Must Have Family Command Center Ideas for Ultimate Organization
Why every home needs family command center ideas….
I’m not sure when but somewhere along the line, we went from diaper bags to backpacks, nap time to car rider line and bottles to a bottomless pile of papers. Once your kids cross the threshold into big kid school and after school activities, life just seems to come at your faster doesn’t it? If you are trying your best to have some order in the chaos of busy schedules, homework, and just general life but still feel like your drowning, a family command center may be just what you need to give you some systems and routine. Give these family command center ideas a try and calm some of the chaos during this season of life.
This post is about family command center ideas.
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What is a family command center?
A family command center is basically one central location or hub where you keep the majority of your family “stuff” or the things you are using day in and day out. Not only do they help immensely with organization and routines, but they are also highly customizable. So, you can take a few tips and make your family command center totally tailored to your family’s needs. Read more below for some inspiration on how to make your family command center your favorite part of your home!
Best place for a family command center?
A good place for a command center is ideally going to be close to the main door that your family comes in and out of most often when they are coming and going. This could be an entryway, a door next to the garage or even a free wall. (no mudroom required and small space friendly!). This will help you develop a good routine of checking off tasks associated with the command center while you are leaving the house or coming home from an after school activity.
What to include in a family command center? (Must haves)
My absolute must haves for family command center ideas are:
- Hooks
- Baskets
- Calendar
- Paper/Mail storage
- Place for Keys
- Bench
- Home Decor
Modern Family Command Center
#1. Family Command Center Ideas – Hooks
Number one on my list is going to be hooks. For one, they are simple to add to any location. They also can serve so many purposes from backpacks, jackets, purses and hats. If you can, get double hooks just to give you an extra hanging option! I will link the ones we have here and another good option here!
#2. Home Command Center Ideas-Baskets
Baskets are an absolute game changer for keeping a space tidy. We store our shoes, small umbrellas, and water bottles in these baskets. Maybe your child plays a certain sport and you want to store all of their gymnastics outfits in the baskets. Or maybe you hold soccer balls that roll all over the house here…The world is really your oyster when it comes to what your storing in baskets…they are so versatile!
I love Target baskets because they are affordable and come in multiple sizes. I’ll link my favorite here…
#3. Family Command Center Ideas – Calendar
A family monthly calendar is an absolute must! In this picture, I had just cleaned off the previous month and was adding the dates for the following month. Not only does this allow your kids to see when their upcoming events are but it also gives you a broad idea of how busy your month is going to be so you can maybe arrange childcare for appointments or be thinking of what easier meals you may want to cook. Overall, you will just feel so much more on top of things with everything out of your brain and onto a physical calendar in front of you.
Can you believe you can customize a calendar like this from Amazon?! Crazy and comes super quick! The one we have is linked here!
#4. Family Command Center Wall Ideas – Mail/Paper Storage
What is it about kids starting school that makes them have so many papers?! Every single day they will bring home new papers. Often times, those papers will need your attention. The times I haven’t had a good system set up for receiving papers is when I forget things or accidentally throw something away. Having a place to store papers and mail so that you don’t forget about it is a must! I love these acrlyic filers that match our calendar. I use one for each child and we empty their back packs as soon as we come in the door from school each day. If there is something I need to sign, homework, etc, I will put it in these files so I don’t forget them. It has made me much on top of the rush of things that come in the house (don’t get me wrong, I still forget things sometimes, I’m human right? 😉 )
There are so many options and styles to choose from, for a more modern look, ours are linked here!
See our Calendar and Paper Storage in Action Here…
#5. Family Command Center Ideas – Key Rack or Bowl
Another great addition is a key rack or a bowl to store keys. Who has ever been in a rush the morning of a packed day and can’t find their keys because they put them in a random place? Making the effort to hang your keys in the same place everyday with your family command center will bring you so much peace of mind and you won’t have to feel flustered when you can’t find your keys and you’ve got to get out the door. I linked a few great options below!
#6. Home Command Center Ideas – Bench
If you have the room, having a bench built or even just placed against the wall is so nice to have to tie shoes, place backpacks or sit and wait for the rest of the family. My youngest daughter is always the first one ready and has to wait on our oldest every morning…so she sits here more than she’d like! lol Benches with storage are a great option as well! I linked a few options for benches below!
#7. Family Command Center Ideas – Home Decor
Lastly, is going to be home decor. I would say to keep this minimal to not overwhelm the space but some personalized touches will make this space feel very happy and cozy. These could be things like:
- plants
- family photos
- framed art
- Clock
I linked some of my favorite family command center styling ideas here:
If you like the silhouette art pictured here, click here to see how I made these DIY Silhouettes from my phone!
BONUS: Family Command Center Ideas
Some optional, honorable mention ideas you may want consider for your family command center ideas are:
- Charging station or device dock
- Corkboard or magnetic board for art, invites, or love notes
- Chore charts or weekly menu
- Kid Growth Chart
I linked some great options below:
That’s a wrap on family command center ideas. I hope you found some inspiration from this post and it helps bring some order to your days! If you make your own command center please tag me on Instagram!
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