or cabinet? Or do your kicks usually end up somewhere they’re not supposed to? Does your baby throw them in all directions while screaming shoooooooooo, shoooooooooo!? It can’t just be ours that does that…
Melissa E. says
It makes me way too happy when things like this work out so well. I’d be talking about it for days if it happened to me.
Congrats.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- we kind of are! Just at dinner we were explaining to a friend how awesome it is that they rest on the baseboard and hit the exact same spot as the windowsill when stacked. Can’t get over it. Haha.
xo,
s
Nora says
Totally trolled the comments just to search for the answer (so many question about John’s shoe size, haha!) but I LOVE your leather wedges, Sherry! Are they Coach? The heavy buckles seem traditional for them but I know you’re a savvy shopper (TJ Maxx does have Coach though)!
YoungHouseLove says
They’re actually Antonio Melani from Dillards. Something like $19 on clearance!
xo,
s
Chels says
You’ll probably want to stick a little sachet of potpourri or something in there to keep it from stinking. We used to keep our gym/outdoor shoes in something like that, and man was it a “hold your breath” moment every time we opened the thing!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- thanks for the tip! I’ve already made a no-sweaty-running-shoes rule (those can stay in the carport- haha).
xo,
s
Natalie @ Queen of Whirled says
Oh yeah. These things rock my world. And the top make a splendid home for my keys and sunglasses.
Kendra says
My friend just showed me this, asking for ideas on how she can build one that is more environmentally friendly. My main concern is this …
Plastic doesn’t breathe. Tight, closed off spaces made from man-made materials can encourage bacterial growth, and the chemical outgassing from plastics can seep into the footbeds of your shoes.
YoungHouseLove says
We actually have heard from a bunch of folks have used these as shoe holders for a while now (apparently Ikea used to sell them as shoe holders and recently changed the marketing to recycling bins), so we hope to have the same long-term luck for our shoes! Of course we’ll share if we have any non-breathing issues (we tend to open them multiple times a day to retrieve stuff or toss in shoes, so it seems like they won’t be sealed off indefinitely or anything). Maybe we should leave them leaning open when we go away on vacation though!
xo,
s
annabelvita says
If I had these and got breathing issues, I’d drill a few holes in the side facing the washing machine (maybe in a regular polka pattern if I could be bothered).
Carlee says
We have a big cloth lined, woven basket that I found on clearance at Target a few years ago when we had only 1 kid. It still serves it’s purpose, but as we’ve added kids (2 more) and they’ve managed to keep growing (and so do their feet!) I’ve determined I need something bigger! Pretty soon the entire fron hallway is going to be 1 big pile of shoes :(
Christy says
I saw this on Pinterest and pinned it a few weeks ago! As I was reading, I totally predicted it. Did you happen to see it there also? Very cool that you made it happen. Our front door and garage door both dump us into our foyer. No white cabinets allowed. There’s usually two pairs of flip flops in the area though.
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry Christy, I didn’t see that – but hilarious that you predicted it!
xo,
s
Reva says
These are great! So clean and functional. I was wondering if you were considering ORBing them as an option.
YoungHouseLove says
For now we like them white so they feel light and blend in with the white trim and the white built-ins, but you never know what we’ll do to them down the line…
xo,
s
Anna says
We scored 4 of the white Trones versions of these at our local dump’s recycling shop for $12 a few weeks back. I was absolutely thrilled to get them as I’ve eyed them up for years but never wanted to spend the money (they were about $80 a set here in Australia last time I looked).
I am planning to use them as storage in the garage for garden tools, extension cords and other bits and pieces that need kept out of reach of the wee monster that inhabits our home. Just got to convince my husband how easy they are to put up – and this blog post will hopefully serve that purpose…ta!
Anita says
That’s an excellent solution. I like how it’s installed up on the wall and gives you a little room at the bottom there. We have an organizer for our enclosed porch for shoes we wear daily, but we also have a back of door organizer rack on the inside of our closet when you enter the living room. Sadly it just seems like there is never enough room, so I do what your wife does and every once in a while I go in and donate whatever we’re not using.
Monica says
Like the look of 20×200, thanks for the tip. Question for you though, a while ago you featured so prints that were illustrations maybe from etsy and one of them was called twins. Can you remind me what company they were from? Have tried to search on the site but couldn’t find it!
Please help!
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry- we can’t remember the print you’re referring to. Maybe try searching google for “twins print” or “art twins” and then clicking “Images” and scrolling through until you see it? Good luck!
xo,
s
Brandan WH says
We actually have storage benches ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE! These store shoes, magazines. You name it, we hae a bench for it. Now that my daughter is big/strong enough to open them, we keep one just for her shoes. She really likes going in and picking out which ones she will wear and then moves over to the one with the adult shoes and picks out my shoes as well. Gotta love it! Your shoe storage unit looks great in that space. Congrats on a cheap fix!
