How To Build A Custom Shoe Rack From Scratch – 14 Cool Ideas

Every home needs a proper shoe storage system and customization plays a very important role here. You want your shoe rack to fit nicely into the context of the space that it’s a part of. If it looks out of place that’s not really a good sign. Design, style and proportions are all important and DIY shoe racks are really great because they offer lots of different customization possibilities. Check out some inspiring ideas below.

Scrap wood shoe rack

Before we look at all the shoe rack designs that would look great in the entryway, let’s first check out this garage storage system. It has a very raw and slightly industrial look which is all intentional. You can easily get that same look if you’re using reclaimed  or unfinished materials. You can keep this shoe rack in the garage to save some space inside the house and you could use it to store all the sports equipment, garden boots and off-season shoes.

Scrap wood shoe rack

Moving on to some more polished designs, we have this stylish shoe rack that we think looks really nice. It’s made out of plywood and includes six short storage shelves and two tall cubbies. You can adjust the distance between the shelves or their number if you find it necessary. The cubbies are a nice touch and very useful if you’re wearing boots.

Scrap wood shoe rack

This right here is a pretty simple shoe storage bench with a rustic-industrial design. It’s made out of wood boards and wire grating which is an unusual combination. The bench frame is clearly distinguishable and stands out while the shoe rack is an addition focused on functionality more than anything else.

Scrap wood shoe rack

It’s entirely possible to not have much free space for a large storage cabinet, as it’s often the case with entryways. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t come up with a proper shoe rack design that can fit and be practical at the same time. This vertical rack is one of the possibilities. In fact, it’s so slender that it can fit behind the door. It’s made with wooden slats which you can stain or paint to match your existing decor. All the details of the project can be found on instructables.

Scrap wood shoe rack

Here’s another vertical shoe rack that you can easily fit in a small entryway. It looks nice if you let it just lean against the wall but you could also attach it to the wall if you want more stability. The wood rods form separate layers, one for each pair of shoes. This makes this storage system very simple and easy to use. Of course, you can expand it if needed, either vertically or horizontally. Check out instructables for some extra details.

Scrap wood shoe rack

You can make something really cool using metal pipes and fittings. Naturally, it will have an industrial look which might not fit into certain interior designs and decors. However, you could add this to a walk-in closet or a separate storage room in which case it could be a really cool feature. You have a ton of freedom to scale up this storage system as much as you want to and the details featured on instructables would really help.

Scrap wood shoe rack

This particular DIY shoe rack is quite small but at the same time it’s quirky and interesting. It’s made using MDF and round wooden dowels and it’s big enough to hold eight pairs of shoes in total. As you can tell if you look closely, several different shapes are mixed into this design. You could make things easier by only using one or skipping this step altogether and just use square boards. Of course, it wouldn’t be the same. Check out instructables for more details.

Scrap wood shoe rack

It’s quite common for entryway benches to have some sort of shoe storage rack incorporated into them and that’s a combination that works because it’s practical. With that in mind we really want to share with you a project that we found on treyandlucy. The bench has hairpin legs which look stylish and complement the live edge wood in a really chic way. Underneath the bench there’s a storage system for shoes which uses labeled baskets. What a fun and simple idea!

Scrap wood shoe rack

Metal pipes and wood go well together as beautifully demonstrated by this shoe rack from etsy. Building something like this from scratch wouldn’t be very difficult. You can even make it bigger or smaller based on how space is available or you could create a different version inspired by this particular design. Reclaimed wood would definitely be a nice fit for this project.

Scrap wood shoe rack

Another interesting idea comes from sawdustgirl where we came across this shoe storage system that uses pegs. What’s nice about this design is that it’s very space-efficient. You can install this on a wall and add more pegs as needed. The idea is that each peg holds one shoe so make sure you use an even number.

Scrap wood shoe rack

This spinning shoe rack is also very space0efficient because it takes up little space on the floor and is also easy to use. You can spin it like a carousel which makes it possible to place this against a wall or in a corner and still manage to reach the back shelves. Check out this shoe rack on etsy for more details.

Scrap wood shoe rack

Wooden crates are super easy to repurpose and can be used to make a nice and also practical storage system for the entryway. The idea comes from livefromjulieshouse and tat’s where you can find all the details about this project. You can use multiple crates and mix and match them as you see fit and you can also install a few hooks on the sides to make a little organizer for the keys.

Scrap wood shoe rack

As you probably know already, pallets are super versatile too and can be repurposed in tons of different ways. Turning a wooden pallet into a shoe rack is super easy and requires minor alterations to the original structure. You could disassemble the pallet and then cut the boards to size before assembling the rack but you could also just keep the original proportions if they suit your space. You can find additional details on craftynester.

Scrap wood shoe rack

A small shoe rack could be made out of scrap wood and you may have some leftovers from your previous projects. We really like the design featured on realitydaydream. It’s simple but it’s also a bit quirky plus it’s also space-efficient. You can pair this with other pieces such as shelves or accent tables.