Let me tell you a tale of a girl who used to be organized, oh…. about four years ago. Since Clara came along, well, it has been a slippery slope. I’ve kept notes to myself in various notebooks, on my phone, on post its, and have scribbled in every square inch of my day planner. I’m almost never sure what I need to do next since there are so many active lists competing for my attention these days. So when John and I were asking ourselves what our home office needs to make it as functional as possible, it was about two seconds before I was pulling a Mary Katherine Gallagher and jumping around and throwing my arms in the air and shouting “command center!”
Yes, my friends, it was even more urgent to this nesting pregnant lady than painting those office walls. Although we realized as we were nailing into them to hang things that it’s sort of an accidentally genius move to hang art before painting because if you make a few bad nail holes you can just spackle them before you paint the whole room, so that’s a nice perk.
We thought this wall was perfect since it would be visible from within the office, but our scribbles would be out of sight from the foyer. And we both agreed that we needed a place to write things that had to be done across multiple categories like “projects”, “house maintenance”, “showhouse/book 2 stuff”, “future post ideas”, “website to-do”, etc. We just knew there had to be a better way than having different lists of each of those things floating around randomly (the website one just fell behind the couch, by the way).
Not only did I dream of having them all in one place in an easy to reference spot for both of us – most of all I dreamed of having a column for “top tasks” so we could lift tasks out of each of those other columns and place in there by order of priority. This will hopefully keep us from bouncing around randomly without really weighing what makes the most sense for us to tackle next.
While we were dreaming, we also wanted a place to work out our upcoming post schedule where we both could see it (so we can see which giveaways are lined up, what posts we’re planning to write up next, etc). We also wanted a smaller spot to jot down what we need to buy/get the next time we’re out (we’re always forgetting random things like new oil-rubbed bronze window locks for the freshly painted office windows).
John and I weighed a ton of options for meeting all of those needs, like: one big dry erase board, one big cork board, using dry erase paint right on the wall, going the chalkboard route, using magnetic paint to hold up small pieces of paper in a grid that we could move and shift, etc. In the end we settled on sort of a hybrid solution. We decided to make two big magnetic frames so we could use smaller dry erase magnets (which we could write on and shift around) to create a multi-column to-do list and a post-planning schedule. We even snuck a “To Buy/Get” list in there on a smaller frame while working in some sweet Clara art, a quote that makes us laugh from our last office, and a favorite family picture.
First we planned the arrangement with some old frames. We continued to shift things around a little after this photo was taken, but you get the idea:
Next we ordered some white dry erase magnets from this site. John found them and I was instantly on board because I love that they’re not small/swallowable magnets (which make my paranoid-mom-heart skip a beat) and also because we can write directly on them and move them around. So placing them in a “projects” column, then moving them to the “top task” column, and even popping them over to our post schedule board if they’re done/shot/written/ready to be scheduled would be nice and simple.
We also hit up Home Depot to see what they had in the “sheets of metal” category. There were some other sheet metal options on an end cap, but we bought a magnet with us just to be sure they were magnetic and they weren’t. Kinda threw us for a loop until we saw these panels hiding in a completely different aisle. And thankfully, these guys were magnetic.
We ended up getting two of them that were big enough to fill our frames (they came in a bunch of different sizes, and thankfully were pretty easy to cut at home with gloves and a metal snip). Here are my supplies all laid out:
First I removed the glass from the frame along with the backing and laid just the wood part of the frame over the sheet metal and used a red sharpie to trace the rectangle that I’d need to cut out.
Then I just slipped on my gloves and started cutting with the metal snip. It took a little while since it makes such small cuts, but it was pretty straightforward and I was left with two metal inserts for my frames in about fifteen minutes.
Here’s one slipped into the frame, with the backing holding it in place. It was pretty exciting to test drive a few of the dry erase magnets up there. #yolo
After I made sure both pieces of metal fit into the frames, John and I chatted about what colors we thought would be nice for the metal and the frames, and decided to draw inspiration from our new desk. And so the idea for a mixture of frames in a soft champagne color, a pearly metallic white, and a flat basic white was born. We had all of these guys in the garage already, so I was ready to rumble.
