The 10 Easiest Family Command Centers to Get Organized
Trying to get your entire family organized? These family command centers are easy to keep organized and will work for any family!
Having a family command center is a great way for families to get on the same page regarding family schedules and other family-related tasks. It’s a place where you would keep a family calendar, chore charts, slots for mail or important papers, homework, shopping lists and general to-do lists!
Why Have a Family Command Center?
Life gets busy fast. Between school papers, sports schedules, meal planning, and all the little details that keep a household running, it’s easy for things to pile up both physically and mentally. A family command center gives all of those moving pieces a home. It’s not about being perfectly organized or Pinterest-worthy; it’s about creating a simple, visible spot where your family can land, stay on track, and breathe a little easier. When everyone knows where to look, the whole house just runs a bit smoother.
It might be tucked inside a cabinet, on a desk in a kitchen or laundry room, or even using a small unused wall space. Whatever works best for your family and home is the best solution! Just make sure it’s not so out of the way that your family doesn’t use it!
My Command Center in My Home
I used the wall space next to our door to the garage for our family command center. It simply consists of hooks and cubbies for mail, pens and keys, calendar for family events and hooks to hang jackets and purses.
Then I have a desk in my kitchen nearby that has an inbox where I can have a little more space to keep papers that need attention. And in my old house, we used a wall right outside of our kitchen for our command central station!
I love sharing organization ideas with you, like 15 Small Entryway Storage Ideas, How to Organize a Pantry as well as How to Organize a Messy Garage. I hope these are helpful as you create a beautifully, organized home that you love!
In a quest to organize my whole life a few years ago, I realized the need to create a command center for our family. In the past I had kind of stuck my nose up at a command centers, thinking that I didn’t need one. I could just tape a calendar to the side of the cabinet and call it a day.
But as I looked more carefully at my clutter problem, I realized that I needed an organized space to process the many important items that pass through our doors on a daily basis.
It’s the age-old adage, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Yep! It works better than way apparently.
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What is a Command Center?
So what exactly is a command center? Well, it’s a designated space in your home that can be modified to fit your family’s needs. It usually includes a family calendar, a place for file folders (which hold papers, receipts, incoming mail, etc.), white board for messages, a magnetic board for important documents or photos, a menu plan, hooks for keys, a place to recharge electronics and possibly even a family binder.
Now, obviously you will want to create a command center that is perfect for YOUR family.
What Makes a Command Center Actually Work?
- A visible calendar (dry erase or digital for families)
- A drop zone for backpacks, purses, or mail
- A place for important papers (not the counter)
- Simple storage that’s easy to maintain
- Located where your family already gathers
What’s Needed To Get Started With a Home Command Center
Ideas to try when making a command center:
- Dry erase calendar or Digital Calendar, like this one
- Dry Erase Board or Chalkboard
- Bulletin Board
- Hooks
- Cubbies or bins for papers
- Magnetic board for hanging lists or important papers
- Clock
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Top 10 Family Command Center Ideas to Organize Your Life
In the meantime I’ve spent a lot of time researching and reviewing other command centers, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite command center ideas for getting organized and staying organized.
1. Modular Organizational Wall System
Can we just take a moment of silence right here and now for this gorgeous wall organization system? I mean, what is better than choosing each of the pieces that work for you and all work together in one system? This would be my top choice for a family command center if I were starting from scratch!
Steal this Set Up
- Pin board + cork board combo
- Labeled bins for mail
- Hooks for keys
- Slots for scissors and notebooks
2. Budget-Friendly Command Station
This kitchen command center from How to Nest for Less, is much more my price tag with some DIY project elements included – like the awesome desktop storage, turned wall organizers. Genius! It’s budget friendly, too, coming in at $75 for the whole thing! (Find similar desktop organizers here.)
Steal this Set Up
- Dry erase calendar
- Labeled bins for pens, miscellaneous items and notebooks
3. Command Center on a Narrow Wall
Do you have a skinny, tall wall near the door you use most often? If so, it may be the best place for a full-sized, gallery wall family command center! Shannon from AKA Design revamped her space with all kinds of organized and functional goodness. I love those wire baskets and the rustic marque letter.
Steal this Set Up
- Storage Bins
- Clips for photo displays
- Dry erase chore charts & calendar
4. Corner Command Center
If you have an empty corner somewhere, then this is such a great use of otherwise wasted space. Check out this cute corner shelf very similar to Cassie’s from Hi Sugarplum!
Steal this Set Up
- Mail organizer slots
- Cork board
- Dry erase board
- Charging station with storage for cords
5. Command Center in the Entry Way
It’s important to have your station in a place where your family can see it. This space from Kate at The Small Things shows that you can create a beautiful communications spot right in the opening of your home! Add some other decor surrounding your chalkboard and pretty monthly calendar, and you have a beautiful space!
6. Small Space Command Center
If you’re short on space (and budget) then this one stop station will do the trick! It’s perfect for hanging keys, sorting mail, leaving messages or making a dinner menu plan.
7. Small Desk Command Station
Or what about a small space that’s not a hallway or corner? You may be able to set up a small desk for your organization station. Even a closet for your office (see below), otherwise known as a cloffice. Look it up. It’s real. I keep trying to figure out how this will work in my kitchen, but I think it will be too crowded.
8. Closet Command Central StationÂ
Speaking of a cloffice, I love this closet command station makeover from Krista at The Happy Housie. I wish I had a spare closet like this to use for mine! I especially like those pretty aqua desktop organizers from Staples. And how cute is that filing cabinet?? I have one in desperate need of that transformation!
9. Chalkboard Family Command Center
I love how Jenna’s chalkboard wall/family command center has morphed over the years. (See the previous point on organizational evolution.) As her family’s needs have changed, she just changes her wall. Brilliant! And I love how the chalkboard frames out the space giving it definition and purpose.
10. Family Command Center with Printables
You’re going to love this one because she has uses the Pottery Barn modular system with some really helpful organizational printables. I’m going to use this one (or one like it) to keep track of our weekly menu plans. I normally just write it on a piece of paper and leave it on the counter, but I’m going fancy now. 🙂 Like this menu planner printable. So cute! Or you can find a ton of organizational printables HERE.
Final Thoughts
If you’re feeling inspired but also a little overwhelmed, take a deep breath. You don’t have to do all of this at once.
Start with just one small piece that would make your days run smoother, whether that’s a calendar on the wall, a spot for school papers, or a simple drop zone by the door. Let these ideas bend and flex to fit your family and your routines.
And if you want a little extra help, you might enjoy my tips for organizing school papers, creating a functional entryway, or building a simple weekly home reset that keeps everything from piling up again. One small corner at a time! That’s how real homes get organized.
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Wow, for the past year, I’ve heard about command centers, but I couldn’t visualize one! Now I have all sorts of ideas! Thank you.
That one was really nice.. I like this and really enjoyed… Keep it up and I also read your other blog posts. can I get a few more information if you have about few things which you shared in past? I will be thankful to you…
Love the wipe off boards. They work for almost every area.
Have you ever really READ the description of that galvanized system? It is just MDF painted with galvanized paint with each piece of the system framed out with some sort of finishing molding. If I wanted it REALLY BAD, I’d check into doing it myself, with the possible exception of buying the 3-tiered letter bins………..
Hey Marci, I did read that, but for some reason, it the moment, I didn’t even think about DIYing it. But I bet it would be easy (as DIY projects go)! 🙂