Our kitchen is barely finished, and yet somehow, almost overnight, we've slipped straight back into old habits. Letters, school forms, random bits of paper, and important things we *mustn't* forget about have started migrating to the corner of the island. One letter becomes a stack pretty quickly, and suddenly, the heart of our brand-new kitchen looks constantly cluttered.
Enter the family command centre. A small but mighty setup that's already stopping post from piling up and helping us feel far more organised day to day. I opted for a wall-based system (namely, this notice board set, £29.99 from Amazon), to pin things up as opposed collect them on another surface.
As someone who believes a calm home starts with staying somewhat organised, with good organisational systems in place (and who has two small daughters generating an impressive amount of admin), I knew I needed to figure something out before the clutter got out of control. And this setup has done wonders for doing just that.
What I bought for our family command centre
I kept the setup intentionally simple, focusing on things that would genuinely earn their keep in everyday family life rather than just look nice on the wall (although that was a consideration too!)
Important letters, school reminders, invites and things that need action get pinned straight away. If it's visible, it doesn't get forgotten and crucially it doesn't end up buried under unopened envelopes.
Each of these monthly calendars is A3 size and gives a clear monthly view where we can jot down after-school clubs, appointments and reminders.
This small wooden organiser holds pens, spare keys, loyalty cards, hair bobbles, scissors, hairbrushes and all those little things that otherwise float around the house with no fixed address.
A slim document holder lets me file away paperwork that needs to be kept neatly while still being easy to access when needed.
I've also added wooden push pins because I liked the look of them really! The set includes peg-style pins which are brilliant for clipping multiple sheets together so nothing gets separated or lost.
I've added a set of baskets to catch bulkier or overflow items, like notebooks, chargers or things waiting to be sorted.
The problem we had wasn't the post itself, but more the lack of a clear, designated home for it. Everything just hovered in a sort of messy limbo on the island without one. I looked at it at the end of each day and told myself I'll sort it later, but I didn't quite know where it was all going to go.
The setup needed to work for real family life, so I didn't want anything complicated or overly Pinterest-perfect. I opted for three key elements, all positioned on a wall in our pantry that we visit multiple times a day.
By creating this dedicated spot for paperwork and everyday admin, I removed the whole decision-making from the process, which was so helpful for me as I was feeling pretty overwhelmed. I don't need to wonder where these things will go, as they all have a place now.
It's seriously satisfying about walking into the kitchen and see clear worktops again, especially in our brand new space. OK, the command centre hasn't eliminated paperwork from our lives, but it has stopped it from taking over our kitchen.
While our wall-mounted setup works brilliantly for us, I know it won't necessarily suit everyone's home or layout. The beauty of a family command centre is that it's completely adaptable because it's more about the system than the actual products. These are the other smart alternatives I seriously considered and would still recommend.
Family command centres I rate
This whiteboard/clip system set up with a shelf, would work perfectly in a hallway or anywhere more visible as it's not only practical but it looks pretty too.
For smaller kitchens, the fridge can become a good place for an organisational hub. Magnetic calendars, letter holders and pen pots will keep essentials visible.
A pegboard system with hooks, clips, shelves and small hanging pots is a great option so you can hang keys, letters and bags. Plus, you can reconfigure the layout easily, too.
A family command centre won't look the same for every family. For us, it looks like tackling the paper piles, school admin and everyday clutter that kept landing on our kitchen island, but for another family, it might be more about schedules, keys or meal planning.
The key is noticing where chaos naturally builds up and putting a simple system in place to catch it. When it's designed around your actual routines, it'll help reduce clutter and mental load without feeling like another thing to manage.
Do you have a family command centre in your house? Let me know!
