Parenthood changes everything—even your interior design. Maybe your modern-minimalist living area is now punctuated with a primary color-heavy blue train set. Or perhaps your mid-century modern mudroom is sprinkled with Barbie dolls. Kids bring so much joy, fun, and color to our lives, and they introduce a completely new concept: sentimental clutter. The artwork they bring home from school each day gives us a window into their creative minds, but these items rarely coordinate with your home’s aesthetic.
When it comes to managing your little Picasso’s collection, there are two experts coming to the rescue: C.C. Knowles, a retired teacher and the artist behind Attic to Art, and Molly O’Neil of Molly O Interiors.
“Our homes often hold more than just memories—bins, folders, and crumpled stacks of children’s artwork,” Knowles says. “For years, I was a devoted collector of my kids’ creative output. Now, as a retired teacher, working artist, and soon-to-be empty nester, I’m ready to reclaim my space—without losing the heart of those childhood treasures.”
Whether you’re ready for a new DIY project or want a fast and easy way to manage the mess, read on for the top recommendations from Knowles and O’Neil.
Courtesy of Aura
Take things to the Cloud, not the attic.
Before you carve out a physical space for your kids’ art, Knowles has a go-to strategy: Turn to your tech, and photograph or scan each piece.
“Free up those bulging bins by letting your phone or a photo-scanning app capture each masterpiece in high resolution,” she says. “Once digitized, you can turn the collection into a bound photo book through services like Shutterfly or upload them to a digital frame that rotates through years of creativity right on your mantle.”
That said, you don’t need to toss everything after it’s digitized. If you still want to hold onto a few pieces, O’Neil suggests keeping one artwork from each year to make it easier to store or display.
Channel old-school charm with a gallery wall.
Whether you’re less tech-savvy, or simply can’t part with all of your kids’ art, create a unique gallery wall for their room, your mudroom, or living room.
“There’s magic in holding a physical collection,” Knowles says. “A gallery frame—like the hinged, deep-set versions from Dynamic Frames—can store up to 50 rotating pieces. Just open the front of the frame to change out the art.”
O’Neil has another secret for displaying more art, without compromising more space: Design a poster or framed art collage from ITSYART. Upload photos of paintings or doodles, and the company will professionally enhance each one and prepare it for a special display in your home.
Courtesy of Molly O Interiors
Order a one-of-a-kind wallpaper design.
O’Neil calls this a splurge with a big impact in your home, and she often turns to the pros at Detroit Wallpaper to make it happen. “Choose one piece of art and create a feature wall or wallpaper all four walls,” she says. “Can you imagine how special and magical it would be for a child to go to bed every night in a room that was created by their own imagination?”
Make “wearable art.”
“Not every piece of art is meant to be displayed or stored in the attic,” O’Neil says. “If you’re looking for a cute gift or want a creative way to use your kids’ art, I love making graphic T-shirts using their pieces. It’s wearable art.”
O’Neil typically uses Zazzle, which makes it easy to upload the art and turn it into a T-shirt for you, your kids, or their loved ones.
Thomas J. Story
Create special keepsakes.
For the items you refuse to toss, Knowles has a few ideas:
- Ornaments: For smaller works, decoupage them onto wooden discs from your local craft store. “You can even gift them to grandparents if you have more than enough art,” she says. “This nostalgic touch will be a holiday favorite that will remind you of years past.”
- Placemats: Mealtimes will be even more colorful with an unexpected collection of placemats. Knowles says all you need to do is slip the art into 16×20 poster protectors, or laminate the sheet for more durability.
- Scrapbooks: If you don’t have room on your walls, you can also make a keepsake in the form of a scrapbook. “Scrapbooks offer another hands-on approach,” Knowles says. “Trim down your favorites, paste them into pages, and add handwritten notes, stickers, or embellishments. If your kids are still in the crayon-and-glue stage, make it a collaborative project.”
Find space for three-dimensional artwork.
O’Neil says to look beyond paper art and consider three-dimensional objects like ceramic figurines. “If they’ve created a small ceramic animal, display it on a stack of books,” she says. “If you have a ceramic handprint, consider hanging it on the wall with plate hangers that can be bought at your local hardware store.”
Courtesy of Attic to Art by C.C. Knowles
Commission a custom piece of art.
Knowles’s own attic purge sparked her creativity to repurpose her kids’ art. “I cut up their art, arranged it into modern collages on wooden canvases, layered in paint and embellishments, and sealed each piece with glossy resin,” she explains. “The results were vibrant, personality-filled panels that now hang outside their bedrooms—daily reminders of who they were and how they saw the world.”
Her DIY projects at home soon became a small business, Attic to Art, and her clients’ children’s art is displayed in homes all over the world—from Southern California to Dubai.
Getting rid of clutter is always so much easier said than done, and it gets even more challenging with your kids’ creations. Knowles understands this feeling all too well, and has words of wisdom all parents-turned-kids’ art collectors can live by:
“Keep what matters most, celebrate the memories, and remember: the art is precious, but the artist is even more so,” she says. “Give yourself permission to let go of the rest of the art created at school or at home without guilt. Our homes are for living, not just storing.”
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