11 Ways To Turn Kids’ Art Into Covetable Home Decor

Forgo the fridge for a more polished display.
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Photography by MELANIE ACEVEDO

While certainly a convenient way to exhibit your kid’s most recent artwork, we can all admit that your little artist’s most prized creations deserve a happier home than the refrigerator door. Instead of letting their abstract landscapes, impromptu scribbles, and clever family portraits pile up somewhere in the kitchen or within the confines of a long forgotten drawer, consider thoughtfully showcasing their finest pieces in a manner that enhances your home’s natural aesthetic. After all, your kiddo’s wild creations essentially make for a one-of-a-kind art collection. Ahead, a few of our favorite tips and tricks for displaying their darling drawings, adored designs, and other crafts in style.

Instead of handing them a blank canvas, let your little one’s vision run wild on graffiti-friendly walls. Inside Domino style director Kate Berry’s downtown Manhattan abode, one pretty-in-pink bedroom is constantly undergoing change, thanks to its extremely creative inhabitant. If you’re willing to turn the decorative reins over to your mini-me, know that your home will never be short on spur-of-the-moment doodles and other inspired gestures.

Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

When in doubt, tape with purpose. The right tape—be it a hot pink adhesive or other fun hue—can instantly call attention to your child’s artwork when strategically used to earmark a piece’s outermost edges. Think of it as the lazy, albeit cool, alternative to framing.

Photography by NIKOLE RAMSAY

Instead of framing their art, think of their art as tool with which to frame your home. Inside this colorful Australian house, a laidback gallery fills the empty space above and around an archway—cleverly marking a new point of entry.

Photography by MICHAEL WILTBANK 

When you treasure your kiddo’s handy crayon work as much as the vintage pieces you’ve collected over time, it can feel difficult to know where to display which. Luckily, you don’t have to keep your adult-made heirlooms and kiddie creations separate. A high-low mix of artwork makes for an effortless display.  

Photography by MEGHAN MCNEER

Who said anything about keeping their designs restricted to paper? Give a masterpiece new meaning as a practical object in your home by, say, transforming one of their many very animated characters into a graphic shower curtain. This personalized bathroom essential was made simply with the help of Shutterfly.

Photography by MICHAEL WILTBANK 

If your child’s bedroom falls on the tinier side, consider layering their favorite pieces in order to conserve precious wall space. Just peep this super small, makeshift dwelling. To ensure her little girl’s bedroom still felt airy and spacious, despite its lack of square footage, stylist

LaTonya Yvette

condensed her daughter’s eclectic art collection into a unified collage above the bed. 

Photography by AMY BARTLAM 

Essentially a working laboratory for a mini artist in the making, a chalk wall is an ideal transformative surface for late-night scribbles, notes to self, and exciting brainstorm sessions with friends. Not to mention, you won’t have to keep running out to stock up on paper and supplies.

Photography by CODY GUILFOYLE 

Come homework time, you want your youngsters to feel as inspired as possible. A prime location for their most telling pieces? Above their workspace, of course. A simple bulletin board, as this bright Upper East Side Pad so clearly proves, makes for a straightforward landing spot for their daily creations. 

Photography by JOE SCHMELZER FOR ONE KINGS LANE

When your living room effectively doubles as the playroom, divvying up floor space, let alone wall space, between you and your child can feel like a challenge. To solve her small-space woes, actress Lucy Liu relocated her little one’s art tools and toys to a zone just off the kitchen. And to showcase her toddler’s finest compositions? An already-chic banner served as a fun, yet polished, spot to clip her future Picasso’s coolest sketches.

Photography by PAUL COSTELLO

While a diverse gallery wall proves to be a fine way to show off all your kids’ artwork, a solo showcase can make an equally wow-worthy statement. If you’re struggling to find an appropriate spot for one of their large-scale pieces—be it a grand watercolor painting or minimalist masterpiece—consider making it the focal point of a bare wall. In this delightful orange dwelling, an abstract fish lends a simple, yet personalized, touch to a little boys’ room, while also following suit with the space’s semi-nautical theme.

Photography by BRITTANY AMBRIDGE

In this brilliant, bold boy’s room, interiors designer Sally Wheat opted for a not-so-obvious art moment. Thoughtfully framed over the nightstand, the inventive occupant’s sweetest sketches make up a charming bedside vignette; the striking, striped wallpaper behind echoing the vibrant tones of his blue-hued artwork.

See more fun ways to display your art:

13 Reasons to Hang Artwork in Your Kitchen What You Didn’t Know About Buying and Decorating With Vintage Art This Is How Parisians Display Art In Their Homes

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Lydia Geisel Avatar

Lydia Geisel

Home Editor

Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. Today, she writes and edits home and renovation stories, including house tours, before and afters, and DIYs, and leads our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.