Here's Why Your Shoe Organization System Is Ruining Your Aesthetic (& What To Do About It)

No matter how disciplined you are about removing your shoes at the door and shelving them properly, something still feels off-putting about your space. Shoes have an awkward shape that can make them difficult to store, especially when stacking them isn't ideal and you want to be able to access them quickly before walking out the door.

When it comes to selecting functional and beautiful shoe storage solutions, just because the shoe fits doesn't mean it looks good. According to a 2023 survey by Kuru Footwear, 38% of Americans wait until their shoes are falling apart to consider replacing them, which means your favorite pair is probably looking a little worse for wear. When piled up on a rack or open shelf, shoes can ruin your aesthetic if they look dirty or out of place. 

Unless you have an intentional collection of spotless shoes, open shoe shelving and shoe racks are an entryway decoration choice many design experts avoid at all costs. While they might be commonplace, using open shelving units to store your shoes could be a big design mistake, especially in hallways, front entryways, and mudrooms, where things tend to look cluttered quite quickly. Here's why a shoe rack or open shelf can be a distracting design choice, along with better ways to utilize a shoe rack in your home and some aesthetically pleasing alternatives to improve your shoe storage game.

Let's face it; even if you're a shoe fanatic, dirty, scuffed-up shoes just don't make for good home décor. Although they might seem practical, open shoe racks are difficult to keep clean and organized, especially if the whole household is in the habit of slipping off dirty shoes and plunking them haphazardly on the rack. Additionally, because they're usually made of cheap materials, shoe racks can feel flimsy and bend, warp, or start to collapse over time. Even avid shoe collectors tend to prefer built-in shelves or display cabinets for their favorite footwear. 

Because the color palette and shoe styles you wear most often may not blend in well with your home décor, even the most minimalist shoe racks can look unkempt in an otherwise organized and welcoming space. For example, if you love a clean, neutral, and modern interior design style, your weathered yellow gym shoes or polka dot rain boots could distract from the aesthetic. If you're currently using an open shoe rack, it may be time to update to a closed cabinet system and consider smart ways to repurpose the shoe rack around the house.

A sturdy shoe cabinet is an easy shoe storage solution for your entryway that's stylish and smart, but you may need to think outside the box to find the perfect fit. Interior designer Julie Khuu suggests a few closed storage options via YouTube. "They could be a media cabinet. They could be a storage console. You really could be using a sideboard or a buffet," she explained. "I don't really get caught up into what the cabinet or the case is actually labeled as. I feel like you have to broaden your search terms if you're looking for the perfect furniture piece to suit a particular function." Depending on the furniture you choose, closed cabinet systems don't have to take up much more space than a shoe rack, but the can look infinitely more sleek and organized. 

Of course, this isn't to say that open-shelf storage and shoe racks are always a bad investment. Open shoe shelving can still work in closets and other areas where closed doors will usually hide them. If you must use a small shoe rack due to space constraints or your don't want to throw out your old open shelves, try to put only your clean and pretty shoes on display and stow the others in baskets or bins. In general, if useful everyday items are going to be on display, strive for them to add to the aesthetic rather than distract from it.