First I used clean metal primer on both of the sheets of metal we bought, just because I thought it would be a nice uniform look to spray those to match their frames. We figured with all those white magnets on them, things could get busy, so keeping the frames and backgrounds uniform might be a nice touch.
Next I sprayed the frames themselves. This is the pearl mist going on a few of the frames and one of the primed sheet metal pieces (you can see the champagne mist ones drying in the background). I left these outside to dry so long that a rogue leaf landed in the middle of that smaller frame (thankfully it was completely dry by then).
It took about four thin coats of spray paint to get things nice and even, but in the end it’s a really clean look to have the metal sheets and the frame the same color. I even used a little bit of washi tape on the end of the magnetic headers for each category to set them apart along the top of the board.
Oh office supplies, why are you so adorable?
To make our “To Buy/To Get” board, I used a smaller frame with some slightly metallic linen-like fabric slipped that into the frame behind the glass. A black dry erase marker makes it easy to write on the glass, and we just shoot a picture of the list whenever we’re running out for errands so I can remember everything instead of muttering “where’s that list?” followed by some endless purse-searching.
Here’s a closer shot of the post planning board, which got the pearl paint treatment, and some gold and yellow washi tape along those header and side labels. We don’t usually work very far out for posts (we share a lot of stuff within a week of doing it) but it’s already coming in handy for jotting down future ideas, giveaways that have been scheduled, etc.
So that’s how our little command center came to be. I’d really love to upgrade some of the frames eventually (the one with Clara’s painting in it needs a larger mat for example) but for now I’m feeling around 95% more organized. If only I could fit my massive belly behind the couch to retrieve that old website to-do list…
Might have to send Burger in for it. And by that I mean “somehow convince him the list is made of food so he cares enough to retrieve it.”
How do you guys stay organized? Do you have a big family calendar that hangs in your kitchen? We debated doing a calendar board as well, but like using my planner to write down meetings, appointments, parties, etc – so we thought keeping that in there but all the project/home maintenance/book/showhouse/post stuff on the wall would be a good combination. We’ll have to see how it goes…
Update: For anyone wondering what the octopus print says, where we got it, or where the file cabinet is from, that info is all on the first page of comments for ya.
Ricki @ The Questionable Homesteader says
I love this! I made a magnetic board this summer for myself, was originally going to get the sheet metal from Home Depot, but a friend of mine suggested I go to a heating and cooling place. I was looking at close to $40 for the sheet metal at Home Depot and they sold it (and cut it to size) to me for $7.50 after tax. It’s 95 x 6 inches (runs to the ceiling)and has some “texture” looking pieces (the metal is really for air ducts in the house) but I’m so thankful to my friend (really saved on the budget).
Really love those magnets, will me buying some of those very soon.
Thanks for the great post.
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Rachel says
I keep trying to express my love of this organizational system but all the words keep coming out really sexual and you’d probably have to delete them off the site to keep it PG…
I love this organizational wall more than Leslie loves Ann…nailed it!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha! Totally nailed it. Plus I can use the board to come up with possible conversation topics that Leslie can have with Ann on her next phone date. Did you pause that part and read everything on that board? They were hilarious.
xo
s
Reshma Sanjeev says
You guys are so organized. I did start a simple one on both a store bought small magnetic erase board and small cork board but did not keep it up with it after sometime. One can still see do-to list months old on it….let me give it another try…:-).
Tara says
ERMAGERD! I start a new job today, in 2 hours and 14 minutes, to be exact, and my main role will be wrangling an out of control project/task list in an office with very low technology. AND THIS MAGNETIC WHITEBOARD THING is GENIUS. GENIUS. I can put each person’s name across the top and their tasks in priority order and easily re-assign things etc… Thanks for being my favorite bloggers, problem-solvers and….project manager—gers? ;)
ashlea says
So, how much was the metal sheet? I have looked for some but it annoying all that cool cut out sheets are aluminum which is not magnetic. I think the one sheet I can across was pricey. And painting it didn’t cause magnets to not to stick as good?
I love the area it’s just so pretty!
