DIYs to Help You Get Organized: 7 Seriously Stylish Home Message Centers

Whether you have a small household of two or live with five roommates, creating a central "command station" for notes, reminders, schedules, and grocery lists can help keep everyone connected—or at the very least, lets you know when the milk is running low. Some of these ideas are as simple as painting a chalkboard for notes, while others incorporate a tech charging station and storage. Whichever one you choose, it will help make your home run a little more smoothly. 

Designed by Int2architecture, this tiny kitchen uses a chalkboard wall as a space to share grocery lists, along with decorative doodles. Even in an apartment built for two, a central message center helps keep a small household on the same page.

Use a roll of paper as a giant notepad for family members to jot down reminders or shopping lists. Geneva of A Pair & a Spare keeps hers in a home office, but this would also work in a more central spot, like in an entryway or on a kitchen wall. 

For a vintage look, turn a flea market tray into a board for leaving notes to roommates and pinning up this month's electricity bill (hint, hint). Look for trays that are naturally magnetic, like those made out of iron, nickel, and some types of steel. Then, stock up on magnets, or make your own, like the charming ones above from Sweet Paul magazine that are crafted from vintage jewelry.

Keep a high-tech household running smoothly with one centralized charging station, where tablets and phones can fuel up while you jot down don't-forgets. The one above from Martha Stewart is backed with glass, so it can be scribbled on with dry erase markers. 

Instead of painting directly on the wall with chalkboard paint, coat a piece of plywood and mount it to the wall or lean it against a shelf. Add a clipboard to hold a calendar and papers, and attach a small basket for a phone or keys. The black-and-white organizer above is in the home of Marika of Nurin Kurin, featured on Nordic Days. 

Sometimes, all you need is a quad of clipboards to corral all the craziness. Pull out that P-touch and label one clipboard for mail, one for messages, and one for photos. Paint the fourth with chalkboard paint for scrawling schedules and notes with chalk markers. The image above is from a relaxed-yet-organized entryway featured in the Swedish magazine Skona Hem. 

This tufted fabric pinboard spotted on VT Wonen ups the sophistication of the standard message center. Use colored ball head pins to post up mail and reminders. 

Article Courtesy of Apartment Therapy