The 18 Very Best Shoe Organizers

Storage space: 36 pairs | Form and functionality: 12 tiers with angled bars | Ease of incorporation: Medium

If you dream of a Devil Wears Prada–esque shoe closet, this over-the-door solution is a good place to start. Home organizer Caroline Solomon recommends it for those with lots of footwear and nowhere to put it. “The beauty of this setup is that it allows your clothes to be on full display in your closet, while the door becomes a shoe closet in itself,” she says. Former Strategist senior writer Lauren Levy is a Whitmor convert, since the organizer combines the best parts of an over-the-door option with those of a standard shoe rack. “When similarly tilted racks sit on the floor, shoes without heels will often slide off, but here, your door will prop up anything (like ballet flats) that can’t grip onto the coated metal bars,” she says. And unlike other over-the-door solutions, it’s a “rare hanging option that doesn’t involve any pockets.” The organizer does take more assembly, according to Levy, “though not more than ten minutes; no tools required.” And Strategist writer Dominique Pariso actually bought her own Whitmor after Levy evangelized about the rack, praising it for freeing up floor space and making getting dressed in the morning much easier as her shoes are all on display for her to choose from.

Storage space: Up to 8 pairs | Form and functionality: Stackable, two-tier design | Ease of incorporation: Easy

There’s something decidedly minimalist about this two-shelf shoe stacker — though that’s precisely why professional organizer Britnee Tanner thinks so highly of it. The piece is going to blend right in — you can choose between a white or “natural” (read: bamboo-esque) finish — which will help spotlight your shoes rather than the organizer. The utilitarian design makes it ideal for stacking, as you can keep building it up vertically to get the most out of any unused space, Tanner says. And even as you stack, it’s easy to clean. That’s because of the clean lines — the solid, flat surface of each tier can be wiped down effortlessly, she explains, as can the stacker’s “feet,” which are likely to get dusty on the floor. If you don’t have the vertical space to stack, you can place multiples side by side, especially if you’re planning on using this option in a closet, where its relatively low profile can fit under hanging clothes. To maximize the stacker’s storage power, Tanner advises placing each pair of shoes with the toe of the right shoe pointing forward and the toe of the left shoe pointing backward so they can sit closer together and free up space for more.

Storage space: One pair per box | Form and functionality: Drop-front to make stacking easier | Ease of incorporation: Easy

These shoe boxes work well for both passionate sneakerheads and minimalists. This was the solution we heard about the most, but it’s not particularly practical for those with big collections, because the boxes aren’t especially space-efficient (and you’ll have to buy them bulk). But a box is useful for the pairs you do want on full display. “These create an exact home for every shoe with super-easy access and give your closet a beautiful yet functional aesthetic,” explains Jamie Hord of Horderly Professional Organizing.

On the more practical side, each box’s “closed drawers keep shoes protected from dust, while small ventilation holes allow shoes to breathe,” says Jessica Decker of Become Organized. Naeemah Ford Goldson of Restore Order Professional Organizing points out how versatile these boxes are — you can keep them under your bed or stacked on shelves. Emily Matles of Emagine Simplicity agrees that this is part of their appeal: “You don’t have to unstack them to get the pair of shoes you want.” However, as Rachel Winkler of Tidyspot reminds us, it takes space to stack them horizontally and vertically.

The boxes are available in three different sizes, so they can even be high-top friendly. Each size is also available in a set of six (which will save you a little money by bringing down the price of each box). Sara Losonci, founder of Shelfie, likes organizing pairs by color for a coordinated look.

Storage space: 12 pairs | Form and functionality: Made from steel, three-tier design | Ease of incorporation: Medium

The realm of shoe-storage solutions is dominated by plastic and bamboo, so this rack stands out for its clean lines and colors including lavender and light pink. (I was a sucker for the dark green.) It’s meant to be displayed. Even better, it combines style and substance, walking the line between a shoe rack and full-on furniture. Elsa Elbert, founder of Composed Living, describes it as “beautiful enough to be out in the open, and the solid shelves ensure your heels won’t fall through the cracks.” Losonci loves how it has room for grab-and-go items before you walk out the door. I’ll add that it surprisingly didn’t take much time to put together — all the tools are included and the thoughtful packaging is designed to serve as an extra pair of hands that holds the shelves in places as you build the rack — and when empty, the handle makes it easy to move around (especially when I’m in a change-everything-up kind of mood). So while it’s more of a splurge than some of the other organizers on this list, I thought it deserved the top spot (plus it’s multifunctional — you can put a plant on it, no problem.)

