Sophisticated shoe storage: 3 alternatives to boring cardboard boxes

Every so often, I go crazy and have the urge to optimise (at least) one area of my home. My current problem zone? Shoe storage. At the moment, most of my shoes are leading a sad existence in rather unattractive white fabric boxes from Ikea. Visible in a doorless section of my wardrobe. There has to be a better way. After a quick browse through our range, I find three storage options that look very much like an upgrade.

Option 1: colourful folding boxes

The foldable and stackable boxes can be seen everywhere at the moment. They’re used in bathrooms to keep beauty products organised, or in kitchens to manage the flow of spices, preserves and baking ingredients. If you order them in the right size, there’s even room for your shoes in the bedroom or hallway. Adds to shopping cart. Done! Three Schou boxes in size L (24.5 × 24.5 × 15 cm) arrive at my door and I assemble and stack them in no time at all.

So that I can get a better view of my sneakers, I leave the front side of the box folded down. This is practical, but could also look untidy. Alternatively, you can label the cardboard tags provided so that you can quickly grab the right shoes.

The only thing I have to criticise about the folding boxes is the price. Depending on the size of your shoe collection, at 13 to 20 francs per box, this could soon get expensive.

Storage boxes

Schou Storage Box foldable L

33 x 24.5 x 15 cm, 10 l

86

Storage boxes

Schou Faltbar L

33 x 24.5 x 15 cm, 10 l

13

Storage boxes

Schou Storage Box foldable L

33 x 24.5 x 15 cm, 10 l

86

Storage boxes

Schou Storage Box foldable L

33 x 24.5 x 15 cm, 10 l

86

Storage boxes

Schou Faltbar L

33 x 24.5 x 15 cm, 10 l

13

Storage boxes

Schou Storage Box foldable L

33 x 24.5 x 15 cm, 10 l

86

Option 2: stylish plastic boxes

I feel like I’m in a sneaker store when I stack the Songmics boxes on top of each other. Although they’re transparent and you can see every single shoe, the collection looks clean and tidy.

But I do have to deduct a few points for the packaging because there’s a whole lot of it in the delivery box. The six components to each plastic box are wrapped in their own plastic film and packaged in a cardboard box. A considerable mountain of rubbish piles up during the assembly.

Assembling the plastic boxes is also quick and easy. Once you’ve understood the click principle, it’ll take you less than two minutes per box. Then you can stack them to build a tower like I did, slide them next to each other or use them as individual eye-catchers.

Although I like the clean look of the boxes, I’d like holes in them for ventilating the sneakers. At around 14 francs a crate, it’s a pity.

Shoe cabinet

78,24 EUR

Songmics Janosh

28 x 36 x 22 cm

47

Shoe cabinet

78,24 EUR

Songmics Janosh

28 x 36 x 22 cm

47

Option 3: plain cardboard boxes

With Intirilife you get 10 boxes delivered together in one set. This is clearly the cheapest option of the three – at around six francs per box. However, it’s noticeable in the quality. When assembling, the cardboard quickly creases in places where it’s not supposed to. The back panels come apart if I don’t fix it with adhesive tape.

Nevertheless, I like the look of the cardboard boxes, especially when I arrange them in my cupboard. It looks tidy and organised, the shoes are easy to recognise and air can flow in. Nobody needs to know that the backs are glued.

Shoe cabinet

Intirilife Boxing

35.5 x 23 x 13.5 cm

1

Shoe cabinet

Intirilife Boxing

35.5 x 23 x 13.5 cm

1