What would you bet is the hardest worn area of your home?
I’m going to guess for my family it is our beloved (catch-all) entryway. This space sees more foot traffic, literally, than any other area in our home. I’ve HAD to organize things in this space, the space that I also call “the landing strip” and additionally I’ve worked hard to set up a rockin’ command center. Come with me, I’ll give you a little play-by-play on how to organize a command center!
I’ve always struggled with having a truly snazzy and/or pretty command center. Have you felt the same struggle? It seems that between our two main homes we’ve had to navigate obstacles such as wall to wall tile, narrow hallways and even cement walls. It’s as if nobody knew that I would have an organizing need to organize a command center. Seriously people. Hello!?! When one needs to organize, one NEEDS to organize.
Well…..wall to wall tile and small spaces will not keep my organizing efforts down! Despite the homes we have lived in trying to stop my organizing ways, I’ve persevered. I’ve told these walls, I won’t let your stubborn concrete walls keep me from displaying things! Grab me some velcro strips! Nothing is gonna hold me back from making our lives more streamlined.
In our current Beach House, I’ve used our entryway as a double duty station. It’s our entryway and command center all in one. Let’s talk about the steps that make this a rockin’ command center.
Step One: “Drop It Like It’s Hot” (Inspired by Snoop Dog)
Because not everybody in my home shares my love for organization, I chose to make things very, very, very simple. Organization is usually much more effective when it is super easy to follow.
So for starters we drop the keys here. My hubby also tosses his wallet and misc. items in tray number two. Can you spot the guitar pick?
The blue bowl is a great spot for loose change, lipstick, hair ties, a cell phone…
We are a shoes off home, for the most part, so a basket like this does the trick…mostly. I keep on top of the overflowing basket by weekly lining up shoes on the stairs to go back to the bedrooms – where they belong. My kids are always very happy on these days. #ikid
Here is the umbrella/sports basket. I grabbed a can of spray paint and transformed this basket that I found at a Lisbon Flea Market. It does the trick and adds a little pizzaz to all the dark wood in our home.
Then this coat rack holds everything from coats, to backpacks, to lunch boxes. It works overtime, daily.
I have become the biggest fan of coat racks, when you are short on closets (or like me and have none on your main floor) these can be total game changers!
Step Two: “Hangin’ Tough” (Inspired by NKOTB)
Almost weekly we (my kids that is) have a birthday party or we receive a nice note from someone. In my efforts to stay on top of our party plans and our correspondence, I have two places for these things. The first place is this Pottery Barn card holder from my darling sister Haley. I keep current cards received here and love seeing the notes daily.
The second place is the two magnetic boards to the left. I use these to hold current party invites, school schedules and emergency contact information.
The chalkboard on the right displays our weekly schedule, which I talked all about over HERE. I personally keep a “master” calendar and then update this weekly so we are all on the same page, specifically with the main family activities.
As far as incoming mail, I sort it immediately when it comes into the house. I recycle most of it and put anything else either up for display or filed away in my H+H Management Binder. Additionally for the kids’ papers they each have a tray in my office. I’ll be covering my “Paper Plan” very soon, so stay tuned. #justsaynotopaper
Step Three: “Where Is The Love?” (Inspired by The Black Eyed Peas)
There is a game we play sometimes, well it’s not really a game, but it goes something like this. “Mom, do you know where is the ___________ ?” To which I usually reply, “Check your basket, my love.”
My ABCs each have a basket and then my hubby and I each have a drawer. These are where everyone can put whatever they want whenever. These are our cubbies or our spots to hold things we want to keep ready to go! And also a great spot for me to be able to put things away when I’m tidying up.
Alright, are you inspired? Have you thought it was too challenging to create a dynamic command center? It’s not! Make it a goal to persevere and create a fabulous command center! Without an effective and organized command center life can get out of control – fast.
