NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville mother has transformed years of her children's artwork into custom wallpaper that now decorates her home, turning what many parents might consider clutter into a celebration of family creativity.
Mary Kathryn Wells, who started her own interior design studio five years ago, has been collecting her children's artwork for years. Rather than letting the drawings pile up in storage, she decided to turn them into a permanent part of her home's design.
"I really saw the process as turning this house into a love letter to our family," Wells said.
Wells partnered with Elizabeth Williams, co-founder of New Hat, a company that specializes in custom wallpaper. Together, they created wallpaper entirely from her children's original artwork.
"It's entirely comprised – every single mark, doodle, even the pieces of tape are taken from my kids' art," Wells said.
Williams said the project fulfilled a long-held dream for her company.
"When Mary Kathryn came to us, she said I want to make a wallpaper out of my kids' art. And I said thank god because that has been on the bucket list for custom projects for, I don't know, forever!" Williams said.
For Wells, the project represents more than just interior design – it's about creating a space where her entire family feels valued.
"Sixty percent of our household, it's my husband and I and our three kids so 60 percent of our household – are our kids," she said. "And they're, to me, this is a space that has to work for all five of us."
The transformation has given Wells' children a sense of ownership and pride in their home.
"And I'm really proud of the way I've been able to create a home that my kids take pride in, feel celebrated in, feel known in," Wells said.
What many parents might see as a mountain of messy markers, Wells saw as a map of precious moments in time, now permanently preserved on her walls.
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