I’m a creative freelancer with the organisational skills of a hungover fresher. You won’t be able to tell I am in creative work if you see me and my Manchester mill flat. It has gorgeous exposed brick, high ceilings, and just enough charm to trick clients on Zoom into thinking I live like an adult. But step into my hallway a few weeks ago, and you’d swear I was running a pop-up trainer stall.
Boots, gym trainers, a random pair of sandals (in Manchester?!), the lot. Every time I opened the door, another pair threatened to trip me up. It wasn’t a vibe.
That’s when I caved and bought a **shoe cabinet from DHS**. Slim, sturdy, and (importantly) didn’t cost me half a month’s rent. It looked neat, actually matched the flat, and for the first time, my hallway felt like something other than a lost property cupboard.
So my flat’s hallway is basically a narrow corridor. Even my overburdened coat hanger seems like a bulky addition, even though it is the slimmest thing. If I shoved in a bulky shoe cabinet, it would feel like a blocked fire exit. So what I needed was something slim and tall. A storage box design that hugs the wall rather than juts out.
In my research I found a relatively new brand, DHS, that came to my attention on social media. They had narrow sizes that felt like they’d been designed with renters in mind: enough shoe storage, but not so massive. They looked like they would prevent me from side-shuffle hallway dances.
3 Drawer Slim Shoe Cabinet For Hallway - Tall Shoe Storage | Dream Home Store
Closed doors were the clincher. I didn’t want my trainers on display like an art exhibition. A flip-down door hides the chaos and suddenly the space looks intentional.
Here’s where it got tricky. Tall cabinets, especially in narrow entryways from DHS, need anti-tipping KITS. The good thing is that the slim shoe storage comes with anti-tipping. Well, safety first and all that. The problem? My landlord’s golden rule: “No nails, no screws, no nothing in the walls.”
Normally, the anti-tipping strap screws into the wall. But I wasn’t about to sacrifice my deposit over a shoe cabinet. So I improvised. Instead of nails, I picked up a roll of 3M car double-sided tape. Not the flimsy stationery stuff — the heavy-duty kind mechanics use to stick parts into cars.
Here’s how I pulled it off:
The exposed brick actually worked in my favour; it gave the tape enough grip to hold properly. Now, my cabinet’s anchored without a single hole in the wall. I still do check those anti-tipping devices every so often to make sure they haven’t given up. But so far, no peeling off of walls and no disasters. And best of all: the landlord’s none the wiser.
Now when clients drop by (rare, but it happens), they step into a hallway that doesn’t look like a clearance aisle at Sports Direct. Everything has a place, and I’ve reclaimed a bit of calm. Trainers, boots, and even those Manchester-optimistic sandals are tucked away.