YoungHouseLove says
I think they were $14.99 each sheet for the size we needed? They also had bigger and smaller ones for more/less. Thankfully the thin coats of spray paint didn’t change the magnetic thing!
xo
s
Kate in New Zealand says
Whoa! Trust you guys to blow my mind with a multi-list, rearrangeable, magnetic whiteboard!
Reminds me of the iPhone Reminders app or the Trello app (https://trello.com/).
I’m gearing up for the day we can have 2 A3 touchscreens in the kitchen, 1 with Google calendar and 1 with Reminders/Trello so we can keep everyone synced.
The measure of a good week for us is the number of photos between grocery lists on our phones!
Also just have to say you guys do a great job of answering tricky questions diplomatically :)
Miranda says
So far as “need to buy” lists go, my husband and I use a “mealboard” app. We use it for it’s intended purpose: meal planning, but our favorite feature is that we can both add items to the shopping list. We use it even for non-grocery items. Realizes he’s out of granola bars at work? He can add it to the list when he’s thinking about it. We need crickets for the frog? I add them to the list. Hangers? On the list. The other nice thing is that we divide and conquer in the store. He goes one way, I go the other. Our list gets checked off in real-time and we cut shopping time in half (and also save money).
YoungHouseLove says
That sounds really convenient!
xo
s
Mallory says
I think you’re on to something by hanging things first, then painting! Also, I love the dry erase magnetic magnets!
PS. When I first saw the close-up of your board, I read the second top task as “shoot mice”, I couldn’t for the life of me understand what you guys were up to! Took me a second to figure out is said office! Obviously it’s still too early for me!
YoungHouseLove says
Two other people read it that way too! So funny!
xo
s
Dani says
How many of the dry erase magnets did you order? I’d love to replicate this, but I’m unsure of the number of magnets that I would reasonably need.
YoungHouseLove says
I think we ordered four packs but we have a lot leftover. Could probably do it with three?
xo
s
Charlotta says
I love the solution with dry-erase magnets! It’s like you have your own little scrum board :)
We have a calendar in the kitchen where we have a column each. If it’s not on that calendar, it doesn’t exist, so it’s vital to remember to put it there! We also started this year by going away on a kick-off. We felt that planning the coming year (vacations, what to do around the house, economy etc) would be much nicer to do in a different environment, so we went away for the weekend. We had lovely food, lots of time to plan, and some time to just relax and enjoy each others company as well.
Ashley says
That looks like the DIY version of Trello! Yours is way cuter but the mobile-ness of trello has me hooked!
Leila says
Very cute! And organized :)
I am totally on board with the magnet strips in hopes that you move them from one column to the next muttering furiously in a genteel Southern accent and occasionally speaking to an invisible camera — like Kevin Spacey as Majority Whip on House of Cards :)
Kathryn says
For me, there are too many great, free efficiency apps that sync with automatically with my husband (or whomever you choose) for this to be worth the wall real estate.
My mobile phone goes wherever I go, so the lists are always there with me with the latest updates from him, no need to go home, or make a phone call, or end up writing a dead tree list to take the pertinent wall list with me. All the handwriting would get me stressed out too. Neither of ours is easy to read or attractive.
I just think, for us, this is an area where technology has built a better mousetrap.
Elizabeth says
Beautiful command center! I am so inspired…we live in NYC and I’m always looking for ways to be more organized in our small space (you remember those days!). To share something that’s been helpful for us (after you created such a beautiful board!), I wanted to mention Wunderlist. It’s an list app that can be shared and updated…which means, for example, I can update the grocery/shopping list while I’m out teaching voice and my husband is hitting up the grocery store! Or he can update the project list for me while he’s at work and I’m at home. Or any other combination of list making and sharing that you like. It’s been a major gift for us!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds really awesome!
xo
s
Amy J. says
Is it easy to reach over/around all the vases/pencils/plants? Greaty system, but I’d be afraid I’d knock stuff over.
YoungHouseLove says
So far it has been easy, but I can always move them if they bug us. Stuff like that moves around our house all the time. And pillows. Pillows are nomads.
xo
s
Emily Mc says
Love it! I think it’s great how they are moveable between categories as needed.
