As much as you love your child’s handprint-turned-turkey she brought home for Thanksgiving, it likely clashes with your more sophisticated canvases and prints. Here, with some expert help from the ever-adorable childrens’ shop Madre, we show you how to incorporate beloved art projects into your home’s design while maintaining an adult aesthetic.
Hang It Up
- Use frames that open in the front—like these by Lil DaVinci—so you can switch out artwork without having to take the frames off the wall.
- Create a gallery wall. Madre’s Louise Marsh says, “We love to frame children’s art in simple white frames, and often use a colored matte to complement the artwork. Hanging several pieces together gallery style makes for a cheerful grouping, as well as a proud little one!”
- Hang a wire or string across a wall, and use clothespins to display art that can be constantly rotated. Kids can even switch out the art themselves.
- Frame a piece of corkboard (with the frame’s glass removed) so you can easily tack and untack art.
- Scan or photograph the art, then print the images as glossy or matte prints for easier framing if the works feature macaroni or too much glitter. Head to a Dallas favorite, Tom Battles Custom Picture Framing, to get your print professionally matted and framed.
Repurpose It
- Bind artwork into a coffee table book for a sophisticated and memorable way to save artwork. Plum Print makes it easy—mail a box of your child’s art, and they will scan, print, and bind it into a glossy book.
- Laminate flat works of art and use them as placemats
- Make new artwork by cutting or ripping the original and weaving it into a new patter or creating a collage.
- The custom shop Crayon Creatures can turn artwork into 3D sandstone prints.
- Budsies.com and Child’s Own Studio can take a beloved drawing (no matter how intricate) and turn it into a cuddly stuffed animal.