Storage space: Up to 12 pairs | Form and functionality: Expandable, three-tier design | Ease of incorporation: Medium

Japanese homeware company Yamazaki is known for its thoughtful, understated designs — it’s topped our lists of the best laundry baskets and dish racks. This expandable shoe rack — one of only two we heard about — is Strategist senior writer Liza Corsillo’s favorite buy of 2022. You can expand it width-wise to hold between two to four pairs of shoes across, she explains, “giving the illusion that our shoes are kind of elegantly floating in space.” Like we’ve come to expect from the brand, the rack is “calming to look at, like the décor you’d see in a boutique hotel upstate,” Corsillo explains, adding that it’s “surprisingly slim and unobtrusive for how strong it is.” She likes how she can easily pick it up — the rack is currently one of the first things you see when you walk into her apartment — she can clean it up underneath without making a fuss.

Storage space: 15 to 21 pairs | Form and functionality: Expandable, three-tier design | Ease of incorporation: Medium

Three of our organizing pros recommended this expandable rack: Schrier, Anna Bauer of Sorted by Anna, and certified KonMari consultant Kelley Jonkoff all swear by it for its grippy bars. “The foam coating is key,” says Schrier. “It keeps the shoes from slipping off the rack.” So if you’re a flats fanatic, this is your best bet. Jonkoff singles out its adjustable width, which she says is nice if you move often. “Moving is expensive enough without having to replace your things to fit your new smaller or larger space,” she says. “I’ve had a similar design to this for over ten years, and it’s still going strong.”

Storage space: Up to ten pairs | Form and functionality: Cushion, adjustable side shelves | Ease of incorporation: Hard

For a piece that combines seating with shoe storage, Lokey recommends this cushioned bench with cubbies. She calls it “functional storage that is great for kids, the elderly, or anyone who would like the practicality of having built-in seating adjacent to their most frequently worn shoes.” The bench comes with a removable cushion, and the side shelves can be adjusted for taller boots.

Storage space: Up to four pairs | Form and functionality: Two cabinets, must be wall-mounted | Ease of incorporation: Hard

For those who want their shoes completely out of sight, Bauer, Matles, and Losonci recommend Ikea’s Trones mounted-cabinet system. Bauer says it’s “slim and compact and can be used in various areas of your home,” while Matles likes that it “fits perfectly on a wall in a narrow space and keeps shoes off the floor.” Losonci bought these for her small Hell’s Kitchen walk-up years ago and still has them three apartments later. “They are super-narrow, so you don’t even notice they are there.” And if you lay your shoes on the side as opposed to up and down, you can get another pair or two in there, she tells us. If you want to spruce it up some more, Losonci recommends adding a piece of wood or marble on top to make it an entryway console.

And if you have even more shoes to store and want them near an entryway, both Elbert and Solomon mentioned Ikea’s bookcases. Elbert recommends the Billy/Oxberg Bookcase, as it “offers a glass display to show off shoes on top, and you can leave those ‘less attractive’ options behind the solid door.” Solomon prefers the classic Billy Bookcase, using the following organizing system to find a pair easily: More-frequently worn shoes are at eye level, less-frequently worn pairs are up high, and slippers are on the lowest shelf to slip on anytime.

Storage space: One pair per slot, six-piece set | Form and functionality: Saves space on shelves | Ease of incorporation: Easy

To squeeze even more space out of whatever solution you choose, Decker suggests trying these Shoe Slotz, which “increase storage space and prevent shoes from getting damaged sitting on top of each other.” These are almost identical to the ones Strategist contributor Alison Freer likens to “individual two-story condos for every single pair of footwear.” Schrier uses something similar, agreeing that these “literally double the amount of shoes you can store on a flat rack or on the floor.”