Where do you start?
Where do you start with teen room decorating? They are between 13-19 years of age. Fads come and go so fast it makes your head spin (just don't spew any green stuff, please).
They're not children any more, but they aren't adults quite yet either. Do you want to stop the insanity?
If you haven't already, this is the point where you might start making some big changes in their rooms.
And the good news is, they're old enough to help you with this teen room decorating project!!
In fact, they may want to do most if not all of it themselves. You might provide the budget, and a guiding hand and leave them to their own devices.
You may need to do a real make over on the walls if your young one demolished the previous paint job. But if it's just the lower portion that's bad and she's happy with the main color, you could just treat this part of the wall.
Try using some type of paneling treatment (beadboard paneling looks nice), faux paint finish or wallpaper. Then add a chair rail molding with a wallpaper border above it (if you used paneling) or a border above or below if you did a paint finish or wallpaper.
When you're doing teen room decorating you'll probably be making a complete change in the bedding and window treatments as well, and possibly the furniture.
He will probably want a room that looks more like his own private space, more apartment-like. You will likely be adding to the existing furniture or replacing it entirely for a more 'grown-up' look.
Who's all this stuff for anyway?
Is this her furniture or yours? If you plan to let her take it with her for her first apartment, keep that future use in mind. If you want to keep it for use as guest room furniture, that's also a consideration. This decision is best made now before you go shopping.
Think 'apartment' when you are teen room decorating. Use items like entertainment centers, bookshelves, armoires and desks.
These are all items that are very useful now as teens, but just as appropriate for them as adults in their own place. This doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg either!
Have you seen some of the Sauder furniture that you put together yourself? Not bad, not bad at all!
Hey! You don't even have to leave home. You can shop together with your teen, or you can bookmark some sites that have things that you might like to use, then he can go back and pick the ones that are okay with him, and then you can make the final decision together. Or vice versa, let your teen bookmark some items and then you can go back and give final approval.
It's time to get serious. . . .
Decorating your teen's room might be a total headache. But come on, it's her room, not yours. Granted it's in your house, but there needs to be compromise. So stop fighting, right now! That's enough, both of you!
Each of you get a sheet of paper and list what you envision for this teen room decorating project. List things in levels of priority, with number one being most important to you. . . . .
List colors, theme, furniture, window treatments, bedding and so on. Then sit down and talk, yes talk, about your lists, and on the first couple of points (priorities) you may need to come to a compromise. Here's where the negotiations begin. Work it out.
Have you watched that show called Designing for the Sexes? The man and the woman have total opposite ideas on how to decorate, and get nothing done because neither one of them will budge from their decorating perspective.
Well, they need to do one called Designing for the Teenager all about teen room decorating challenges.