This $20 Shoe Rack Has Changed My Room and, Dare I Say, My Life

I realized I had a problem: I owned about 30 pairs of shoes and I wore the same exact ones every single day. My quandary wasn’t a sartorial one: It was a storage one.

See, in my Brooklyn apartment, I’m lucky to have a closet—one that I’ve filled with clothing, linen, and two small rolling containers filled with hoards of beauty products. That leaves little room for my shoes. During the process of one major reorganization (yes, I Kondo’d), I realized, much to my chagrin, that I needed one of the most unsightly of all organizational tools: an over-the-door shoe rack.

Now, before you say that I could easily put such a rack on the inside of my closet door, I must let you know that is not the case. Filled to max capacity and outfitted with sliding doors, my closet is in no shape for such a tool. It needed to go on my bedroom door where, reluctantly, I knew I would see it constantly.

Frankly, there’s something about a hanging shoe organizer that feels a bit suited to a college dorm. I was familiar with bulky plastic options that made it hard to close the door, as well as flimsy cloth alternatives that always—to me, at least—looked a bit sloppy. And then I found the one that: Target’s Made By Design shoe organizer has changed my room, my organization, and my morning routine—and therefore my life.

There are a few things that set this Target piece apart from the crowd of unsightly alternatives. First, it has serious structure. I’m talking clean lines! I’m talking neat little cubbies! It has a pleasing rectangular shape that juts out only a little bit from the door. It’s all about the angles, baby.

Next, consider its lovely dove-gray hue: There is no sad beige in sight, nor is there the cheap-looking sheen of white plastic. Gray fabric looks less jarring than white or black, and the tinted mesh cover acts almost the same way a frame does for a painting. What I mean to say is that it looks more expensive.

Despite my reluctance to buy an over-the-door shoe organizer, I’ve come to appreciate it, as it’s broken me out of the cycle of wearing the same Everlane boots every single day. Now, every morning, as I put together my outfit for the day, I’m confronted with more options, all within arms reach.

Now should I wear my red block heels or my embroidered wooden clogs? Maybe the checkered Vans? Or how about those good old boots?

Over The Door 26 Shelf Mesh Shoe Organizer Light Gray, Made By Design ($20)

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See more organization ideas: Your Most Organized Bedroom Is One Quick Purchase AwayYou Can Use This Simple Muji Product for Every Storage Problem ImaginableWait, Only 2% of People Who Try the KonMari Method Last Over 6 Months?