There’s an interesting dichotomy that has happened inside of me since becoming a mother: I love a beautiful, well-designed and intentional home, but I also want my kid to be a kid and not be too concerned with fitting her toys and life and art into an Instagram filter of “pretty.” I buy toys regardless of color scheme (i.e. I’m likely not spending 3x on something just because it’s blonde wood with neutral colors), we buy her clothes in bright, happy hues with mermaids and butterflies and ladybugs, and ::gasp:: her toys are visible in my living room literally all the time.

This is decidedly very undesigner-y of me, and I’m not mad at it for a second. The longer I write about interiors, work with design brands and content creators, and see deeper and deeper behind the curtain, the less I care about having the “perfect” home. I aim for a beautifully designed house but it needs to work for a family. That, or maybe it’s because I’m getting older, care less about what people think, and also I’m a tired mom of an energetic, creative toddler.

If you know me, you know my home is lived in. It’s pretty, but it’s always going to have a stack of papers on the dining console that needs tending to, and my pantry will have packaging from the store instead of everything being ideally decanted into see-through containers. So I’m approaching today’s topic with the same “let’s make this look better but not stress about it being overly innovative.”

Today, we’re tackling: kids’ art. Specifically, picking through some ideas for how to display it (or store it) to look great without feeling overly “daycare center.”

My daughter is officially starting preschool in the next few weeks and I’m surprising myself by actually planning ahead of time before I’m drowning under a mountain of construction paper. Over the last few months, she’s gotten very into watercolors and finger paints and we already have a portion of a wall in her room covered with some of her creations (with a stack of thin canvases waiting to also be hung). She LOVES to see her art on the wall, so I want to honor her excitement by finding some new ways to display what she’s likely going to be bringing home from school, as well as the things we make together at home.

Here’s what we have so far:

To be frank, I slapped some crumbled-up papers on the wall with tape in some instances and small command strips in others. I’m open to framing things (I’ll show some examples below) but also kind of want to wait until I have a wide selection to choose from. I don’t really mind what’s happening here because it’s both loose and structured at the same time. I think if I kept adding down, up, and on the other wall behind the glider (and in other areas of her room not pictured here), it could actually get kind of cool? But I also don’t want it to feel overwhelming, cluttered and dusty, so it’s time to consider some options.

I did what I do first in a situation like this: Research what other people have done, because there’s nothing new under the sun, and likely someone has a great solution already that could work in my home. For the time being, I want to keep the art in my daughter’s bedroom (rather than all over the house) both for her to admire when she’s playing in there, and also because her walls are white and don’t have much going on with them.

Let’s see what I found…

Option #1: The Large Pinboard

There were a lot of inspiration photos in the pinboard camp, including the DIY version from Birdie’s room reveal at the farmhouse. I can see myself going the route of creating my own to custom fit a wall or two in Evelyn’s room, but also “now” me is confident in having the time to do it, but I know “later” me will be giving me serious side-eye. But let’s dream a little because “later” me still isn’t here to make faces and punt a project into next year.

I found this photo from Lauren Robbins Interiors in an Architectural Digest feature, and I instantly loved it! I’m not sure if what’s covering the pinboard is fabric or wallpaper, but I think it could be a great way to bring color and pattern into my toddler’s room without actually having to paint or wallpaper a wall.

Pinboard Pros:

• Can customize to the right size and finish with cute fabric, felt or wallpaper
• Can easily swap out art as it comes in
• Contains art in one organized spot

Pinboard Cons:

• Push pins could maybe be a bad idea for a curious 2.5-year-old?

Option #2: The Full Wall Cork Board

I have long loved the look of an entire wall of cork for the purpose of displaying art. It feels very “art studio” to me even though I’ve never been in an art studio that had a full wall of cork. ::shrugs:: I really liked the neatness of the display I found on Florence & Henri’s profile after doing a quick search for #kidsartideas. This would require art in all the same sizes, which I know is SO not feasible, but I still think even some pinned-up art in messy configurations would look better on cork than just taped to a white semi-gloss Swiss Coffee wall.

There is, however, the consideration that cork panels are actually way more expensive than you think they are going to be. Most offerings I have found so far are about $150 a roll which barely covers anything. I’m really not looking to spend $500+ on this, especially for a youngster’s room that very well may change sooner rather than later due to evolving interests.

Cork Wall Pros:

• Has a definite “cool” factor
• Natural material that also has sound-dampening qualities!
• Lots of flexibility in how to actually display the art
• Easy to swap out art

Cork Wall Cons:

• Again…push pins = bad idea for toddlers?
• Expensive if I want a full wall of coverage
• How do I actually adhere it to the wall??

Option #3: Organize The Chaos With Framing

While this is the sleekest option, of course, it’s the path I’m most hesitant to walk at the moment. I do very much like the look of a gallery wall (uh, have you seen my past room reveals?), but framing feels so permanent, and I know I’m in for a decade or so of take-home art projects and I only have so many walls in this home (or any home). I could maybe see myself doing a yearly or every few years swap out but ugh, “later” me is already tired and annoyed. Not to mention all the holes in the wall from hanging, and a grubby-handed kid who loves to touch the existing frames in her room.

