Now that school’s back in full swing, the clutter is rearing its head again in homes everywhere. Field trip permission forms? Sports schedules? Soccer cleats? Lunch boxes and backpacks and jackets?
There is just … so. much. stuff. Everywhere.
If your kitchen island looks like it’s being eaten alive by paper clutter, you’re not alone. I was once in that same boat.
And my lack of organization drove me completely insane.
Which meant I was long overdue for a family command center.
What is a family command center?
A family command center is basically a spot in your home (preferably with a fair amount of wall space!) that you designate to be the central hub to organize allllll the things.
Whatever spot you choose should be in a pretty highly trafficked area of your home. Many people choose their kitchen or mudroom as the go-to spot for their family command center.
What do you put in a family command center?
What you put in your command center depends on what you need to keep organized. But many command centers include at least some of the following:
- A bulletin board
- A dry-erase board
- A chalkboard (for jotting down dinner menus, grocery lists or other reminders)
- A wall-mounted calendar
- Wall-mounted bins or baskets
- Wall hooks
- Wall shelves
- A clock
- Storage bins or baskets
An example: Our own (very small!) command center
We live in a boxy 1980s colonial, so there’s not much space for me to create an elaborate family command center. (Totally jealous of those of you who have real mud rooms and/or extra wall space!)
But even with a teeny sliver of wall space between our kitchen and dining room, I managed to create a nook that helps keep us organized … and keeps me from losing my freakin’ mind every morning and afternoon.
Each kid is assigned a wire bin for stashing school papers, art projects, and permission slips, and the two of them hang their backpacks on the hook you see below. I made a pretty fabric-covered pin board for keeping track of other paper items like birthday party invitations, coupons, and receipts.
The best family command center ideas to get and stay organized
Here’s the thing: there is no one-size-fits-all family command center. I repeat, there’s no single type of family command center that’s going to work for every single person who’s reading this post. You need to create a system and a space that works for YOU and your family. The best command center is one that helps keep you organized and caters to your family’s unique needs.
Ready to create your own command center?
I’ve rounded up 12 of the best family command center ideas below. There’s plenty of inspiration here on ways to organize alllllll the things — whether you need a spot to stash school papers or a row of hooks for the kids’ jackets and backpacks — that you’ll be able to use in your own home regardless of how big or small of a space you’ve got to work with.
Take a peek at these great spaces, and then leave me a comment below and let me know which command center idea(s) you like the best!
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#1: Design your ultimate family command center by Our Home Made Easy
Brittany’s got space for just about everything here — loose papers, incoming and outgoing mail, kids’ jackets and book bags and shoes, and more. What a great little nook!
#2: Organized command center by Bless’er House
Lauren’s covered all the bases with her family’s command center — she’s got a dry-erase board, mail bins, a clock, wall hooks, and more. I especially love that gold-framed dry-erase board. I snagged a similar one at my local Michael’s a few years ago.
#3: Wall command center by Beneath My Heart
This is a good “budget friendly meets simple DIY” command center option from Traci. She painted a portion of her wall with chalkboard paint, framed it out with 2x4s, and then added some wall-mounted clipboards, a letter holder, and a dry erase board to keep herself organized.
#4: Small space command center by Kate Decorates
Like I said, you don’t need much space to make a family command center — I snagged a teeny spot in between our kitchen and dining room to create ours. It’s just enough space to give the kids’ school papers a home, plus I have a spot to hang their backpacks and a jacket or two. I also created the cutest fabric-covered pin board for our command center — get the super easy tutorial for the DIY fabric pin board and make your own.
#5: Kitchen command center by Domestic Imperfection
Ashley used a sliver of wall space to create her command center — I love how she has baskets designated for certain types of papers, including coupons and gift cards (I’m not the only one who loses coupons and gift cards, right?!). So smart!
#6: Hidden kitchen command center by Two Twenty One
I love how Chelsea stays organized but tucks her reminders and keys and more into this kitchen cabinet. So sneaky and totally genius. This is a great option if you’re short on wall space or would prefer that your command center is hidden.
#7: Family Command Center by Jen Woodhouse
I love this fun command center! A large chalkboard calendar helps keep soccer practices and violin lessons and sleepovers straight, and a dinner menu board covers off on the “Mom, what’s for dinner?” question. I especially love the three clocks showing different time zones.
#8: Rustic Hallway Command Center by Houseful of Handmade
Here’s another example of how chalkboard paint can be total magic for a command center! I’m loving that each child in the family gets his or her own clip board, too.
#9: Updated Kitchen Command Center by Clean and Scentsible
This command center is super functional yet doesn’t take up much wall space. I especially love all of the labels on the bins so that there’s never any question as to what goes where.
#10: Family Command Center : DIY Wall Command Center by DIY Decor Mom
If you’re short on empty wall space, this family command center will still do the trick! It’s simple but still makes a big impact — and goes a long way in keeping loose papers, photos, and party invites organized.
#11: Small space custom command center by Little Yellow Wheelbarrow
This DIY’ed command center’s got it all: a chalkboard, pin board, wall-mounted bins, chore charts on clip boards, and even an area to display photos or cards.
#12: Simple kitchen command center by How to Nest For Less
Simple but effective is the name of the game again here. Find a dry erase calendar and some wall-mounted bins and — ta-da — you’re one step closer to an organized family command center.
Which command center did you like the best? Tell me below?
And if this post was useful, pin it — thanks!
