Upgrade Small, Empty Wall Space Into An Organization Station With A Must-Try DIY

When it comes to decorating large, empty walls in your home, one naturally turns to obvious solutions like paintings, mirrors, or shelves. There's always that one wall that never quite comes together with the rest of the room: It might be positioned awkwardly or have dimensions that won't accommodate artwork or decor.

Instagram user @kjg_home, who had this dilemma, took matters into her own hands by turning an empty wall in her home into an organization station. Using only a piece of plywood, a can of magnetic chalk paint, some wood trim, and a selection of organizational products like a calendar and a weekly planner, she was able to carve out a dedicated space where she could organize, plan, and keep track of her schedules and tasks for the week. Beyond its practical advantages, this DIY project instantly spruces up that empty wall in your living room, foyer, kitchen, or home office while helping bring structure to your daily routine.

Our DIYer had a piece of plywood cut to fit her wall's dimensions, but you could pick up a standard 24-by-36 inch poster size from WOODNSHOP baltic birch plywood on Amazon for $19.95. Coat the board's surface with magnetic chalkboard paint; this Magnetize-It! Magnetic Chalkboard Paint from Amazon comes in a satin black matte finish and retails for $49.99. Then, create a border around the edges of the board using thin strips of wood secured with glue. You can now use small nails or screws in each corner to hang the magnet- and chalk-ready board on your empty wall — just make sure to avoid the common mistakes when hanging frames.

Alternatively, you can replace the wooden board with sheet metal. Lowe's carries Imperial standard pre-cut sheet metal in the correct size for $14.48, but you can go bigger or smaller depending on the surface you're working with. Since you already have the metal element needed for your organization board, you can paint its surface with several coats of chalkboard paint like DecoArt's Chalky Finish Paint ($8.98 on Amazon). For ease of hanging, perhaps pick up an appropriately sized picture frame to place the painted metal sheet in.

Once your organization board is on the wall, it's time to decorate it with calendars, weekly or monthly planners, to-do sheets, and perhaps an Excello Global Products Wall Mounted Note Paper Dispenser, priced at $28.47 on Amazon and perfect for keeping a running shopping list. Add a small plant pot to hold chalk pieces or pens, or decorative hooks for all your sets of keys. (By the way, it's simple to magnetize attachments for your board by using products like Master Magnetics Roll-N-Cut Flexible Magnetic Tape, $8.40 on Amazon.) Finally, you might want to add a rechargeable picture light over the board for a dramatic effect that will instantly elevate the look of your wall.

Aside from being used as an organization station, the board can serve as a chore tracker to streamline your family's schedules or keep track of your child's daily routine or schoolwork. The chalkboard element makes it practical to add notes and track progress with color-coded magnets.