Reader's Questions: Shoe Storage In An Open Living Space

the trouble spot:

storage bench:

besta cabinet (image courtesy of maukuja.blogspot.com)

Tara asks: "The hallway just off my entry has become a pile of shoes, they're not making it to the bedroom, they're living in the hall. Any suggestions for a narrow, attractive shoe shelves that are 48"W x 7 1/2"D? Thanks!"

Most shoe shelves are just not that attractive, especially if you really have to stare at them from the living room. How about a storage bench? The shoes can go inside, use an open bin within the bench to keep things separated. And it gives you a spot to sit while putting the shoes on and off:

Mariolla Faux Leather Storage Bench

48"W x 20"D x 18"H

$179.99

comes in chocolate brown, red, and white

overstock.com has a decent selection.

OR

How about a closed cabinet? At nearly 8" deep it's great for women's and kid's shoes.

besta wall shelf unit

47 1/4"W x 7 7/8"D x 25 1/4"H

$60.00

+

besta tofta high-gloss white door

23 5/8"W x 25 1/4"H

2 @ $50.00

If You Hadn't Noticed...

Looking at the pics of my kitchen, you may have noticed there's no place for recycling. That's because there isn't. I take it out everyday with the trash. It get's washed, put by the sink, and I grab it as I'm heading out. I keep a small paper bag under my desk for paper and when it get's full (every couple of days), it goes out.

Inside My Kitchen Continued

boxes over fridge

lower left cabinet

my kit

lower right cabinet, under sink

The boxes over the fridge hold a ton; starting from the back left: archive paperwork; misc household things not bing used in this apt (couple of lamp shades, large hooks, felt snowflakes); paint kit; household utilities: vacuum bags, light bulbs, extension cords, etc.

The lower left cabinet is mostly my kit, tools, and cat stuff. Under the sink is my miele vacuum, my shredder, and an old dish rack now holding cleaning supplies. Go here for more details.

While I have room under my desk for the shredder, I simply don't want to look at it everyday. It's a shredder with basket so I took off the top and placed it in the basket. I put paper in the basket and when it gets full (about every 2 months or so) I pull it out and shred everything all at once. Since I don't have a ton to shred it's a perfect solution.

Inside My Kitchen Cabinets

my small kitchen

cabinet above stove

broiler

upper left cabinet

upper right cabinet, above sink

I like my small kitchen, especially since I switched the cabinet doors, because of the wide cabinets, and large ss sink. The cabinet above the stove holds candles and misc decorative pieces not being used at the moment. The broiler holds my 2 pots, 1 pan, griddle and strainer (yup that's all I have).

The upper left cabinet is my pantry and coffee/tea area. The upper right cabinet is for serving pieces. I know I have a lot of glasses, but I love and use them all. The glass bowls on the lower shelf is actually a set of 9 nesting bowls, but many are currently in the fridge holding fruit, eggs, nuts, etc.

Go here for more details. The lower cabinets and boxes above the fridge will be in the next post...

Small Walk-In Closet: Before + (Just About) After

before:

after (almost):

The little L-shaped walk-in closet was my latest challenge. She basically wanted me to recreate my closet for her. Here's what I added:

- metal hangers

- padded canvas hangers

- pant/skirt hangers

- simple upper shelf

- drawer unit below (modified)

- hooks

- hanging shoe rack behind the door

This is actually a progress shot; we need to edit along with a season switch, add a small rug, and put on the handles on the top drawers. But otherwise it's just about finished....