I’ve been seeing a lot of gorgeous kitchen command centers lately and it got me thinking…that looks AMAZING, but do they always stay that nice and organized and do you really use those fancy calendar systems? I know myself, know my family, and know that it just wouldn’t work. I would not stay on top of that sort of thing. I write my notes on sticky notes for goodness sakes and paste them all over the computer monitor. I use my chalkboard in the kitchen all the time though for my notes, to-do’s etc. And oh how I wish I wrote out a pretty menu for the week instead on the chalkboard, but it’s usually filled with little reminders like “pay water” or “pay gas” or “buy trash bags.” You know, fun stuff like that.
BUT, I have to say I am envious of those beautiful command centers you do see everywhere and envious of you ladies (and gents) who stay on top of it! And let me say that yes, if I had one of those mail bins, I might put the mail in there, but I’d never go through it. You should see my car. It’s a scary sight with mail all over the place.
Here are 6 of my favorite kitchen command centers, then we can chat about them.
1. Pottery Barn
2. Domestic Imperfection Kitchen Command Center
Aren’t those great?! I think they look so put together (but I do wonder what it looks like when papers and such are in all the corresponding bins) and love how they provide a functioning space.
Now, even though I don’t think the whole mail bins and calendars part of a command center wouldn’t work for us, that doesn’t mean I am not for utilizing any extra space in the kitchen you might have. And it just so happens I have something to show y’all soon that we did to our kitchen to make it a bit more functioning. I am quite enamored with it! (I know I know I’m all talk about the kitchen, but I promise. Soon!)
So my question is, do you think a kitchen command center would work for your family? Do you have one already? Do you keep up with it? I’d love to know what everyone thinks about this and if you think it’s just easier to stuff things in a drawer? :)
Let’s chat! Oh, p.s., if you want to pin any of those kitchen command centers I listed, please pin from the original sources so those bloggers get the credit. Yea!)
xxoo,
Decorchick!
Let’s Connect!
I just added a Kitchen Command Center to our home and I love it. We’re a month in and so far everything is still organizing and functioning as intended!
I have the pottery barn one (just the calendar and one bin and one pinboard). I love the giant dry erase calendar, I use it all the time, and the two bins hold the most important stuff (reference calendars and newsletters for the kids schools). However, I still am dealing with all of the other stuff that comes home every day. The tiny pinboard doesn’t do such a great job of holding the massive piles of papers and artwork and mail and stuff. That usually gets piled somewhere and sorted on the weekend. So, I probably have a more realistic experience with it- somewhat helpful, but not a perfect solution and it sure doesn’t look like anything out of a magazine on a daily basis.
I have the Pottery Barn one and it’s always a mess! Pretty sure my life needs re-organizing though, then perhaps my command center will function properly! : )
I put a command center in our kitchen on the side of the fridge. I kept up with it for the first few months but now, December is still on the calendar and the clips are all filled with papers and its looking messy. I did like having it while I was actually keeping up with it, though! Helped me stay on top of my husband’s busy schedule! Maybe I should give it another shot =]
I use the Hang-Up Organizers from Thirty-one Gifts – LOVE them! They come in different prints, can be used for so many things and can be moved easily when necessary. There are three different sizes to meet different need and you can personalize them on the top! Check it out – they are 50% off this month with a $31 order! :-) Yay!
I love the One Creative Housewife one. I think I will have to do something like that. It looks like the one that has the most options for how to have everything in it’s place
Thanks for including mine! And you know, it’s a surprise to me too, but we really do use it, and keep up with it! Of course I have to clean it out every few months…but it’s great to have a place to file bills, kid stuff, tax stuff, etc…until they need to be dealt with. If the Command Center weren’t there, it would all be in piles on my Kitchen counter…and that’s valuable space!! if you have a free wall/corner, I say go for it!
This is something I desperately need. I need some place to put the school papers, coupons, bills, other things I need out or am not quite ready to file. I have a gift card to Pottery Barn and was hoping to get something I could use for this but the stuff they have available just isn’t what I need. I am looking for the sorter bins. I am so glad you posted this. The One Creative Housewife and Not Just A Housewife are exactly what I want to do. (I do like the PB stuff but I need more bins and they need to be a little more roomy.) I realized that my house wasn’t well designed and they should have moved my slider where a window is and it would have been the perfect place for a computer desk. So now I have to get creative and come up with my own area. Thanks for the post!
We are inspired by the same things, friend! I am sure I have most of those centers already pinned! We are redesigning our mudroom this weekend to make it more functional and a command center is top of my list. Wish we had space in the kitchen but our open floor plan leaves me with very few walls.
Can’t wait to see what you did in your kitchen!