What colors are y’all thinking about for this room?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re leaning towards a light and airy pistachio or honeydew color. Just slightly tinted so the white moldings pop, but nothing too saturated since we’re really drawn to the clean white office look.
xo
s
Chelsea in Richmond says
I love this! I’m curious how much your sheet metal cost? We went to Lowes and purchased a large piece of sheet metal and it ended up costing $30+! The little metal compartment thing (as seen in your photo from HD) was disorganized so we couldn’t tell what cost what.
Anyway, we used our metal sheet to create a magnetic chalkboard insert for the non-working fireplace in our future nursery. You can read about it here:
http://holdingontohopeforus.blogspot.com/2014/01/as-youll-recall-from-our-previous-post.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love that solution! Thanks for sharing the link. As for the cost of these sheets, I think they were $14.99 each one in the size we needed? They also had bigger and smaller ones for more/less.
xo
s
April says
Nice Command Center! You should check out Trello. It is a very cool way to project plan/collaborate. They also have a nice mobile app so it is always with you.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the app tips guys! We still don’t have the best grocery list system so we’ll have to look into it!
xo
s
Emily Mc says
I have been using the GroceryIQ app for the last couple of years. I like that for each store you can arrange aisles according to the layout so that you don’t miss something and have to go back for it (unless you are me). I have lists on it for the grocery store, Home Depot, Target, etc.
And I love the honeydew color route, so bright! Can’t wait to see it!
K says
I use Trello too! It’s the best. It’s just like what you guys have here where you can prioritize and move cards around in order of importance. You can also add checklists for things where you’re doing part of a task and someone else is doing the other part so that you know your piece is done. Or for things like grocery shopping. I highly recommend it!
Meredith says
This is such a great idea! I love the look of it and how practical it is. Going to save this one for later use :)
Rhodes says
There are several apps that organize shopping lists and calendar events. If you both had the app you could write things on a list that you both could access when you are out. I use the free version of cozi, but there are lots of choices.
Victoria says
I’m at the end of my office re-do and I was so excited to find your lateral file post on Effectiv last weekend. Then totally bummed to learn IKEA discontinued it. They don’t have a good replacement, so still searching for a nice, white, wood lateral file for my office.
YoungHouseLove says
I have no idea why they discontinued it! It was such a classic org thing they sold! I’m still heated over it. Haha!
xo
s
kathyg says
Love this! Do you think listmaking is a learned skill, or more something born with personality wise? Some people just seem to resist it so much, I think it must be a personality type! I OTOH have lists of my lists! My family teases me and says they will put on my tombstone “She had a list”. LOL
Your command center is great, I bet it will help ALOT!
YoungHouseLove says
I totally think it could be nurture and nature going on, but there are definitely list people and non list people. I’m a neurotic list girl to the Nth degree. Maybe it’s an oldest child thing?
xo
s
decoratica says
Wow, the to buy/ to get board is such a smart and no-brainer idea that it’s blowing my mind! Exactly what I need! I’ve been like years thinking about a white board beautiful enough for my entrance and there you are! I feel dumb :/
Love this organizing post!
And also love that you are posting one hour earlier ;)
Amanda says
Oh how I needed this inspiration! Since having a baby I find my mind is gone and I forget where I left all my silly notes and reminders. I cant keep up with budgets, grocery lists, bills to pay, the nanny’s schedule, work schedules, ect. ahhh you are my life savor today!!!
caroline [the diy nurse] says
I love your little command center! I just saw the new office line at Target with Nate Berkus. THere’s a pair of gold handled scissors that I have my eye on. Trying to hold out for clearance!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, those sound cute. I love his gold turtle shell box thing.
xo
s
Reenie says
Love it. Love the magnets ~ gotta get me some. :)
Felicia says
This must make Nesting Sherry and Listy Sherry both very happy. I feel calm just looking at the cleanly categorized and organized lists. I like how you guys are able to mix size, color, and orientation while still having a cohesive grouping that doesn’t feel too busy. That is a skill I need to hone.
As for how we keep organized? For important deadlines/appointments my husband keeps reminders in his phone. Other things used to be organized on white boards or paper lists. The lists always get lost and the white boards either get messy or are ignored entirely. I think your dry erase magnets may just be the answer I’ve been looking for. Thanks for the idea!
