Asked on Nov 25, 2014

Experience with wall mounted shoe rack?

Jen R
by Jen R
I'm loving the look of the wall mounted shoe racks that have been hitting the blogosphere for the past several years. I would love to try this and for me the best spot seems to be on the inside of our closet door. We have a traditional door on our closet. Has anyone tried this and if so, do you think the swinging of the door would cause the shoes to easily fall? I've posed the question to several bloggers who have tried this and they have not responded. I know that we will have to work to ensure they are safely mounted, but if I could get them off the floor and shelves, it would free up so much space! I could put on a wall inside the closet, but afraid they are more likely to be bumped off as we have a long narrow closet in the master bedroom. Any feedback to share?
  7 answers
  • Ellen Ellen on Nov 26, 2014
    I believe they install a curtain stick. the shoe stays on because of the heal.
  • Liliana Wells Liliana Wells on Nov 26, 2014
    I have not done this. Like you, I would feel the shoe falling off every time I opened the door. I use two over the door (two different doors) and they serve their purpose. Try theContainer Store http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10025615&N=&Ntt=show+rACK or Walmart Walmart http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=over%20the%20door%20shoe%20rack You can also you type “SHOE RACK” in the search box aboveand you will see several Home Talkers have posted projects for shoe storage, maybe one of them will inspire you. Good luck.
  • Jen R Jen R on Dec 01, 2014
    Thanks @Ellen & @Liliana, I may try Liliana's suggestion of a premade over the door rack. I have a lot of heels, so would like to get them off the floor and my low level shoe rack storage. I will keep looking for ideas as well. Who knows, maybe I'll try one rack and see how it does before investing time & energy into the multiple racks I will need.
  • Rosie Walsh Rosie Walsh on Dec 01, 2014
    I'll hope someone also can recommend wall mounted rack ideas for flat shoes. Almost all my shoes are flats, clogs, slip-ons and tennis shoes.
    • Vanessa Vanessa on Sep 16, 2016
      For flats and sneakers you can take a length of 1x2 lumber, slightly shorter than the width of your door. Drill holes at 45 degree angle about every 4 to 5 inches apart. Insert 3 inch dowel pegs into the holes. Attach this to the closet door. Or, instead of dowel pegs, you can use coat hooks, hung in rows on the closet door or a length of 1x2 lumber. Hang the shoes from the back of the shoe, soles away from the door. To ensure they stay on the door, stretch elastic across the shoes and staple/tack each end near the edges of the closet door. Slip the elastic over the shoes to hold them against the door.
  • Susie Susie on Dec 02, 2014
    Why not make a sectioned 'hanging' out of fabric with pockets for each pair of shoes and loops to attach to hooks on the door back? If you are a nifty sewer, you could incorporate a little window in each so you can quickly identify your shoes. A friend pegs Polaroids of her shoes to the outside - too much like hard work for me though :-) Flats go in easily and you can put shoes with heels in each section 'heels out'. Add little lavender bags or cotton wool with a few drops of tea tree oil to any that smell less than fresh! Watch the tea tree doesn't touch the outside of shoes in case it stains.
  • Jen R Jen R on Oct 21, 2015
    Our closet is a long and narrow walk-in. Two sides have shelves and hanging rods and the third wall is bare. I ended up hanging some curtain rods high on the bare wall and am hanging my heels and my scarves. I will post some photos soon! I am glad I didn't hang from the door, as the heels are very touchy/fall easily. I couldn't hang my lower or kitten heeled shoes, couldn't get them to stay. So I gave up and hung scarves instead.
  • Vanessa Vanessa on Sep 16, 2016
    I think I'd be inclined to stretch a length of elastic across the middle to toe area of the shoes, stapling the ends of the elastic at each side of the door. Simply pull the elastic across the entire row of shoes and it should, theoretically, hold them in place when the door is opening and shutting.