Sophisticated shoe storage: 3 alternatives to boring cardboard boxes
20/3/2024
Translation: Elicia Payne
I don’t own a shoe cupboard and I don’t want a random mix of shoe boxes. So I’ve decided it’s prime time to find a visually appealing storage solution for my sneakers. I’ve tried three different boxes – and one of them is my favourite.
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.
Source: Laura Scholz
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.
Source: Laura Scholz
Source: Laura Scholz
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.
Source: Laura Scholz
Source: Laura Scholz
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.
Source: Laura Scholz
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.
Source: Laura Scholz
Source: Laura Scholz
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.
Header image: Laura Scholz
Laura Scholz
Senior Editor
Laura.Scholz@digitecgalaxus.chAlways in the mood for good hits, great trips and clinking drinks.