Ditch Traditional Shoe Racks For A Space-Saving DIY Storage Solution

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Nothing feels better than kicking off your shoes at the end of a long day. But that relaxing feeling can end quickly if you don't have a good shoe storage system. Sure, you can declutter and organize shoes in your entryway with a DIY storage bench or purchase various shoe racks, but those solutions take up a lot of space. Instead, creators like Anika's DIY Life customize shoe storage for those unused spaces in the home — under the bed, in this case. 

To keep shoes organized using this method, you build a simple wooden box and attach casters to the bottom, so the box rolls easily. The basics you'll need for this type of box are a piece of plywood, 1-inch by 6-inch boards, casters, wood screws, a drawer pull, and a drill. From there, you can customize the design, including the dimensions, to fit your shoe collection and bed size. While the original includes removable dividers, you can leave it as one large box. You can also build the shoe storage box with or without a lid, depending on how much protection you want for your footwear. To build a lid, you'll need a 1-inch by 4-inch board, plexiglass, and hinges.

And if you're not comfortable with woodworking, you can upcycle something else, like a wooden drawer or box that you already have. That allows you to skip the building part and go straight to attaching the wheels. No matter how you complete it, this under-the-bed shoe storage box is definitely one of the smarter ways to store shoes without clutter.

Check under your bed to see what kind of space and clearance you have before you start building. It needs to accommodate the height of the box, casters, and lid with at least a little extra space so the box doesn't catch. If your bed isn't quite tall enough, consider using sturdy risers, like these Mayzolop Square Bed Risers, to add the clearance you need. Some beds also have support legs in various spots, so plan the dimensions of the box to fit between them. The original project uses dimensions of roughly 30 by 34 inches, but you can adjust that based on what will fit and how many shoes you need to store.

To build the box, cut the plywood to the desired dimensions and use the 1-by-6 boards to create the sides. You can drill pocket holes for the screws or simply drill them straight in, depending on your preferences and the drill equipment you own. Flip the box over, and attach the casters near the corners. If you want to add a lid, build the frame from the 1-by-4 and screw the plexiglass in place on the inside of the frame. If you want to add wood dividers, cut notches on 1-by-6 boards, so they'll nest inside of each other.

For the finishing touches, paint or stain the box to fit with your decor. Then, attach a drawer pull to one side of the box, to provide something to grab when you want to pull out the shoe drawer. You can also line the box with fabric if you want a soft surface for your shoes or grippy drawer liner to keep them from sliding.