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Do you have a teenager or soon-to-been teen in your home? If so, you probably already know how much time these young adults like spending in their rooms. A teenager’s bedroom becomes their sanctuary as they hit adolescence, even if their rooms don’t exactly reflect their maturing tastes.
If you have a teenager who needs a bedroom makeover, it can be challenging to know where to begin. And there’s always the budgetary concern that comes from overhauling a bedroom. Whether you want to design on a dime or have some room to splurge, there are many sources of inspiration out there to help get your teen’s imagination going.
Make Your Teen’s Bedroom Multifunctional
The experts at Design Combination remind parents that their teen’s room isn’t just for sleeping. In fact, most teens use their bedrooms less for sleeping than for other activities. Teenagers enjoy having friends over, watching TV, playing games, and may even get some study time in.
So, when designing a teenager’s bedroom, you want to make sure the space is set up for a variety of functions.
You’ll want some comfy chairs in the room, as well as a place for your teen to work. Think simple and sleek. Young adults don’t need big, bulky desks to meet their needs.
We like the South shore Axess Desk, which sells for $172.99 on Wayfair.
Help Your Teen Stay Organized With Storage Solutions
Keeping the bedroom clean can be a repetitive battle between parents and teenagers. When getting ready to design or redecorate your teen’s room, you’ll want to provide plenty of storage options. That way, there is no excuse for your teen to say they have nowhere to put their stuff.
“Teenagers’ bedrooms can soon become overwhelmed with clothes and other clutter, so it is important to think about helpful storage solutions when furnishing their room,” David Norman Director of Furl, a storage furniture retailer, told Living Etc. “Their bedrooms are often the smallest of the house, [so] maximize available space by choosing furniture that has multi-uses.”
You can opt for traditional cube shelving that you can slide baskets or bins into, like these from ClosetMaid (available on Amazon in various sizes and configurations).
However, if you’re limited on floor space, consider moving your storage areas to the wall. Try floating shelves to store decorative items, books and anything else your teen wants to display out of the way.
Let the Walls Showcase Your Teen’s Tastes and Talents
Yes, it can be hard to give up decorative control to a teenager. After all, you probably think the bedroom should flow with the rest of the house.
This is one of those times when you could benefit from letting go a little and allowing your teen to showcase their personality on the walls.
One of the easiest ways to liven up a room is color. If the thought of painting an entire room is too scary, take The Spruce’s advice and try an accent wall. An accent wall provides a pop of color, usually something bold, to give the room a whole new feel.
If painting isn’t your thing (or in your budget), use your teen’s favorite hobbies as a focal point in the bedroom.
Does your teen love to snap photos on his or her smartphone? How about printing them at the local drugstore and showcasing them on a display like the one below?
Living Etc. expands the photo display idea and suggests a full cork wall. This allows teens to hang up whatever they want, and move it around as often as they’d like with little fuss. You can find cork wall tiles or rolls on Amazon, as well, such as this 12 pack of 12-by-12-inch tiles for $58.99.
Don’t Forget The Ceiling!
Maybe instead of the walls, your teen has the vision to create the coolest ceiling on the block.
If so, we’ve found the best glow-in-the-dark stars on the market for them to do just that. Whether your teen likes the classic green glow, or wants something more colorful or even realistic, there’s something here for everyone.
You can also use wallpaper on the ceiling for a stylish look, like designer Judith Balis suggests.
If you really want to add some intrigue to your teen’s room, you can bring in a funky light fixture to brighten things up. This Rosetta Galaxy Projector offers a variety of colors and features a Bluetooth speaker as well as a built-in white noise sound machine.
