Once your child becomes a teenager, that old “kids’ furniture” in their room becomes a real sore point as they want to express their individuality and do not wish to be considered a little kid in any way, shape or form.Inevitably, there comes that day when your teenager declares “I hate my room. Why can’t I get new furniture and paint my walls the way all my friends’ rooms look?”
So, start by discussing what your teen wants. Use the project as an opportunity for your teenager to gain valuable budgeting and decorating skills while creating a more suitable space for them to express themselves.
Set a budget and help them learn how to manage a project within financial constraints. This will help prevent the inevitable desire to buy all new furniture and keep things realistic from the start and encourages them to think creatively in terms of how to stretch the budget.
Maybe your fifteen-year-old daughter wants a shabby chic bedroom with faded old chintz sofa and curtains. Or maybe she would prefer a retro look with bright colors and some of your old 70s album covers on the wall.
Is your son a sports fan or does he prefer music? Outgoing or more reserved? Answering these and other questions will give you a sense of what feel the room should have.
Perhaps your son wants his room to look like a basketball court or maybe graffiti is more his style. Regardless, it is important to remember that it’s their own space, and the decor needs to reflect their personality and desire to be independent.
You don’t always need to toss out their bed and furniture. Unless the furniture is completely broken, you can give it a cool new look by painting it and changing the drawer pulls. Helping your teen design their bedroom can be fun and with a little advance planning, probably won’t take more than a weekend.
Often, just rearranging furniture gives a room a whole new look. A teen room makeover may be accomplished with a new coat of paint, rearranging the furniture and adding some new accessories and lighting.
Painting can have the biggest impact for the least amount of money and sets the tone of your teen’s room design. Plus, with your help, painting is something they can easily do themselves.
Does your son, the skater, want to paint the walls black and put a black light on the ceiling? Black paint may be the worst choice - it might take several coats to refurbish his room in a few years - but you can always repaint relatively easily and inexpensively.
But, if having your son sleep in a dark cave really bugs you, try compromising to find something you both can live with comfortably.
A wainscoting, with solid black on the bottom and gray on the top could be the answer. Since it’s his room, let them be as creative as possible. If long as no walls are being demolished or holes punched out, give them room to let their individuality run free.
Another way to compromise on wall paint is to limit the way out, offensive colors to just one wall. Pastel pink may have been great when your daughter was ten, but she probably hates it as a fifteen-year-old. If she wants her room lime green with yellow and turquoise dots let her go for it. After all, nobody told you what color you could paint your living room.
Paint the dresser and desk to match the theme if new furniture is not in the budget. Painting furniture and changing drawer pulls can go a long way to making up for not getting a whole new bedroom set.
Buy inexpensive shelving, or, if you’re handy, build shelves to help keep stuff that otherwise ends up on the floor looking neat and organized. Projects like this can be a great way to bond with your teenager too!