I do love the decidedly eclectic artist vibe of something like the above from Born and Bred Studio but am I overdoing the gallery/salon wall? (Is that possible?) Another hold-up is the fact that the only wall in my daughter’s room that could handle something like this is too close to her sleeping area and being in an earthquake territory, this is an absolute NOPE. Earthquake hooks for art exist, but I just can’t take that risk. After a fairly scary and strong shake-up centered only a few miles from my home recently, I’m already looking at the ceiling-high gallery wall in my living room with new eyes…

Framed Gallery Wall Pros:

• God, I love a gallery wall
• It’s clean, tidy, and cool-looking
• Great for different areas of the home should the projects expand into our living spaces

Framed Gallery Wall Cons:

• Not easy to swap out the art
• Might get expensive with all the frames
• Easy to procrastinate actually doing because of all the frame sizes needed (I know myself)
• Depending on where it goes, maybe not a sturdy, stable option for a young kid

Option #4: Just Go Full Kids Art Studio

I almost didn’t add this one because it’s a bit more all-encompassing than just how-to-hang art. But the all-in art studio vibe is very sweet and probably something I would have dreamed of having as a little girl. That and a mini library as I was a big reader (as is my girl). Though I’m not sure I have the space in my daughter’s room to dedicate a large stretch of wall to this (not to mention, we have white-ish carpet), I do recognize that being a little more loose and free but keeping some things structured and tidy is very much my speed. This art corner would still look sweet with the paintings and drawers on the wall unframed, I believe, though they certainly help.

Art Studio Pros:

• Feels very kid-appropriate with a creative spirit
• Seems to be able to ebb and flow easily enough

Art Studio Cons:

• Needs actual floor real estate to make happen
• Probably too messy for my daughter’s carpeted bedroom

Kids Art Display Product Options

Typically, shopping (or making) comes after the inspiration phase. And while I’m still not ready to pull out my payment method just yet, I did get some good ideas by also poking around product offerings for hanging, displaying, and storing. I’ve also seen a very simple, straightforward idea of just buying a few big 3-ring binders with clear sheet protectors to stash art in. That way, my girl (or anyone in the family) could always take it off the shelf and flip through it like a scrapbook. I think that would be a great landing place for things after they’re up on the wall for a little bit and ready to transition to something else. Just pop it into the binder and keep it moving!

Left to right: Magnetic Art Gallery, $79 at Pottery Barn | Art Display for Kids Artwork (48 Clips – 10ft Wire), $28 at Amazon | Rainbow Dot Art Cable, $59 at Pottery Barn

I really like these magnetic art holding strips from Pottery Barn. Each one is 36″ so I’d likely have to buy a few of them. A more affordable option is this wire and clip situation. I know they sell these at IKEA, Amazon, and beyond. Does anyone have any experience with these not being droopy in the middle, or does it hold tight without much slack? Another version of the cable is this sweet one with rainbow dot holders, which I know my girl would love, but it’s twice the price.

Left to right: Express Book, from $99 at Plum Print | Girl Friday Modern Acrylic Frame, $59 at West Elm | Americanflat Kids Art Frame Front Opening, $18 at Target

Plum Print is another “on-the-shelf” storage solution that looks really interesting, albeit pretty pricey. Here’s how it works: The company sends you a box to put all your kids’ art into and once received, they scan them all and create a book. The downside is you have to pay a return fee to get back your art, and the $99 starting price only includes 20 pages, with the option to add up to 250 pages at $2.50 a page (yikes!).

If I were to go the frame route, I do like the playful and modern nature of these acrylic ones from West Elm, though something more functional like this one I found at Target would probably be best. The front opens, so you can easily move art from the display to the storage pocket inside so it’s super easy to rotate things. Reviews are mixed across different sites selling the same product, so I’m unsure about the quality.

Left to right: Girl Friday Modern Cork Board – Large, $250 at West Elm | Natural Cork Roll 20 inches Wide, from $50 at Etsy | 24 x 36 Modern Linen Designer Pinboard, $175 at Etsy

And lastly, we’ve got some cork and pinboards. I do love the look of this large West Elm corkboard, but I’m fairly certain I’m not dropping $250 on it. The cork roll concept is still tops for me, but I might have to only do a small portion of her wall, since it’s $120 for the length I need for my ceiling heights in 20-inch wide sections. That’s…a lot of cork and a lot of money. I do love the linen of this pinboard I found on Etsy, but I feel like I can make it for far less and take some creative liberties with a fabric my daughter would love. It would have to be a small, tight print to come off more as visual texture/interest as not to compete with whatever is pinned up on it.

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Thanks for coming along on this journey with me. I don’t have a firm decision made (besides that binder idea that I think I’ll definitely employ as a long-term storage tactic) but will likely do a combination of custom pinboard with some wire hanging.

If you’ve had any luck with a way to handle kids’ art in your home (besides using the trash as your storage facility hahaha), please chime in! Any ideas or products are more than appreciated.

Until next time, friends…

Opening Image Credits: Design and Styling by Emily Henderson | Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: Birdie’s Bedroom Reveal!! Designing With (Not For) Your Kids, And How We Exploded This Room With Color