Stephanie says
I LOOOOOVE the magnetic dry erase strips!! We recently created a Family Command Center in our little hallway between our kitchen and family room. It’s where my three boys hang their backpacks every day, leave our mail, have our family calendar, and a to do/chore list much like your shopping list (a picture frame that we just write on with a dry erase marker). We LOVE it!! It’s proven very useful and something I’ve been able to keep up with! I’ve made the pictures public on my FB page so you can see them:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152516463614408&set=pb.502829407.-2207520000.1395758581.&type=3&theater
YoungHouseLove says
Really cute!
xo
s
Serina Shook says
Looking good! I couldn’t live without my “Reminders” app on my iphone. I have a grocery list, a to-do list, a shopping list, and lists for music, tv shows, websites and movies I want to look at. My daughter thinks it’s fun to delete things from the list when we’re at the grocery store, and one of the app’s best features is that you can set an alarm to remind you of your tasks :) Can’t wait to see how the rest of the office unfolds!
Patti says
I love nothing better than making a list by hand with a sharp pencil on a yellow note pad. However, since I always forget to take the list with me, I take a pic of it with my phone and as I complete each task I use the emoji emoticons “check mark” to cross things off my list. It’s a big green check that makes me feel like I’ve made progress. That’s my favorite part of list making!
Kim says
There is an app for that :-) For your to-buy list it might also be helpful to use an app on your phones. My husband and I use the “Our Groceries” app, it keeps the lists synced between our two phones and allows us to create multiple lists. We have a grocery list and one for target, home improvement, mall, babies r us. We even add short term lists like a packing list for our next road trip. It’s great for always knowing what you need, no matter where you are. So, if you happen to stop by the Lowes you can see if there is anything else you need while your there.
Just passing on what works for us!
Kim
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the app ideas guys! We have tried a few for projects/blog posts/house maintenance without much luck of anything sticking, but I’m still looking for a grocery system so they might do the trick!
xo
s
Lauren says
I’ll just throw one more app suggestion into the mix – Buy Me a Pie (fun name, no?). The most important feature is you can share/synch the list with someone else. But you can also have multiple lists (grocery, drug store, ikea, etc.). It also autocompletes for you and you can assign colors to like items (I think it automatically does it for some grocery items – like all produce is green). I really love the movable dry erase magnets on metal! I very well may have to make something similar for my office, so thanks for yet another great idea!
amy says
How great are those 5S people? Love their business model. Thanks for the link!
Angela says
Love, love the dry-erase magnets in columns!! Looks like some great inspiration for a new line I’d like to find at my local Target one day!!
Kim says
Something I need to get organized around desperately is regular home maintenance. We’re in our first home and I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing and when. For instance, how many times per year should we be changing the furnace filter? Am I supposed to clean the garbage disposal? When do I need to be running the root kill through the toilet to get to our pipes? All that good stuff. I was wondering if you all have a system for keeping up on regular upkeep or know of one I can steal so that I can get organized pronto!
YoungHouseLove says
I wish we had more of a system about this, we just change batteries in smoke detectors when we turn the clocks back and forward and seasonally change our filters, but I have wanted to research things more and write a list about what to do when for a post… oh, for about three years now. I need to put that on my “top tasks” – haha!
xo
s
Ann says
This would be an amazing post!
Your organizational posts are always my favorite… I have storage ottomans/baskets all over the house and its amazing how much difference “everything in its spot” makes.
Rainey says
Love, love, love! You guys always come up with smart and functional organizing ideas that don’t require five weeks to implement. I was also way more organized before having our babe (he’s now almost 3!), but now I’m ready to get back on track! Thanks for the inspiration:)
Kristen @ LoveK Blog says
Love the command center! Looks great and is super useful!
Amy says
I have been doing and redoing our command center for years. What we have is working right now, but it’s still not the ultimate best solution. I really like your ideas! Now for my question inspired by the Clara art you put up. How do you guys keep up with all of Clara’s art and paperwork from school. I’ve tried bins, I’ve tried a file system (which after 2 years of keeping track of one of my children decided to look through and dump out!), the kids have a cute clothespin art wall, etc. etc. But the problem lies with me. I hate to throw so much away, but it’s crazy to keep it all, too. I tried taking photos of them and putting the photos in an album, but again that’s so many steps! I’m sure many of us would love a post where you share your success (or failures) in this area!
