Getting a family organized requires more than a few well-chosen New Year’s resolutions. Increasingly, homeowners are carving out a physical space —anything from a single kitchen cabinet to an entire spare room —that can function as a family information center and workstation.

In an effort to battle clutter and keep track of schedules, designer Brian Patrick Flynn helps clients kick the habit of spreading out items around their homes.

“These days, it’s pretty much a given that families use their kitchen islands, dining tables and/or coffee tables as prime real estate for laptops, school papers, iPhones and mail,” says Flynn, founder and editor of decordemon.com.

“When I’m designing entire homes, especially ones for young families, the first thing I focus on is locating a seldom-used corner, section or nook somewhere easily accessible to create a creative and organizational hub. This usually follows my tirade of, ‘No more using the dining table or breakfast nook as a clutter station!’ ”

Here, Flynn and two other interior designers offer tips on creating the perfect family headquarters to wrangle homework assignments, invitations, permission slips, calendars and more.

What do you need? The key pieces are:

• A calendar (paper, digital or both) that the whole family can access.

• Accessible storage space for incoming mail, invitations and permission slips where things won’t get forgotten.

• A message board (dry-erase white boards and/or corkboards are popular) where family members can post and share information.

• A labeled bin or section of corkboard space assigned to each family member.

• A power strip for charging electronic devices, with shelf or desk space to keep those items while charging.

Ideally, the space will also include a work surface where kids can do homework and parents can handle tasks like filling out permission slips. Many families also include a laptop or desktop computer for homework or checking e-mail. If you have a computer handy, you’re more likely to enter information digitally and eliminate paper clutter.

Where to put it? Homes built in the past few years often come with what Flynn calls a “bonus room” with no designated purpose. These small, spare rooms work well as a family organization center, as do mudrooms.

Mallory Mathison, an Atlanta-based designer, has helped clients convert a pantry or small closet into an organizational hub. She suggests removing the doors to open up the space, then adding a deep shelf that can be used as a desktop. Tack fabric to the underside of the shelf and hem it just above the floor, creating hidden storage space and a place to tuck a bench or stool.

Shelves can be added to the wall above the desktop, along with a message board and calendar.

If you lack a spare room or closet, designer Cortney Novogratz suggests choosing one corner of your kitchen, since it’s a room the entire family uses daily. Novogratz, co-star of HGTV’s Home by Novogratz series, lives in Manhattan with her husband and seven children. She often works with clients who have limited space, so she advises them to use a single kitchen cabinet as their organizational hub.

Novogratz suggests lining the cabinet door with the calendar and corkboard or dry-erase board. Then add small bins on the cabinet shelves for each family member’s items. A small laptop can be kept inside the cabinet and taken out for use at the kitchen table.