Roberta says
Oh my…just found you guys another storage idea for your laudry room ;) Check out the “sliding rails” that recede when not in use for the hangers in this georgous, blue laundry room/nook. I think you guys would have room on the new white shelves that John built to install one of these rails to use when handing/sorting the laundry as you take it out of the washer or dryer. Enjoy!
http://pinterest.com/pin/91603192/
YoungHouseLove says
Oooh I love those too! So smart!
xo,
s
Donna says
Now you have me thinking. My problem is that we come in our front door, so it has to be part of the living room basically. And the other problem is that my babies now wear size 15 shoes. Do they make anything big enough?!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I don’t know! John’s an 11. Maybe try bringing a pair of sneakers to “test”? You could also try the other shoe cabinets at Ikea too (they have wood ones, etc).
xo,
s
E Minor says
If you get a chance, could you possibly tell me how far (from the wall) the bins stick out when open? This is such a perfect solution for an ongoing/identical problem we have now that we have a 10-month-old who likes to lick and chew on our shoes – gross! : ) But the space we’d need to mount them in is not very deep, so want to make sure we’d have room to open them. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
When completely open they stick out around 16-17″ from the back wall. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Heather B. says
Part of my daily cleaning routine is to pick up all the random pairs of shoes lying around in various points of the house…I need a better shoe solution!
Ellen says
Love, love, love the bins! Here is my question, my hubby has huge feet – size 15 shoes, think they would fit in there?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, John’s an 11 and those fit with some wiggle room but I’m not sure. Maybe bring a “test sneaker” with you to Ikea to be sure before buying them?
xo,
s
Mary says
I have the very same shoe cabinets! I have two sets of three stacked on top of each other. Our walls are renters’s white, and you can barely notice them. Guests comment that if I hadn’t pointed them out, they wouldnt’ even have seen them.
I am able to fit alot of shoes into my three drawers, but men’s shoes take up alot more space, only 2 pairs fit in each drawer.
Ashlene M says
So I normally don’t do this but you guys inspired me to clean out our hall closet, it was bad, I mean, bomb exploded with coats as shrapnel bad. Anyways, I attached my website to this, and I believe it is the second post down. Thanks again for all the inspiration, next project, laundry room. Gee!
http://milehighmommamurf.blogspot.com/
Kelly says
Love this for storing (hiding) shoes! I have a problem with a really narrow entry way and no where to store our shoes – if only we had an Ikea closer! I’m attempting using some Target cubbies……tonight! Hope it turns out as great as yours!
Barbara says
Since I saw the “before” photos of your laundry room, I have been waiting for this post! I knew you would get to the shoe storage, and I’m so happy you did! What a fabulous solution, love it, love it, love it. We live in a split foyer, so there is limited room by the front door, and currently we have a big basket where all the boys (one big, two smaller) throw their shoes. I need a solution, and I will be measuring to see if x 1 Retur might be it! THANK YOU GUYS xx
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
I’ve been contemplating these for at least a year to solve our shoe problem. You guys just might have convinced me.
I love that IKEA has the same products worldwide!
Dawn says
My shoe solution is a little macabre, well, not really, lol. We use this awesome, huge open basket, that started life as a flower arrangement for a funeral…no joke. Our church hosted a funeral service and the family told us to keep the beautiful flower arrangements and do with then what we would. Then my Pastor begged, please someone take these. As soon as she said that, my eye fell on the huge basket of red roses and home they came with me, so I could have the basket. It’s been in an Easter musical to hold palm leaves, and now holds our shoes. So that basket has been around the block, lol!
Sara B. says
Love, love the storage unit you chose. Man, an Ikea would be so nice to have close by.
Mark Brian says
Awesome! We always have a disorganized pile of shoes at the back door in our laundry room and getting the shoes hidden while making the best use of space would be nice.
Jennifer says
THANK YOU Roberta! You have solved our front entry issue!!! I am so excited,can’t wait to go to Ikea and get two of those organizers!
Jeannee says
My shoe solution is – ah – interesting … On my living room rug – which is a very light pearl gray so it shows every little everything and that you could vacuum three times a day and not get everything – there is a big stain from a pet illness that doesn’t come up. Its noticeable, and, its in a spot that can’t be hidden by furniture. So … there go the shoes I wear most often ;) To people walking in, it looks like, “Oh, Jeannee comes in, takes off her shoes – yeah, you wouldn’t want to track anything on THIS carpet” … when, in reality – as the old 70s song said, “Hiding a nasty stain that’s growing there” ;)~~~
Amy says
i must ask an intensely personal question….how big are your man’s feet? We have long feets in our house…wonder if these would work for men’s size 11 and women’s size 11….crazy, huh?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- he’s a men’s 11. So it should work!
xo,
s
Anne mccauley says
I need these….about how many pairs of shoes can you fit in each bin?
YoungHouseLove says
If you line them up vertically, you get about 3 or 4 pairs per box. I’ve taken to laying them in sort of a horizontal pile so I can get about 5 or 6 pairs of shoes/flip flops (which is good since the rest stay in my closet). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Beth says
I just checked out the link to the officially shoe storage version of these Ikea cabinets. The good news–they are 20 1/8 wide and my wall is 20 inches–because of the setup I’m sure I can cheat that 1/8 inch. So, they’ll work better for me than the almost 24 inch wide recycling version. The bad news–they are not available at my local Ikea. Now I’ll have to scheme a way to get them from another Ikea. But, at least now I know what I’m after, guys! Thanks for the lead.
