I have a lot of shoes and I love them. I mean we're probably talking on the order of 50 pairs of heels, 10 pairs of boots, some sneakers, and a similarly large amount of flats.

We live in Maine. I do NOT wear shoes in the house. So when I come in after work I drop everything in the entry including my shoes. Over the course of the week my shoes build up and drive my husband crazy. At some point (probably - alright always) more than a week or two later, I bring them all upstairs and the cycle begins again.

Meanwhile upstairs in my closet my shoes are on shelves, they are below my clothes on shelves, and its hard to see and use them all.

What this large amount of background is getting at is that I would like to add storage to the first floor entry so all my shoes can live there. I want to be able to put them (and bags) away easily and neatly to keep things clean and put away.

Here's a picture of our entry. The shoe shelf from ikea holds my husband and son's shoes. One door goes outside and the other to the garage. The double doors are to a large closet full of coats and winter boots. It is incredibly deep but there's no easy way to access what is in the back under the current configuration. I do not utilize this bench and wonder if this nook may be the key to success. It is just under 48" wide and 22"+ deep and/or if there is a way to use the back of the closet which extends another 5-6' beyond the door past the nook and behind the pantry.

I would be incredibly thankful for any ideas you all have to better utilize this space and solve the shoe problem before it becomes (more of) a problem with my husband!

Ariel