Turn Your Shoe Storage Into A Work Of Art Filled With Personality

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

When it comes to organizing all of your shoes, you're constantly being told to hide them away, but what if there was a case for letting them live out in the open? There's a way to use your shoe storage as a display, and to pull it off, it only needs a little intention. A decorative line like ASIWUJING's White Curtain Wire or the DIGNITET curtain wire from IKEA stretched across a wall can actually hold more than it seems. In fact, many models can hold up to 11 pounds, which would equate to about five to eight pairs of lightweight sneakers draped over by their laces. With that in mind, most curtain wires would not be equipped for holding larger footwear, so it's better to give your boots another form of storage.

For anyone short on space, this is one clever way to store shoes without a shoe cabinet that leans into creativity over clutter, because if you think about it, a row of your favorite sneakers has a built in color palette that's just asking to be home decor. And it's much more unique and stylish than just a basic shoe rack. The idea comes from IKEA's interior designer, Anna Cardell, who took her inspiration from the visual of sneakers thrown over telephone wires.

If you have an awkward blank wall, a narrow unused strip by a closet, or even some space under a window, it can work for your hanging shoe line. The key to making this look good is remembering that once the wire is up, it is actually doing as much of the work as the shoes are, so it needs to be treated like it's just as much part of the display. To make it look intentional, you can decorate the wire in a few different ways such as threading it with wooden blocks, tying some rope that drapes down, wrapping the whole thing in jute for a more organic look, or making it part of your lighting set-up with some warm fairy lights. You could even clip small pictures to the line as a creative way to display photos on your wall. 

But as much as it could feel tempting to get carried away with decoration, there's also a case for some restraint. By leaving sections of the wire more bare, this will make the shoes themselves feel more intentional, so if you have a large shoe collection, not every pair needs (or even can) go up on the wall. Instead, consider which will look best together, swapping them around often for different color patterns. There's a multitude of options for a hanging shoe display like this, so it's about finding one that fits your style ... and your shoes.