This Viral Organizing Hack Turns a Wine Rack into Shoe Storage | Apartment Therapy

As much as I love stylish shoe organizers like the cult-favorite Open Spaces entryway rack or IKEA’s wall-mounted STALL cabinet, most options out there actually take up a ton of floor space — not ideal if you need to fill a super compact or narrow spot. Luckily, though, one ingenious social media hack shows how to make your own small-entryway-approved shoe storage out of an unexpected item you might already have at home.

Instagram user Aliénor (@alienorminuit) recently shared a video that starts off panning over a messy pile of shoes near her door. To solve this issue, she reveals in the next clip a simple standing wine bottle rack, which she used to hold individual shoes stacked on top of each other. It looks like she could fit six pairs total, and she was even able to tuck the whole piece in a tight spot next to her bookshelf. Instant vertical shoe storage!

A post shared by Aliénor 💃🏼 (@alienorminuit)

To copy this hack in your own space, look for wine racks with more open frames, versus ones that have round or honeycomb-shaped holes sized specifically for bottles. The original poster’s style looks vintage, but IKEA actually sells a fairly comparable unit that could potentially hold twice as many pairs of shoes. It also comes with adjustable feet to sturdily stay in place. For something slightly smaller, though, check out IKEA’s solid wood HUTTEN rack or Perigold’s tabletop rack.

Aliénor’s wine-rack-turned-shoe-storage also works well because of the sleek metal silhouette — it’s minimalist enough to pair with just about any home style. Try to find chrome, brass, black, or white finishes if you want this piece to look more unassuming. Otherwise you can paint your rack a bold color so that it doubles as decor (or the same shade as the wall to blend in!).

Whatever style of wine bottle rack you find, this idea perfectly maximizes tight corners or unorganized entryway areas with a convenient (and super unique-looking!) spot to store and grab shoes before heading out the door. Try it out in your bedroom if you’re short on closet floor space, too.