Build a Vintage Mail Sorter Shoe Cubby

Today we kick off our annual Holiday Guest Series! Visiting is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season, so a couple years back, we started a tradition of inviting some visitors here to Remodelaholic for the holidays — virtually, of course. So for the next few days, we’ll be sharing some amazing projects from our amazing visitors. Pull up a chair and sit awhile, make a new friend, and be sure to visit their sites to see more! (You can see our past amazing Holiday Guests here.)

Our first guest today is actually 3 guests in one! First, we have the lovely Sara from Sincerely Sara D to show off her amazing vintage mail sorter shoe cubby, and then we have a building plan to make your own, with plans by the talented Amy from Hertoolbelt and additional details and photos from reader Kristi, who whipped up a shoe cubby of her own, modeled after Sara’s. Give these ladies a warm Remodelaholic welcome!

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Vintage Mail Sorter Shoe Cubby

Hi guys, I’m Sara from Sincerely, Sara D. I am overjoyed to be here with you all today on Remodelaholic!

Although I believe I’m a misplaced southern girl (I love the sun and heat), I was born, raised and (still) live in the midwest.  I’m mom to three cute kids, and a wife to an amazing man who puts up with my never ending projects and ideas.  I blog about my DIY home decor endeavors, and I will paint anything.  My painted faucets tutorial is one of my most popular posts along with my tutorial for perfect chalkboard lettering.

We moved into our current home a couple years ago, and one of the first areas I tackled was our mudroom. It’s a long, narrow space, and it’s our family’s main entrance into our home since it’s right off the garage.  Our kids are pretty good at remembering to remove their shoes when they enter the house, but that can leave an ugly pile of shoes by the doorway. Luckily we hadn’t lived in our home long before I randomly came across an old post office mail sorter. It was love at first site at a local antique mall and a steal for $80!  I had to have it and was crossing my fingers it would be the right size for my kids’ shoes.

The guy I bought it from was gracious enough to drive it home to me, but I had a lot of explaining to my husband when I drove up the driveway with a panel van sporting the words “mystery machine” in tow.  He watched as the muddy, wasp infested mail sorter was unloaded – not quite seeing my vision.  However, a little elbow grease, and the piece was cleaned up and a perfect fit in our space.

With three kids, we’re always running off somewhere – school, sports, piano or church. A DIY chalkboard calendar was a great finishing piece for this space to keep us going in the right direction and the perfect companion to the mail sorter.  Two years later, and we’re still loving and using the mail sorter turned shoe cubby!

Remodelaholics, be sure to go visit Sincerely Sara D to see more from Sara, and to give her a big thanks for letting us share her photos and make a plan based on her brilliant upcycle!

Kristi was so inspired by Sara’s shoe organizer, that she headed to Home Depot for supplies and made her own! See how Kristi made hers, and Amy has a full (modified) building plan here below.

From Kristi: We used 1×8’s for the cubbies and sides, a 1×10 for the top piece, a 1×2 under the top piece and a piece of decorative trim in front of that under the top lip!

I had to make mine fit between two doors, so it’s not exactly as Sarah’s is.  Mine is 49.5″ wide and tall, and the cubbies are 6 5/8″ wide and 5 3/8″ tall (give or take a 16th here and there because we’re not perfect!) 

We cut out the back at the bottom so it would fit flush with the wall over the baseboards and then mounted it to the wall into studs because it’s so narrow that it could easily fall if bumped.

 

We absolutely LOVE the shoe cubby and my girls are so thankful that they don’t have to carry their shoes to their bedroom closets anymore!  (Where they always ended up in a pile anyway!)

Ready to build one of your own? See Amy’s building plan on the next page –>

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