When does many shoes become too many shoes? Never, if you ask my right-brained self, though in reality, the answer seems to be: When they no longer fit in the closet! I’ve been stumbling around the shoes, boots, sandals, wedges, stilettos- you name it- that have been littering the floor of my teeny NYC apartment for far too long, and finally decided to do something about it. It was really becoming dangerous, one mis step onto a gorgeous bordeaux riding boot whilst wearing a 4 inch platform, and I would be a goner! Safety first people! Clearly getting rid of some shoes was not an option. So, I enlisted my Zipcar driving, power drill owning, handy-as-all-get-out friend, and we made the pilgrimage to Ikea in search of a solution.
I don’t know if you’ve had the pleasure that is an Ikea trip on a Sunday right before Christmas, but let me tell you, it is not for the faint of heart! I would say a good 75% of New York’s inhabitants were present, including many pushy old ladies and even more screaming babies. Exciting! Anyway, after vetoing what seemed like hundreds of shoe storage options that were not quite right for various reasons (good for shoes but bad for booties! Works for a pump but not for wedges! Too big, too small, too plasticy, too woody, too…) we headed for the exit. Well, that’s not exactly true, first we headed for the food court and ate Sweedish meatballs, then we headed for the exit. That’s when I had the brilliant idea that has transformed my life. Shelves! I bought shelves and brackets that fit perfectly on the wall behind my bedroom door! Those pairs of shoes that were living on the floor, threatening to take me out at every turn, now have their own home! Perfectly accessible, but not intrusive. It’s a beautiful thing. And, since they were from Ikea, they were totally cheap! Which leaves me with extra cash! For more shoes!
Update! Pictures! Every shoe is Miz Mooz, of course…who can name them all??

Miz Mooz relaxin at home