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Picture Perfect
Displaying Children's Artwork By Laura Paul
According to Cornell, one of the golden rules for art installation is the idea that less is often more. He insists it is always best not to clutter a space even if it is with children's precious paintings, so he recommends parents avoid placing and hanging the children's artwork all throughout the home. "It should definitely be concentrated into certain areas," he says.
Kessinger says many of her clients hang children's artwork in their bathroom, and older children often like to display their framed awards in the living or family rooms.
Cheryl Young, a stay-at-home mother in Tampa Palms, Fla., says she often hangs the artwork created by her children Savanna, 5, Cameron, 4, and Kaley, 1. On the hallway walls leading to their bedroom, Young attaches a colorful rope with clothes hangers for displaying artwork they bring home from school.
Kessinger recommends the pictures be hung at the eye level of the user of the room. In the children's room, the framed artwork should be low enough for the child to enjoy.
"The thing with children's art is that there are no real rules, and that actually makes them harder to frame and place sometimes," says Cornell. "Very often it comes down to just what looks good."
While some parents regret not preserving christening gowns, newspaper clippings, children's art, awards and precious letters, few people are sorry when they did. "As an adult I wish my parents had done something like that," Bingham says. "It's kind of neat to look back and say, 'Look what I did when I was little.'"