This Week's (Big) Small Find: Shallow Shoe Cabinets

In small spaces, you are often crammed in from every angle.  Your rooms might be small squares, long bowling alleys, or odd shapes with strange nooks you wish you knew how to utilize.

Enter the shallow shoe cabinets selling (most likely like hotcakes) at IKEA.

Hemnes shoe cabinet from IKEA; photo from IKEA

They come in a few different styles and sizes (frankly I'm surprised they don't make even more) so you can suit your decor, somewhat, and pick one that's right for your space.  (Personally, I'm partial to the traditional styled Hemnes collection).

At under a foot in depth, these cabinets are genius.  You can slip them in your hallway, or entryway (if you're lucky enough to have one) and not worry about taking up precious floor space   And you can use them in those odd niches in your home, or in that really narrow bedroom with the minuscule closet.

You can probably even branch out from shoe storage and get creative.  I'm thinking the bottom "drawers" might be a nice place for kids' winter paraphernalia  or maybe even toys.  The drawers tilt open easily, so little ones can help themselves.

Anyway, the options are endless.  Some of the styles might even work for small kitchens and bathrooms. 

What would you store in there?