Bridgett says
So…now that you’ve had a little time to use your shoe storage…how’s it been working? We ended up purchasing the same units for our kitchen back door (actually, we got 1 large unit and 4 smaller ones for the kids shoes to fit under a narrow counter). The problem we’ve encountered is that the shoes can’t breathe…and the cabinet reeks of stinky husband feet(whoops…did I say that?) Hubby is gonna take the cabinets out and drill a series of holes along the front to provide some ventilation (hopefully this happens sooner than later). Really hoping that helps.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that stinks (har-har) but it sounds like you have a nice solution. Ours are opened and closed pretty frequently, so they breathe ok so far, and we usually put one pair of shoes that we wear most on the floor (so John’s shoes fresh after a run won’t go right in, they’ll go on the floor to air out for a while if that makes sense). I have gotten into the habit of tipping them open when we go for our evening walk every night, so hopefully that “open time” is helping too? No odor issues so far. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
beckiwithani says
Geek gold: you made lifehacker. http://lifehacker.com/5839097/repurpose-an-ikea-recycling-bin-to-make-a-wall+mounted-shoe-organizer
Thanks for this tip. Trying to convince my husband that we should do it!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Love it. Thanks so much for the heads up! Wow.
xo,
s
Otsuka Duojinshi says
Kind of overpriced solution unless you simply must have white
The TRONES http://www.ikea.com/us/en/search/?query=TRONES
Used this as magazine storage and storage solution for years.
It’s a shame IKEA no longer makes them in white (cream)
3 for 40 bucks
YoungHouseLove says
Those are fun too! We definitely wanted white and could only fit two there, so two for $40 was cool with us since that’s what worked on the wall!
xo,
s
Jenny | The Balow Bunch says
You may have answered this question elsewhere, but I’m interested in getting these bins for the shoes at my house. My husband is convinced it won’t work b/c his shoe size is 13. Do you think he’s right? Do you have any idea if his shoes would fit inside?
YoungHouseLove says
We have heard from a few folks that 13s actually fit! Maybe bring a shoe of his to the store just to double check?
xo,
s
April says
So it’s been a while since you posted about the shoe bin, but I was curious how it’s working? Also, my hubby has size 14 shoes & NOTHING I can find seems to hide those monsters… would a 14 shoe fit in the bins?
YoungHouseLove says
We have heard from a few folks who said they would I think! Maybe try bringing a shoe to the store to be sure if you’re nervous? We’re still using ours and love them!
xo,
s
Ellen says
I was looking for shoe storage solutions and came upon your website. Great idea by the way, but what I really want to know is were you got the wedges with the buckles?? I love them!
YoungHouseLove says
Those are from Dillards on sale! Maybe try ebay?
xo,
s
Big foot BF says
Hello, I love this idea so much but my bf wears a size 13 and I don’t know if his shoes will fit in these bins, can you tell me if they would work or not?
YoungHouseLove says
If you scroll back through the comments I think someone else with 13s said they fit!
xo,
s
Kristen says
So I’m only about a year behind reading this post, but I only discovered your blog recently! I love this idea, will fit great in our mudroom of our new house, AND when I went to Ikea today to pick some up, they were on clearance for $4!!!
Thanks for the idea. I really enjoy reading your blog…it gives me ideas AND makes me smile :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kristen!
xo,
s
Kristi D says
The shoe bins are clearanced-out at our ikea right now for 5.10 & I bought 4 yesterday & then came upon your post today! How perfect! Thanks in advance for helping me to hang them at a great height!
Leah says
My dad always says “it’s better to be lucky than smart.” This is a prime example! We use open shelving for our shoes, and our only problem is that we regularly wear more than the 6 pairs that fit on the shelves. It will be better when summer is over and we put away all the sandals.
Kay says
Hey guys, I am getting ready for a trip to Ikea, and we were talking about getting an expedit for the shoe wrangling at our house… when I remembered reading about your shoe solution – but I was wondering if these are holding up as good shoe holders? And also if you have any comments about the durability of them? Thanks, <3 Kay
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, love them! Still using them!
xo
s
Toni C says
Oh my gosh; I bought the black-brown, all wood Hemnes shoe cabinet–and it changed my life! It’s right by the front door and (miracle of miracles) my husband and daughter actually take off their shoes and put them away now. Whoda’thunkit?
Leah says
I’ve been reading through the archives, and I can’t help but notice a trend in “gosh, it just works.” Thought I’d drop by and share my dad’s phrase — it’s so iconic I now have my husband saying it around the house too:
it’s better to be lucky than smart!
Feel free to proclaim this anytime anything just works out without copious measuring and planning.
Rachel says
Wow this is such a great idea. I’ve been living under a rock and am new to Pintrest. I am so so impressed by all your projects! Thanks for the inspiration!
Kim says
Your toddler is not the only one to throw/steal shoes and say, “Shooo!” :) Ours daughter does, too!
shoe says
Looks amazing…!!!! I really like very much… This is so different..!!!
Valerie says
I saw this too late :( Ikea doesn’t sell this anymore.