ByLydia Geisel,Photography byMary Craven Dawkins
PublishedJan 17, 2026 1:45 AM EST
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If forced to choose between framing one of her kids' art projects or a fancy gallery piece, interior designerMary Kathryn Wellswould pick the homemade craft every single time. "The most meaningful art to me is the stuff made by the people I love the most," says Wells. Her three kiddos' projects are the stars inside their Nashville home—"not just playroom art," she insists. But nothing tops her latest display: her dining room walls are swathed in a custom wallpaper spun entirely from their doodles. "When we set out to renovate our home, I approached it as a living archive of our family's story," she shares. "This was about celebrating the people who live here and making their creativity permanent."
The designer had been itching to collaborate with local custom wallpaper companyNew Hatfor a while, so cofounders Elizabeth Williams and Kelly Diehl were the first call to see if her vision was even possible. They were game. "We wanted the result to feel like a piece of contemporary art as well as a collection of ideas, like the best page in a sketchbook," says Williams. Ahead, they spill what it takes to turn kids' art into epic wallpaper without it reading as chaos.
Part of the reason Wells was drawn to New Hat is that they work almost exclusively with interior designers. "So the process is pretty seamless because I handled the project management," says Wells. The good news for the rest of us: New Hat has expanded its custom kids' art wallpaper services toanydesign-loving families. (Kick things off by filling out the inquiry form on thewebsite).
Typically, a project like Wells' that spans two rooms (the wallpaper also sneaks into her kitchen) runs around $10,000, though the average cost for most custom projects is closer to $6,500. "It's similar to commissioning original art. It's not the cheapest option, but it is deeply personal," Wells says. The pricey part isn't even the install—it's the design itself. If Wells and her family ever move, they can have the wallpaper re-printed and re-hung in a new home. "We can take it with us," she says—and that brings her serious comfort.
Looking for a slightly cheaper outlet? There are a handful of wallpaper brands out there such asRebel Walls,Tempaper & Co.,Thatcher, andSpoonflowerthat offer varying levels of customization based on hi-resolution images.
As Wells and Williams sat down together and sifted through piles of craft projects, they didn't just grab two-dimensional drawings. They plucked pieces clad in colorful strips of tape, Post-It notes with marker sketches, and stamp prints. They even pulled a Minecraft-inspired painting her husband made with one of their sons. "We had to do quite a bit of experimentation with the art size and the density of works and found that bigger and more was better," says Williams.
In most cases, New Hat will ship a customer a professional scan kit that you can stuff with all your children's work and mail back. From there, their design team scales and collages it into a large pattern or mural.
For the first presentation, the New Hat team serves up a design in two colorways: the art in full color on a soft cream background or everything in a single, monochrome hue. For Wells, the latter would've been ideal for a family that prefers contained chaos. "It was very unified and not so loud," she says. But naturally it was the bolder option that called her name.
Some of the colors in the wallpaper pull directly from the original works; others were tweaked to complement existing shades in the home, like the pastel blue of the window trim and the nearby pink kitchen island. Once approved, it was off to the printer.
The reason this wallpaper feels far from juvenile in Wells' formal dining room? Balance. There are plenty of moments of restraint in the space, like the simple wood dining table, oat linen curtains, and a crisp white ceiling. Connecting the quiet details and the loud wallpaper are pieces with pops of color, like the bright red dining chairs and whimsical Nordic Knots rug.
Knicks and scuffs are guaranteed in Wells' busy household, but that doesn't bug her. For one, New Hat offered her a step above traditional residential wallpaper: her substrate is durable, Class A fire-rated, no-PVC, and low-to-no VOC. Plus, the beauty of a busy print like this is that you'd barely notice if someone accidentally splattered wine on it. One of her kids could take a Sharpie to it and add something new and you'd probably never spot it. "It blends into the realities of our life," says Wells.
Lydia Geisel has been on the editorial team at Domino since 2017. These days she writes and edits home and reno stories—house tours, before and afters, DIYs—and runs our design news coverage. She lives in New York City.
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