Closet Corner: Putting your Best Foot Forward
Our love affair with shoes
Shoes. We adore them. We create fairy tales around them: “Cinderella…proof that a pair of shoes can change your life.” We politicize them: “I did not have 3,000 pairs of shoes. I had 1,060.” —Imelda Marcos. We inspire cultural change with them: “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.” And we buy them. Lots of them. According to the American Apparel and Footwear Association, the U.S. per capita purchase of shoes was 7.8 pairs in 2015 (the most recent year statistics were published on the organization’s website).
Treat them right
We bring our brand new shoes home and hopefully, we treat them right. Leather shoes should be cleaned with a damp cloth and air-dried. Touch-up scuff marks with a damp cloth dipped in baking soda, followed by a gentle buffing with a clean, dry cloth. When it’s time for a polish, follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully. A toothbrush can reach crevices where the shoe leather meets the sole or in cutout designs like those on wingtips. After the polish dries, buff with a soft brush. If you want a high shine, dampen a cloth with water and dab it all over the shoe, then polish with scrunched up pantyhose.
Suede and nubuck shoes require a different approach. Both are a form of napped-up leather and respond to a gentle grazing with a white art gum eraser, followed by a gentle brushing with a soft-bristled shoe brush. Lukewarm water and a drop or two of dish detergent on a toothbrush should be sufficient to tackle any stains. Once clean, you should spray them with a commercial shoe protectant made for suede.
Store them perfectly
If you can’t see your closet floor under a mound of loose shoes, it’s time to devote some serious thinking to your shoe storage. Inspired Closets has a heavenly solution: the Shoe Shrine®.
Installed as part of an overall closet remodel or as a standalone unit, the system provides customized storage with a series of low-profile, easily-adjustable shelves. The slim shelf design saves room and maximizes space, so that the focus is on the shoes.
This flexibility is what makes the Shoe Shrine® so popular. Why be locked into one solution, especially with a shared his-and-hers closet? There’s so much difference in men’s and women’s shoes, and not just in sheer quantity! The Shoe Shrine® can also house purses.
Show them off
Organizing your shoes can result in an eye-catching array of colors, a logical line of styles, or even a festive seasonal display. Perhaps you have nine-to-five shoes and five-to-nine shoes, a distinct difference in your day and evening footwear. Do you have hobbies or sports that require special shoes? Group them together to make a statement, and to make it easier to grab and go.
However you decide to organize your shoes, keeping them clean and repaired, and storing them in a manner that fits you, will help you to always put your best foot forward.
At Inspired Closets we value a personal relationship with all of our clients. As a client, you have a dedicated designer who listens to your needs and delivers a custom-designed solution in response. Whether you are looking to update your pantry, maximize your laundry room or get the closet of your dreams, our experienced designers are ready to meet you.
Naples Showroom
4535 Domestic Ave. Naples, FL 34104 | 239.948.0022
Bonita Showroom
28400 Old 41 Rd, Suite 7 Bonita Springs, FL 34135 | 239.948.0022