8 DIY Command Center Ideas

Back-to-school season means back to the daily grind of controlling paperwork, keeping track of schedules, checking homework, figuring out meals, and corralling the backpack clutter in the home. Thankfully, it is easy to create a DIY Command Center for your family on a budget and even in a small home.  Today I want to showcase eight ideas for command centers that would work in small spaces, or in a larger home, and how you can utilize Goodwill for some of the supplies for your project.

Let's get organized!

Transform a Door

One of the most inventive ideas I have seen for a command center comes from Tatertots & Jello. She utilizes a screen door for creating a command center for her family. For families that don't want to mount anything on their wall, this command center created from a door can be propped up anywhere and I could picture this project even as a command center in the garage.

To create a place for jotting down notes, consider heading to Goodwill for a picture frame that you can transform into a magnetic chalkboard and check their baskets section for a basket to gather shoes or for paper storage! 

Use a Folding Chair

Not everyone has a large space to create a command center wall. I adore this idea, from Nalle's House, of creating a mini command center for your family by using an old folding chair. Check the furniture section of Goodwill for this project and with a little chalkboard paint and a basket, you have a spot to jot down messages and to tuck those small & important items like wallets & keys! 

Dedicate an Unused Corner

Unused corners in our home can be the best place to create a small command center. The best part about a small command center is that it is an easier space to manage and clutter can be tidied up quickly. This command center from Hi Sugarplum showcases an unused corner that she now has made into the family's command center.  

With a simple basket, a wall-mounted file folder, a small bulletin board, and a charging station, you now have an organized hub for your family.  

Dedicate a Wall

If you have a wall that you can use for your family's command center, I absolutely love the cohesiveness of this wall command center from The Caldwell Project. They utilize beautiful free printables in picture frames to track things with dry erase markers, they have great storage for cell phones and commonly found paper clutter in the home, there is a spot for the mail, and a place to jot down notes. 

If you want to create this on a budget, consider spray painting picture frames from Goodwill all one color and utilizing the free printables to keep your command center on budget. Be sure to visit this post for their free printable resources for your own command center. 

Use a Cabinet Door

Although Domestic Imperfection actually built this beautiful command center out of wood, a cabinet door from Goodwill would work perfectly in creating a command center for a small space. I love that she decoupaged a map of somewhere special on her door to create this command center. To keep it on budget, stop at the visitor's bureau to snag maps of the places you visit for a special and personal touch. 

Again, this command center is perfect for limited wall space and I love that you can personalize this one to your own needs! 

Create a Chalkboard Wall

This chalkboard wall command center, featured in BHG Magazine, illustrates that you don't need a lot of space to create a command center that functions well for your family. I love that everything is on one wall and that you can chalk captions on the wall to remind people where their items are and that items can be switched out based upon your family's needs from year-to-year! 

Make It Fun

The Homes I Have Made has the happiest of all happy command centers that I have ever seen. It makes me so happy that I want to replicate this one for our own house. She chose an eye-catching color scheme and adds beautiful details to make this a cheery place to organize and drop your belongings.  A handmade bunting brightens the space and the happy pieces of art in her color scheme make this place feel whimiscal and not utilitarian.

Use Open Framing to Organize

One last idea that I love is this command center made with open frames created by Wid Kids. Picture frames are a great item to find at Goodwill and utilizing just the framing of them creates a unique and open detail to your command center for creating with. In this case window frames were used, but you could utilize whatever type of frame you can find at your store and replicate this same concept in your own home. 

I love that it adds a fun detail to the wall and is open and airy enough to make the space not look cluttered.

Do you have a command center in your home? What do you do to keep your family organized in this space? 

Get Your Home Organized With Goodwill

At the beginning of the year, I get the strong urge to donate everything in my house and start fresh. I am also always on the hunt to find new strategies for organization in my home that don't cost a lot. Thankfully at Goodwill, you can organize your home and declutter it all at one store!

Today I am featuring some great ideas for organization from commonly found items at their store. I am so inspired by these bloggers that I have a trip to Goodwill planned for myself this week to try to snag a few of these items.

Get Your Desk Organized

This last month I spent the month organizing my office and craft space. One thing I really hate is desk clutter and I have been using a thrift store mug to organize all my writing and cutting tools. I love this fresh idea for using a broom head as an office caddy for organizing these item in a fun nod to  industrial-style  and to add a little whimsy to your desk. Grab the inspiration for this project from merry thought.

Get Your Bathroom Organized

One area I always struggle with organization is our bathroom. You can always find an abundance of white dishes at Goodwill though and this painting tutorial from Fruetcake shows how to turn plain white dishes into copper vanity bowls with just a little spray paint. This would be a fantastic way to organize things like bobby pins, cotton balls, or even as a small jewelry holder. 

Organize Your Photos

One thing I have vowed to do this year is to print more photos. Of course the dilemma always is where to hang and display these items. Luckily for me, I found this adorable cabinet door photo display that you can create with just a few items for decorating the top of your dresser. If you are an Instagram-addict like me, this is a must-do project for displaying your favorite pictures. Check out the tutorial to create your photo display on Making Home Base.

Organize Your Jewelry Collection

Vintage plates and china can be adorned or just allowed to show their original vintage beauty in this adorable jewelry display that you could create from plates at Goodwill.  I love that this organizing project not only organizes, but it also doubles as a cute way to decorate a wall or the interior of a walk-in closet.

To round out this display, check Goodwill's sheets, linens, and kitchen towels for fabric to add to these embroidery hoops. If you are a woman that isn't as fully accessorized (pity the thought!) you can even add to your jewels with items found in their jewelry department. You can find the tutorial for this vintage plate jewelry display on Craft a Doodle Doo. 

Organize the Bookcase

Bookcases can become untidy quickly especially in my kid's rooms. Consider whittling down the book collection into a more manageable size and then create these adorable bookends from your child's old action figures and toys. With a quick mount and a little spray paint, you have a unique bookend that can tidy those stacks. Grab the tutorial for these easy DIY Bookends from Canadian Family today! 

Organize Your Menu Plan

If one of your goals this year is to save money, the one place I always recommend starting is with your grocery shopping and menu planning. I am a visual person, so I love my chalkboard in my kitchen as a reminder of what we have in store for the week and to prompt me to prep and thaw ingredients for the days ahead. 

If you don't have a chalkboard in your kitchen, making one is very easy thanks to chalkboard paint. Check your Goodwill Store for a frame, canvas, or serving tray that you can use to get your menu plan visual. Grab the tutorial to make your own vintage chalkboard tray on by wilma.

Organize the Paper Clutter

We talk a lot about book page crafts on the Goodwill Tips Blog because this is an item you can always find at your local Goodwill Store. Did you know that you can transform a donated book into an organizer? On the 3 R's Blog you can find an easy folding technique for creating your own business card organizer. As someone who frequently has a pile of cards and tiny notes to myself, I love this thoughtful storage idea for these items! 

Organize the Toys

After the holidays, the toy clutter always seems to get out of control at our house. Thankfully, you can find lots of jars at your local Goodwill Store that can be transformed into adorable containers to house those smaller toys in. With a little spray paint and a figurine, car or train, you can create an adorable accent to your child's bookshelves or to tuck away in your toy storage closet. You can get the scoop on making these adorable toy corrals on Simplicity in the South. 

What are your favorite things to use to organize your home from Goodwill? Have you upcycled anything into the perfect storage solution? Feel free to share it here!