How to Build a Custom Storage System for Your Sneaker Collection

So you just moved into a new place and mom finally made you take all the sneakers you’ve been storing at her house with you. Odds are you don’t have a sneaker closet likeDJ Khaled to house all your pairs, so you will need to get creative. After all, you spent a lot of money over the years building your collection, so you want to make sure that they’re well maintained and the best of the best are properly displayed.

Take a look at your room and figure out how to best utilize your space. Does it make more sense to stack vertical or build horizontal? How many pairs can realistically be out for display? Is it more important to find a container big enough to get our sneakers off of the floor, or do we just want a platform to stunt the Yeezys? All of these questions are important and will go a long way in finding the piece that works best for you.

Pairing the right shoes with the ideal storage display adds style and flair to your living space, and there isn’t a shortage of great ideas. Here are some of the more popular options you can run with. They can be cost-effective if done properly, and all can be completed with limited carpentry skill. With a little focus and some precise directions, Here's How to Build a Custom Storage System for Your Sneaker Collection​.

We heard you liked sneakers so we put your sneaker boxes inside of a sneaker box. Well, not really, but housing a few pairs of sneakers in a massive, replica Air Jordan or Nike box has become a trend lately, and it's one of the best ways show-off pieces for any footwear collector.

To build this you'll need sanded plywood, a 30-inch piano hinge, and 22-inch ball bearing drawer slides. To figure out how to exactly put together something like this, since it can be tricky, watch this tutorial here.

In the end, you'll have a one-of-a-kind creation that will be the centerpiece of not just your sneaker closet, but your living space, too.

This is a way to display sneakers that is surprisingly cost-effective and also stands out to an unsuspecting houseguest. First, start by buying the pipes right from your local store. You’ll need at least a 6-inch tube to fit one sneaker, so pick up a 6 in. x 10 ft. long pipe. Have someone there to cut it into smaller segments before you leave or, if you have a table saw at home and are skilled in that area, then have at it.

From there, paint the pipe any color you’d like and connect everything with screws and bolts. Add either Gorilla Glue or PVC cement to ensure that the pipes stay together. Set them up on a base and begin to stack. The best part about this option is that you can build on it as you go. Got three new pairs of sneakers you have to add to your display? Just keep stacking.

More practical than the PVC pipes and more forgiving of a small apartment’s square footage, the vertical cube shelves give a variety of ways to store and display sneakers. If you don’t want to go the DIY route and cut some wood into your desired specs, you can buy multiple size shelves at affordable prices (in different colors), and all it takes is about 20 minutes of your time and patience with an Allen key to set up.

It’s a versatile piece where you can also store things like vinyl and books depending on the size. Your best bet is to store one pair per unit, like the old cubbies you had back in your kindergarten classroom, but feel free to throw in some more pairs if you opt for the larger cubes. Depending on the dimensions, this is one option with limitless possibilities.

Put a column on either side of your bedroom’s entertainment center with pictures or books on alternating shelves and you have yourself a solid display piece. It’s one unit that can be equal parts effective storage and flashy display depending on how you spin it.

With the corner shelves, you’ll be able to prop up your favorite pair of Jordans right next to your copy of Infinite Jest for everyone to see. This is obviously a showpiece, and one where selection is of the utmost importance. You only have limited space, so choose wisely. You wouldn’t clutter a single shelf with worn down beaters, you would use this opportunity to show off heat like the works of art the sneakers truly are.

All you need are square wooden boards with braces and screws underneath drilled into the wall for support. Keep it tight and contained to no more than one pair on each shelf. It’s going to be in plain view, apart from the rest of your collection, so make it a pair worthy of that distinction. Maybe you have a pair of Reebok Questions, the shoe you became a JV basketball legend in, autographed by Allen Iverson. Throw those up there for the world to see. When someone asks you why they’re up there, you have an answer.

This option takes the traditional shelf and turns it into a sleek conveyor belt of sneakers. It’s as simple as picking up some long wooden boards from Home Depot, positioning your shelving units at the right angle to fit your sneakers, and connecting your shelves to the base with screws. Sand down and stain for a clean look and simple setup.

What if you want that refined wood look but don’t have the space for a long shelf like this? Opt for a ladder display or even a pallet display. Both options are ideal for storing a few pairs in a limited space while still giving you a classic wood look that you can design to your exact tastes. Just like the traditional shelf, all the ladder display requires is wood, sandpaper, screws and a saw. The pallet display is even simpler. You might be able to snag a free pallet from a local wholesale warehouse or, at worst, they’ll charge you a small fee. From there, paint or stain it the way you want for a fast, affordable alternative.

Wooden shelves of all shapes and sizes are ideal for sneaker storage and display. Pick the option that best suits your situation and you can have an affordable showcase piece in no time.

You can go two ways with the old reliable option of the stackable plastic bins. First, if you’re blessed with loads of closet and shelf space, you can get individual boxes for your sneakers and display them like an old episode of MTV Cribs. Even slap a picture in front of each box for easy lookup. There’s no assembly required for these, just cop some see-through boxes.

The best way to use them is in conjunction with one of the other listed options that effectively display your pristine pairs. While it would be nice to house each pair of sneakers in its own individual plastic container to shield it from the perils of contamination, you may not have either the funds to keep up with your ever-growing collection or the space to make this method feasible. If you’re young and live in a cramped apartment, odds are you have some spatial limitations. If that’s the case, ditch the stackable plastic bins in favor of the flat rectangular bins that you can store under your bed. Seriously.

This route favors utility over flash and that’s okay. The trainers you lift in, the shoes you ran that 10K in, and the Kobes you bought two years ago that you wear every Thursday night for pickup games at the Y don’t need to be out on display. Some containers can fit between 10-20 pairs and are very cheap. Buy one, put a sizable chunk of your collection under the bed and roll it out when you need to.