YoungHouseLove says
I have a bulletin board for Clara art (I actually want to make it bigger for the office and hang it right over her desk – soon hopefully!). So we put our favorites up there and we store others in a box that we clean out each season (usually she tells me she wants five from the box on the bulletin board now and the rest she doesn’t care about). There’s also a cool app called ArtKive (I think I’m spelling that right) where you can take pics of all their art to keep it without being buried in paper. I love the idea of making a photobook of all the art after a year or two!
xo
s
Amanda says
You could take photos of them and dedicate a page or two in your annual photobook!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a sweet idea!
xo
s
Olivia says
Love it! Must be such a great feeling. As handy as smart phones can be, there is still something about physical tactile items that are wonderful to work with. Also, the washi tape is a great idea / detail!
Amanda says
My husband and I picked up http://www.ourgroceries.com/overview Our groceries app a while back (it syncs between our PCs, his Iphone, and my Android phone). It was made for groceries but we use it for all sorts of stores. You can make lists for different stores and tell it what order to put the catagories you assign in for each store. It takes a bit to get all the info in when just starting, but now it’s nothing.
Sometimes I’ll think of something to add to a list when he’s already at the store and can even see how far he is into the list and know whether I need to appologize for making him backtrack. ;)
Monica says
Hi. This really looks great. I noticed that the frames you used were the Ribba Ikea frames right? When you spray painted them, did you prime them in any way? I’ve been thinking of painting a few of mine, but wasn’t sure if I needed to pre-treat in any way. Thanks.
YoungHouseLove says
That spray paint has primer built in (you can read that on the label in that one pic I think). So helpful and it saves a step! We just primed the metal since it was raw and we wanted to give it the best chance at holding the paint well.
xo
s
Amy Mason says
For a shopping list, we use an app called any list. You can use it over multiple phones so both hubby and i can update it to see what we need at the grocery store, etc. LOVE it!
Eilene says
Years ago I set up a command center to deal with all the mail that ends up on my kitchen table. It didn’t stick. What I really need is this and I’d need a shredder right there!
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c6/70/67/c670678c82e491192b4746e10a4e35b5.jpg
YoungHouseLove says
SO COOL!
xo
s
KyCat says
Love this!!!!
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
I love the whole execution of the command center and sometimes when I get nervous I like to smell my own armpits. (Just joking…in case any of your readers don’t get the reference. lol)
My best, Lynn
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha!
xo
s
Katherine says
Dude! I totally write a list on a wall whiteboard and then take a picture of it when I go out to get the things! So much easier than paper than can get lost. You can then also use an app like Skitch or something so you can still cross the items off the list…cause the crossing off part is the fun part!
Julie says
If you want to consider also keeping a copy online or managing this online, I’d recommend using Trello. I have several boards there (Creative To Do, House Projects, etc) and it is so easy to move items into In Progress or Done. You can manage it online or via the app. It is really great!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the app ideas guys!
xo
s
Emily says
I think I read that fiddle leaf fig plants are toxic to dogs/babies. They’re such gorgeous plants, is this true?
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve heard that as well, but we thankfully haven’t had any issues with ours. Burger is a complete snob about food (he won’t even eat most dog treats, and really only goes nuts for people food, so he doesn’t dig in the yard or eat leaves or anything) and Clara’s well past the putting things in her mouth stage – although when the baby comes and is mobile (maybe a year from now) we might need to move the plant out of the way for a while.
xo
s
Aimee says
This looks lovely, and I should totally do this. But that last close-up angled shot of the to-do list made me laugh so hard, because at first I read “nursery psd” as “horsery psd” and I thought, “What, they have horses?!”
It’s going to be one of those days, I can tell.
YoungHouseLove says
Horsery is the best non-word I’ve ever heard. It’s like sorcery + horses.
xo
s
cheri s in iowa says
Love this, and I love the octopus poster. I’m thinking I should order one with one of my sons sayings, “I’m allergic to bees and dragons.”
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahaha! I love that.
xo
s