DIY Grid Shoe Rack using Tomato Cage

This simple DIY shoe rack came about by accident. I was on the hunt for a trellis to support my ever-growing monstera deliciosa plant – she appears in quite a bit of my photos. I couldn’t find one for the job so I settled for a tomato cage, in hopes that I could adjust it to my liking. That mean’t removing one of the four panels, to form a triangle instead.

Long story short, it didn’t go as I hoped. Feeling defeated, I leaned the cage up against a wall in my sewing room, with the intention of returning it. As you can see, that never happened! The idea came to me during one of my mini photoshoots, where I usually have things scattered about…shoes included. In the midst of the chaos, I threw a pair of heels on the cage and the rest is history.

Supplies Needed:

TIPS:

1. I’d recommend 1.5 – 2 inch casters than the ones shown above. Those are for light duty use only. I used them because I already had them on hand, like half the supplies I used.
2. Feel free to use a drill instead of the screw driver. But go easy or you risk damaging the board. You could perhaps only use the drill to make pilot holes for the screws. Then finish off with the screw driver.
3. As for the metal screws, the size you use will depend on the thickness of your plyboard. Mine was 3/4″ thick, therefore I used 1/2″ screws. You can find all the supplies at your local hardware store or those linked above.

STEP 1:

With hubby’s help, we first removed the legs at the joints using a hacksaw. Wire cutter would’ve been easier for the job but we didn’t have one handy. Using a stool as leverage, I held the cage in place while he removed the legs one by one. It helped that the cage comes flat.

STEP 2:

Once all the legs were removed, I closed the open side. Each panel connects to the next with a hook closure. After hooking the open ends together, I used the pliers to squeeze the hooks closed. *At this point, you may be tempted to use the cage as is. But I wouldn’t recommend doing so, because it’s unstable.

STEP 3:

Next, I placed the cage on top of the plywood making sure they were aligned. Taking the clamps and screw driver, I fastened a clamp on all four corners to join the cage and plywood together. You could add more clamps if you’d like but I didn’t feel it was necessary.

STEP 4:

Lastly, I turned the cage on it’s side. Then using my screwdriver, I attached a caster to each corner on the bottom the board. *I used 1/2″ screws since my board was 3/4″ thick. And finito!

To polish it off, I added a “natural” element by adorning the top with a couple stems of artificial orchid flowers. Love how it ties the whole look together, considering the cage was made for the outdoors. Hehe!

Oh, Hey!  Pin This Before You Leave 🙂

Wanna know the best part about this diy shoe rack display organizer? It can hold up to 24 pairs of heels! I know that probably doesn’t seem like a lot for a shoe-lover, but I love that now I’m able to access my go-to pairs with ease and it’s been a space saver. However, I still keep my prized pairs in boxes.

In total I spent a little over $20 for this project. You can’t beat the price considering the cost of similar fixtures I found here and here. While the cage didn’t solve my plant problem, it sure solved another!

Comment below and let me know what you think!

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