I had a picture in my head of how I wanted my family command center to look. I wanted a clean and uncluttered look that went with the rustic industrial design. Some of the pieces that I purchased didn’t need any customizing to fit that description. Some did. I’ll start with the shelf and brackets. I purchased two Ekby Robert brackets from IKEA in a nickel plated finish. I would be using them upside down with the shelf on the inside of the arch. Since I was going for a rustic industrial look I needed a darker finish. via IKEA I laid these out of a piece of plywood to spray paint them. Two coats of oil rubbed bronze spray paint later I had some rustic industrial brackets. I used the spray paint for metallic surfaces. Once they were dry I screwed them in upside down so the shelf could…
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I used some pretty basic pieces to create my family command center. I started at IKEA and purchased some of the Nyttja frames. I picked up two 19 3/4 x 19 3/4 inch frames for my calendars at $7.99 a piece. I then picked up two of the 5 x 7 frames, $3.99 for a two pack. I was planning on using the Ribba frames at first since they have glass fronts. The Nyttja frames are much lighter and plastic. I wanted to be able to use the front of the frame for a dry erase surface so I was hesitant at first. After some checking and double checking I found that dry erase works on plastic as well so I went home happy! I also picked up a Hemnes shelf in the white wash finish and two Robert brackets. I did a bit of customizing to those which I’ll…
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The new family command center is up and running. It has been in use for a couple weeks now and is working out great. The floor still needs molding and the outlet need to be recessed into the wall. Other than that it is in working order. I managed to fit everything on my wish list in this area. I have two calendars, a personal in-box, file folders for each family member, a to do list, a weekly menu, a bulletin board and a shelf for storage and display. I’ll break everything down for you and give you my sources but for now I’ll just show you what it looks like…
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By removing some kitchen cabinets I was able to open up my kitchen a bit. The cabinets were in use but not in a good way. They were full of junk, things that needed to be put away and things that we did use but were buried under the things that needed to be put away. It was a mess. A lot of the items that we did use were art supplies for my kids. Some of these items went in the drawers under the new banquettte bench and some waited for a new home. I’d been eyeing the IKEA Raskog cart for some time…. I’m not sure if it is the wheels, the industrial look or the colors I like more. Regardless I knew it would someday, somehow find its’ way into my home. I’ve seen it used for kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, craft rooms and everywhere in between. With…
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The asbestos tile has been removed and the basement is now ready to be recreated. Asbestos tile removal was a two day process. A group of three came and first set up lots of plastic sheets to keep our upstairs asbestos free. The tiles were removed all in one day out through the bulkhead door. The next day they came back and sealed in the mastic (which is the glue that holds the tile down) by painting it all with paint. I love that the basement now smells like paint. Not mold, not mildew. Just paint. I’m ordering flooring and picking up the IKEA pieces to recreate my built in. I’m doing the exact same thing down there because it was perfect the way it was. I’m on the calendar with my contractor so hopefully I’ll have my basement back sooner than I thought! Hopefully.
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Does this ever happen to you? Random redecorating to see how the sofa would look facing the fireplace because you just got it in your head that it might look nice. You enlist everyone but the dog to help out and change the room around. This also means you get everyone’s two cents about where things should go. You move and rearrance and scooch things around until you are happy with the layout. You then realize it works in the room itself but cuts the flow going into the room. So everything goes back in its’ place for the umpteenth time until the urge to rearrange strikes again. Some times it is successful and sometimes it is not. So glad my husband was not home to see this round of random rearranging.
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With a big blank wall to work with and an end goal in mind (a family command center) I started figuring out all the different things I’d like to incorporate. There are lots of different examples to get ideas from but I have not seen exactly what was in my head out there yet. Here are the items I defintely wanted on there in some form or another. 1. A two month calendar – This calendar would mostly be for my children to know what is going on. Swim team practices, soccer practices, doctor appointments, birthday parties, voice lessons, etc. My own calendar is on my iphone and computer, safe from little fingers. This one is so there are no surprises from day to day. 2. File folders for each family member – I’ve been using this system for a while and it works for me. Each family member has a file where…
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This summer I started a list. I kept seeing things around the house that I wanted to complete. Some were old projects that just need to be finished. Some were new ideas that are still in the processing phase. There are big projects and little projects and some in between. Writing them all down and seeing my new long list all in one place (besides in my head) helps me organize when I’ll be working on each one. Some I’ll save for the winter months when I’m stuck indoors. Some I’ll work on now before the cold weather hits. Some will wait for spring. It is basically a plan for the year ahead of me. I probably won’t get to all of them since redoing the flooded basement is now at the top of my list!
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With my plans for a family command center underway I needed some ideas. I knew what items I wanted on there already but I wanted some direction as to how they would be presented. I was looking for something neat and not too busy. I wanted to display it in a way that didn’t scream “office cubicle.” It should be easy to keep in order with not too much space for pile ups. It would be dislayed in my kitchen so I wanted it to look a bit personal as well. Here are some of my favorites… via Pottery Barn via Beneath My Heart via Home Heart Harmony via The Happy Housewife via Ciburbanity via Southern Living via SAS Interiors via The Caldwell Project
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Did you grow up in a home where certain rooms were off limits? Were toys not allowed in the living room. Was the dining room table only used on major holidays? The rules are changing and these days families are choosing the casual family home over the formal home. I’m over at the Homeware blog with some tips on how to make your home work for your busy family without sacrificing style! via BHG
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