DIY Family Command Center

My daughter started Kindergarten a few weeks ago and since then I have felt like there is now SO much more information we have to remember and organize.  For instance PE is only two days each week and on those days, she has to wear tennis shoes to school, and Mondays are show-and-tell days so we have to remember to have her bring something to show, and one day a month is our snack day where we have to bring a snack for the class, and on and on…  So, I have been wanting to have a family command center”in our house to help us keep track of important dates and events and I wanted it to be somewhere where we would see it on our way out of the house during the morning rush so we don’t forget anything.

I had written up a post a few weeks ago to share some of the research I found on creative family command centers and used some of those ideas to create my own unique command center and I must say, I love it!  I’m feeling so much more organized now and that makes me want to do a happy dance!!

We have a large blank wall in the room I call our “spare dining room” although we currently have our treadmill and our futon couch in this room for guest to sleep on, I know, sounds weird! But, we use our “formal” dining room for eating since it is bigger and we only have one dining table.  (Eventually we want to remodel so we only have one dining room, but that’s a topic for another day!)  Anyways, this spare dining room is right next to the kitchen, which leads to the door to the garage, so we always walk past this large blank wall on our way out in the morning, so I figured it is the perfect spot!  Here’s a pic of the ugly wall (ignore all the stuff on the floor, that is the materials to create this wonderful command center masterpiece! 🙂  )

And here is a pic of the completed command center on that blank, ugly wall:

 

This baby is quite large, measuring 66″ wide and 39.5″ long, but you can customize the size to your liking since I built the command center in sections so it can be easily rearranged.  Here are the materials I used:

Materials:

• 1 – 16″ x 34″ cork board (Hobby Lobby)
• 2 – .205″ x 23.75″ x 47.75″ craft boards from Home Depot
• 2  –  14 x 14 white dry erase calendars (Hobby Lobby)
• 1 – 14 x 14 plain white dry erase magnetic boards (Walmart)
• 1 –  14 x 14 plain silver dry erase magnetic boards (Walmart)
• 2 – Hooks that hold up to 5 lb (I purchased Command brand from Walmart)
• 4 – small ceiling hooks (Dollar Store or Walmart)
• 1 – can of Rustoleum Chalkboard paint
• Varathane Dark Walnut stain
• Picture hangers (11)
• Vinyl chalkboard stickers (Hobby Lobby)
• Wood glue
• 2 – Small Metal Pails (Hobby Lobby)
• 1 – chalkboard eraser with hook (Hobby Lobby)
• 2 pocket mail sorter (16″ x 23.5″) – instructions for building this coming soon- I used spare 1/4″ plywood!
• Decorative items for dressing up the command center (Hobby Lobby)
• 1 – small bulldog clip

Cut List:

• 3 – .205″ boards cut to 16″ x 16″
• 1 – .205″ board cut to 16″ x 34″
• 1 – .205″ board cut to 16″ x 7.5″
• 1 – .205″ board cut to 34″ x 7.5″
• 1 – .205″ board cut to 12″ x 14″

Here is a pic of the .205″ x 23.75″ x 47.75″ board I purchased at Home Depot (in the craft wood section of their wood department):

 

First, I attached two picture hangers on the back of the cork board and then hung the cork board on the blank wall.

Next, I cut a piece of the .205″ board to 34″ wide by 16″ long and stained it with the Dark Walnut stain.  Once dry, I added two picture hangers to the back of that board and hung it on the wall above the cork board:

Then, I attached the two 14″ x 14″ dry erase calendars onto the top wood board using the double stick tape that came with the calendars.

 

I used hot glue to attach the decorative pieces I purchased to the cork board and to the wood board.  I also attached the small bulldog clip to the wood board between the two calendars (so I can easily change add and change pictures of my daughter):

 

 

 

Then, I cut one .205″ board to 34″ x 7.5″ and stained it dark walnut.  Once it was dry, I added two picture hangers to the back and hung it underneath the cork board. I also added two hooks that hold up to 5 pounds to the board (for hanging backpacks).  I adhered the hook to the board with the double stick tape that came with the hooks.  I also added vinyl chalkboard labels above the hooks to label what each hook is for (hooks aren’t shown in the pic below):

Next, I cut three .205″ boards to 16″ x 16″ and stained them with dark walnut.:

I then cut a .205″ board to 12″ x 14″ and sprayed one side with several coats of chalkboard paint.  Once dry, I used wood glue to adhere the chalkboard painted board to one of the 16 x 16 walnut stained boards.  To the two remaining 16 x 16 walnut stained boards, I adhered the white dry erase magnetic board to one, and the silver dry erase magnetic board to the other (using the double-stick tape that came with the dry erase boards).

I then added picture hangers on the back of the three 16 x 16 wood boards.  The two boards with the dry erase boards added were hung on the left side of the command center:

I then cut a .205″ board to 16″ x 7.5″ and stained it with dark walnut.  Once dry, I added a picture hanger to the back.  I then used 4 small ceiling hooks (the kind that screw into the ceiling for hanging items) and screwed them into the board just far enough that they didn’t poke through the back.  I then hung that board underneath the dry erase boards on the left side of the command center.

I then used spare 1/4″ plywood to create a two pocket mail sorter.  (Click here to view the plans for the two pocket mail sorter)  I then added a picture hanger to the back of the mail sorter.

I hung the chalkboard on the top right of the command center and then hung the mail sorter underneath.  I added vinyl chalkboard stickers to the front of each compartment on the sorter so I could label them.

Lastly, I hung the two small tin pails from the hooks on the bottom left, and I also hung the chalkboard eraser and the white board eraser from hooks on the same board.  I added chalk inside one of the pails, and dry erase markers inside the other.  And…. the project is complete!! Here are some more pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’d love to hear your ideas or thoughts in the comments below!