DIY Shoe Bench with Drawers: How We Built a Stylish Shoe Storage Cabinet for My Grandma

When my 89‑year‑old grandmother told me she needed extra storage, I knew exactly what project Bryan and I needed to tackle next. I showed her a picture of a shoe bench we built a while back, and she immediately said, “I really need one of those.” She even saw a design online that she liked, so we took her inspiration and turned it into a custom build just for her.

This shoe storage cabinet features eight cubbies and two drawers, giving her plenty of room to organize shoes, slippers, and anything else she wants to tuck away. It’s not a sit‑down bench — it’s more of a hybrid between a shoe rack and a cabinet — but it’s sturdy, functional, and looks beautiful in a small space.

Let’s walk through how we built it.

Breaking Down the Plywood

We started with a full 4×8 sheet of ¾‑inch plywood and cut it into manageable pieces so we could run everything through the table saw. The top, bottom, and shelves were all ripped to 11½ inches wide, and the lengths ended up between 38 and 41 inches depending on the piece.

The side panels were also cut from the same sheet, and we settled on a height of about 25 inches for the cabinet.

Cutting the Dividers

Each shelf has three dividers, and since we added two drawers at the top, we also needed a 6‑inch‑tall divider between them. Most of the cubby dividers were cut to 8 inches tall, and everything was ripped from the same plywood to keep the grain consistent.

Pocket Holes, Sanding & Edge Banding

Once all the pieces were cut, we drilled pocket holes in the drawer divider and the cubby dividers. The cubby dividers only needed holes at the top since we attached the bottoms with brad nails later on.

Then came sanding — lots of sanding — down to 120 grit.

Because this project was made from plywood, we wanted a more finished look. So we tried something new: birch edge banding. We applied it to all visible edges, and it blended beautifully once everything was sanded smooth.

Assembling the Cabinet

With the prep work done, we flipped the top panel upside down and installed the drawer divider first. From there, we worked our way down, attaching shelves and cubby dividers until the whole cabinet took shape.

Building the Drawers

We used nearly every inch of the plywood sheet to build the drawer boxes. The sides were cut from 5½‑inch strips, and the fronts and backs from 5¾‑inch strips. We cut dados for the drawer bottoms, drilled pocket holes, and assembled everything with pipe clamps to keep the boxes square.

The drawer faces were edge‑banded as well for a clean, finished look.

Installing Soft‑Close Drawer Slides

This part was… interesting. Working inside a tight space always adds a challenge, but we installed 10‑inch soft‑close slides we ordered from Amazon, and once everything was aligned, the drawers worked beautifully.

Finishing: Stain & Polyurethane

We decided on a gray finish and tried Veranee Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain in Weathered Gray. The can claimed “one‑coat coverage,” and honestly, it delivered. The pigment was rich, and we loved how the wood grain still showed through.

After the stain dried, we added a coat of polyurethane for protection and a subtle sheen.

Final Touches

The last step was attaching the back panel with 1‑inch nails. Once that was done, we stood back and admired the finished piece — a custom shoe storage cabinet built for under $100 and completed in less than 20 hours.

We learned a lot during this build (including what not to do with Euro slides), and we’re already thinking about how we might tweak the design next time.

If you enjoyed learning about this DIY Shoe Bench with Drawers, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow along for more woodworking builds.

As always — happy woodworking!