If you look up shoe racks online they are hideous. Basically you are either getting something out of plastic or doing a very tall, ugly metal contraption. There is nothing of wood and classic looking. There is no bench setting and shoe holder combination. I have tried all the big department stores to see if there is something that strikes my fancy. No there isn’t. The closet thing I found was a garden stand that is currently holding our shoes. The garden stand has three tiered shelves that decrease in size as you go up. My husband gets the largest shelf, I got the medium sized one, and our son has the small one. I don’t really like it but it gets the job done. Having the sand accrue on a shelf is gross. My husband typically won’t put his shoes on the stand but rather around it. The stand always takes up a lot of room but doesn’t give much. I have started talking to a custom furniture builder. I wanted to see if they had any ideas on what to do. I want a shoe stand that is easy to put your shoes in and out of. I don’t want them out in the open though. I also want somewhere to sit and to hold keys. I think it will need to be quite big. I am leaving it in their hands though. They have interior designers on staff. Maybe they can come up with something. I am at a loss at this point on what will look best.