How to Organize Your Home with a DIY Command Center

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This DIY Command Center was a fun Spring project for me and my husband. We’ve been spending a lot of time working on the house since we moved in January. Removing wallpaper, painting, trimming, and installing new lighting — tedious tasks that need to be done! We needed a creative and fun project to break things up.

We realized we didn’t have a good place to keep our bills, mail and keys, along with our calendar of events and appointments. Mail was piling up on the counter, and we nearly missed our first mortgage payment because of it! We were keeping our keys in a drawer, and our calendar was hanging in a place where we never saw it. We clearly needed a new system.

So, I started browsing Pinterest for a family command center. Most examples you will find of this are a gallery wall style, with multiple frames and areas for the family to keep keys, mail and important papers, with a calendar to track appointments and events. I showed Chris a few ideas and he suggested we put everything on a shiplap background. As a big Fixer Upper fan, I was ALL IN for my first shiplap project. We loved the result, so I thought I’d share a how-to post so you can make your own!

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What you’ll need for your command center:

• Shiplap boards (we used 8″ wide boards and needed about 12 feet in total length
• 1×2″ wood – we used about 11 feet, this is for your border
• 2″ furring strips (x2) – to hold the shiplap together on the back
• D-ring hangers (2 pack) – or similar hook to hang the board on the wall
• TIP: With any of the lumber needed, buy a little extra just in case! You can always return what you don’t use.

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You’ll also need some basic tools for this project:

• Chop Saw/hand saw – or use the Cutting Center at Home Depot.
• Nail gun or hammer and nails
• Wood glue
• Screwdriver and screws
• Wood filler
• White paint (I used Sherwin Williams Alabaster, which is a nice creamy white we used for our trim throughout the house)

The fun part – decorations!

My inspiration for this project was a hanging organizer I found at Hobby Lobby. It includes two baskets for mail, with space to add chalk labels and multiple hooks for keys. I couldn’t find my exact piece online, but you can find a ton of ideas here! I also bought a few things at Target, obviously — a chalkboard from the dollar zone and a calendar from the Rachel Hollis collection. We also used a drawer pull to hold a piece of chalk.

Take your time with this step. Think about your family’s needs and what use this command center needs to serve for you. Maybe you need a basket for each member of the family, or a white board calendar for your crazy schedules. Make it work for you!

Instructions

Layout and Sizing

• First, you’ll want to lay out your decorations and decide how big you want the frame of your command center.
  • Our board is roughly 34 x 28″ – not including the border.
  • Tip: Measure the height of your board in terms of the width of your shiplap. We used 5 pieces stacked on top of each other to reach the desired height. (Note: the boards are 8″ including the lip that interlocks with the next piece, so they will be slightly shorter once assembled.)
• Next, we cut our 5 pieces to 28.5″ in length.
• Paint the shiplap the color of your choice (we used Alabaster White from Lowe’s HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams collection); let dry.

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Creating the base

• When the paint is dry, place the shiplap face down and interlock the 5 pieces stacked on top of each other.
• Because the shiplap interlocks, you will need to cut the lip off of the last piece.

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Holding it all together

• Next, cut your furring strips and screw in place – this is to hold the shiplap together, so it should run across all 5 pieces. You will also need one strip across the top as a nailer to attach the border to.
• Once your furring strips are in place, attach the D-ring hangers on each side.
• Now, you have a sturdy base for your command center!

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Adding the border

• Once the boards are secure, you’ll want to add your border. Flip the board face side up.
• First, cut your 1×2 into 4 pieces, 2 for the length and 2 for the width of your border.
• If you want to get fancy, you can make a mitered corner, but it’s not necessary.
• Start on one edge, applying wood glue in the corner, and attaching the next piece. Nail each piece in place.
• Continue around the border until all four pieces are secure.
• Next, paint the border. We used the same color as the shiplap, but you could also wood stain these pieces for a more rustic look.

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Adding the final touches

• Finally, it’s time to add your decorations to your command center!
• We used thumbtacks to attach the chalkboard and calendar, so they can be removed and a pin nailer to attach the mail baskets permanently. We screwed the drawer pull in place to hold a piece of chalk – and voila! A fun spring DIY to keep your family and home organized!

This is hopefully the first of many how-to posts — so let me know what you think! I have to say, it was hilarious trying to get Chris to recount the steps to me to bring this command center post to life. I am not great at taking Chris’s instructions, which has caused a lot of hilarious mishaps during our home renovations. As Chris likes to say “It’s not DIY, this is what I do for a living!” So, if you have any questions, please let us know!

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If you make your own, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @StrongCalmKelsey or drop me a note!

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