I’m not sure these would work for me as beautiful as they are. My child is grown and on his own so I no longer have all of his papers to deal with. (Sniff…sniff) My office is just 5 steps away from the kitchen so I “dump” most of my stuff there – that is where I really need to set up organization! I do keep a wall calendar and a half cork/half whiteboard in my kitchen.
My children are not longer living at home….all adults with their own families so I really can’t see that I would use this. However I just got my first iPad and love it and use the calendar on that all the time. Since it sincs to my phone as well it works well for me.
Me too! While these command centers “look neat”, I too have an IPad and IPhone so they handle all my notes, calendaring, groc lists, etc. We use a drawer for our incoming mail and all bills are paid online through the bank. Other than that we are old fashioned in that we still have a desk that holds our printer, fax, and office supplies. I guess you could say we use a little of it all!
I love this post!!! Thanks so much for sharing!! I NEED to do this asap!!
I have one, I have tried to use it. I’ve redone it 10 times. It looks cute- but I just suck at it. And quite honestly I felt like I was the only command center failure among all the mamas. Haha.
I created my own about a year and a half ago. It has made my life so much easier and organized. I have a place for billls, keys, markers, and a dry erase board for a calender and a small one for a grocerg list. As soon as I had it set up I felt so much more at ease because because everything was on one place. It keeps my “brain scatter” to a minimum.
I open my mail in my car too:). Do you think we do this because it’s a few minutes of restrained quiet w/out inside home distractions? Maybe Pinterest has some ideas on command centers for the automobile. Have a great weekend!
The command centers above look amazing and I love organization. However, because we homeschool, I have no need to keep school schedules, permission slips,etc. handy (a great side benefit!).
The BEST thing we ever did was hang a cute basket over the coat closet doorknob near the kitchen. All my husband’s mail goes right into that and it becomes his responsibility to sort it out on his own time table. Also, I generally get the mail each day and try to touch it just once. Goes to his basket, my desk, or trash/recycle. Done.
Thanks for featuring my Command Center, Emily. I know you’re weary about if they work and if command centers really stay the way they look in the pictures… Well I have to say, our CCC is a blessing and YES, it still looks and functions the way it does in the pictures. The backdrop of mine is chalkboard, which is so awesome. It makes the wall entirely usable instead of just the things on the wall. I would try it, get used to using it, and I bet it will be a winner for your family! xo Jenna
We put a command center in our new house. I love having my household binders out of site, and all my organization supplies in drawers. My favorite parts are the little cubbies for paperwork and the shredder drawer. Paper still collects on the counter, but at least it’s not on the kitchen island!
http://www.dejongdreamhouse.com/2012/03/organizing-command-center.html
I like the one from Not Just a Housewife, minimal, yet realistic. I don’t have a command center in our house… right now I think it’s the kitchen island ;) I’m still looking for the perfect solution!
Yes, we have one. Yes, we use it. But it ISN’T fancy. It has a whiteboard for notes (just like your chalkboard) and a calendar for dates and birthdays. Regular appointments like lessons and practices don’t go on the calendar, they stay in my head so there isn’t as much upkeep on the calendar. I also have a box hung on the wall by the front door for outgoing mail. It matches with the decor so it doesn’t look out of place, and whoever goes out the front door can plop envelopes in the mailbox without taking too much time. We also have a spot for keys, but it’s not part of the ‘command center’ because it just doesn’t fit!
Thanks for sharing my command center!!! We do use it and love it! If you would like to see an update on how much we like it and the changes we have made you can check it out here…. http://www.onecreativehousewife.com/2013/01/command-center-update.html
I have a spot in my kitchen that I keep some organizational items – one shelf in a cupboard has some file folders for when I sort the mail as well as scissors, tape, address labels, etc. On the counter beneath I have some pens and pencils, my calendar and my “mom binder.” I think that the command centers look lovely {and I do have cute folders!}, but I need for mineto be mobile.
I have the perfect spot in my kitchen, and I love the idea of a command center. But. My husband checks the mail and pays the bills, and he would never bother to check a calendar in the kitchen before making plans. Heck, he doesn’t even look at the one hanging next to his desk while he is on the phone making an appointment.
We have a 2’x3′ calendar on our dining room wall. Needless to say;it is an eyesore. It works beautifully. I am planning on redoing the lr/dr soon and will need to find and design a space for the calendar. I appreciate seeing what others have done, even if the mail,bill etc. functions wouldn’t be necessary. Thanks for the examples.
Thanks for including my command center in your list Emily! I’ve only had mine for a month or so, but I do really love it. First because its pretty, of course (the most important thing, lol) and secondly because we actually use it. That being said, my outbox is pretty much always empty and my “needs attention” is stuffed to the max. But hey, at least it’s all in one place!
Really great , your kitchen is very cool place . your decorate kitchen in different way. i like to see mew thing and way of decor house.
Thanks for sharing.
Awesome post. Of all your blogs I think this has probably been my favourite. Cheers, have a great day