If your kitchen cabinets are a mess, or you’ve ever wished you had more cabinet space, this IKEA shoe cabinet post is for you!
I’m on a mission to organize all of our kitchen cabinets. And by organize, I mean starting over.
I’m reconsidering everything and making sure all the kitchen items are in the cabinet that makes the most sense. PS: That project is done now and you can see it here!
BUT, before I could organize the regular cabinets, I realized step one was really figuring out the best things to store in the IKEA Hemnes Shoe Organizer we added to the hallway by the kitchen.
As I brainstormed options, I realized that these IKEA cabinets could add much-needed storage to most kitchens.
They are so skinny that they fit almost anywhere and the hardware can be updated to any style!
There are four pull out “drawers” and we were really only using two of them functionally.
My husband uses one of the top ones as a drop station when he comes home for things like his wallet.
I also used one of the lower drawers for reusable grocery bags. So handy!
With those two sections working well for us, I still have two more to fill. The good news/bad news is that I came up with way more than two options.
Important note: These cabinets must be fastened to the wall as they only have legs on the front. This saves floor space, but may not be ideal if you have rental restrictions.
Altogether, I thought of 14 things you can store in one of these shoe cabinets, freeing up space in your main cabinets.
- Tupperware Lids – Never hunt for lids again since you can clearly see them all at once. This is SO much better than having them take up limited shelf space.v
- Food Storage Stuff – Right now, I keep foil, baggies, and related stuff in a drawer. I love the idea of freeing up that drawer!
- Disposable Plates & Cups – These currently live in our pantry cabinets, but I love the idea of using one of these cabinets as a whole entertaining zone.
- Water Bottles – Seriously, why do these multiply around our house? And they take up SO MUCH SPACE in our cabinets. I’m thinking we’ll narrow it down to 6 bottles. This idea is a top contender for one of the two drawers I have available.
- Koozie Central – This is another favorite. They are in a drawer right now, and I can think of so many things that would be better in that drawer.
- Bar Cabinet – No room for a big bar cart? You can still entertain in style!
- Cereal – Cereal is another thing that takes up tons of precious cabinet space. I fit three boxes in one drawer, but they were smaller Aldi boxes. This would be a great use if you have kiddos big enough to make their own bowl of cereal, but not tall enough to reach upper cabinets.
8. Cutting Boards – We currently have space for cutting boards over the wall oven, but in our previous homes, there was never a good spot to store them.
9. Chargers and Placemats – Yep, they both fit right in!
10. Cookbooks & Recipes – If you have a library-sized cookbook collection, this isn’t the solution for you. But, if you just have a few favorites and nowhere to display them near the kitchen, it could work out well.
11. Cleaning Supplies – I love the idea of using one of the drawers for a little clean up kit!
12. Pet Supplies – The dog leash, treats, and medicines could all be combined together in one easy-to-access pet station. I already keep Maddie’s stuff in a laundry room cabinet, but if we didn’t have that, I’d be keeping this set up for sure.
I know I showed you those two at the beginning, but I wanted to add them to the nice numbered list too.
13. Drop Station – Keep things off the countertop by assigning a drawer to each family member as a drop station.
14. Reusable Bags – These makes grocery shopping much easier because they hold so much more than plastic bags, but they used to be a big pain to store. I love how I can file them right in this drawer after I put up the groceries.
So there you have it, FOURTEEN ways to use this unconventional kitchen storage cabinet!
The Hemnes cabinets are great in more than the kitchen – my friend Angela from Blue i Style came up with TWENTY more great ideas for the slightly larger version of this cabinet. Click here to pop over to her post!
Can you think of any ideas I missed?
Sarah Vogel says
This is amazing!!! I need a whole kitchen full of these shoe cabinets!! I love the size and that you can see everything easily…you should post this on one of those IKEA Hack sites!! (What did you decide to use your remaining two spaces for??)
Melissa George says
Thank you! I’m still on the fence about the other two. And strongly considering adding a 2nd shoe cabinet it our eat in kitchen nook so I can use more of the ideas 🙂
holly says
So creative!! Great ideas! We used to have food items stored throughout our kitchen cupboards. Now everything is stored in the pantry and I love it. I even used glass jars & smaller plastic ones for flour, rice, etc. and labelled them. Moving everything food related freed up kitchen cupboard space. I also donated our old (huge) knife block and ordered a slim one from Amazon that fits into a cutlery drawer space. It’s awesome. All our knives fit into a small space now.
Melissa George says
Switching out the knife block was a great idea! We have one in a cutlery drawer too and it’s so much better than having them take up space on the countertop.
Diana says
I would love to see a picture of the knife organizer! I didn’t want the old wooden block in our renovated kitchen so i have them at the back of a drawer so they don’t cut anyone. ?
Lauren@SimplyLKJ says
I love those Ikea pieces. So functional. All great ideas for saving space.
Melissa George says
Thank you Lauren!
Amanda K says
I LOVE this! I had no idea. Real question about it holding shoes, any idea how tall the inside of the flip down sections are?? My husband wears a size 13 and I’m constantly trying to find things that will work for his big old shoes! 🙂 Love all these ideas! I gotta go to IKEA now!
Melissa George says
Ha! I just measured and the door will still close with things up to 13″ long in it. I’m not sure if the other models they have are exactly the same though? Enjoy IKEA!
Jamie says
What a great idea!! When you have limited space in an area, this is perfect! 🙂
Ruth says
Brilliant article. Once you have used these nothing else compares. I used three of Ikea’s plastic shoe cabinets in a very small bathroom. One took the tall bleach bottle and miscellaneous cleaning items plus ‘spare’ shampoo, shower gel etc. One took replacement toilet rolls(lots of them!) and the bottom one controlled the books and magazines which always accumulated in a house full of readers.
Melissa George says
Those are great ideas Ruth!!!
Rebecca says
I use one in my daughters room for all of her scarves, jewelry and hair stuff. With a mirror above it, it is an ultra slim vanity on her way out the door in the morning. I also have the plastic ones on the wall of my pantry for recycling.
Melissa George says
Great ideas!
Cindy says
I can’t find this piece online at IKEA. do you know what they actually call it? I love 2 hours away from our IKEA and just want to make certain they have it before I leave. Thank you!
Melissa George says
Hi Cindy, it’s the Hemnes Shoe Cabinet. Here’s the link: http://m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/art/60156121/
Olga Grynyk says
That is amazing!!!!
I need to use this idea but will find the wall first?
Anne@MollysHanger says
Love these ideas – I can’t believe how slim this cabinet is! I would definitely like to get the placemats out of the drawer I have them in, and the bar idea is awesome – would love to keep wine bottles ready to go if we are running out of the house and need a quick bottle of wine for a hostess!