When you first sit down to discuss the room with your teen, you’re
going to find that she wants more of everything. For instance she’ll
want extra seating and sleeping space available for friends. Don’t
panic, though. Providing her with what she wants doesn’t have to be
expensive. By using a bit of ingenuity you can help her create a
fantastic teen bedroom without breaking the bank.
1. The first thing you and your teen need to do is come up with some
ideas. You may want to have her invite some of her friends to this
session. Listen to what they have to say, and don’t just automatically
say “no” to their ideas. This is a great time for you to share your
thoughts, ideas, desires, and even concerns while both bonding and
coming up with a great ideas for her new room that you’ll both love.
2. Determine the things your teen would like to have in her new room.
Then try to set up different areas in the room for different functions.
Maybe she’d like a vanity where she could do her hair and make-up. How
about a study area, an exercise area, or a place to hang out with
friends? Make the room as cozy as you can and as multi-functional as
possible in the amount of space available.
3. Your teen’s ideas for her new room will undoubtedly include a
brand new set of bedroom furniture. You need to explain the money
situation with her and help her understand that the responsibility of
paying for a lot of the things she wants will be up to her. Talk about
alternate, less costly ways to update her room, and make sure she
participates in everything being done.
4. You might suggest ways that she can redecorate her room while
still using the same furniture. Here are a few ideas you may want to
give her:
* Suggest painting her furniture either a light color of using creative
painting techniques such as sponge-painting or using stencils.
* Take the old storage pieces that were once used for her toys and books
and stack them in a more adult way. Then paint the whole new piece one
color and add decorative hardware or accent lighting.
* You can update her bed by just buying a more grown-up style of headboard.
* Find new furniture pieces to add to the teen décor by looking through
items you are no longer using in the rest of the house, or take a
rummage through Grandma’s attic.
* Rearrange the furniture. Sometimes that’s all it takes to give the
room a more teen look plus a little paint, new accessories, or funky
lighting.
* Go to garage sales, secondhand shops, and flea markets looking for real finds that will look cool but cost very little.
5. Emphasize organization and storage in your teen’s room. When
deciding on the things to include in the room include shelves, a bed
with storage underneath, ways to maximize the space in her closet, and
rolling storage bins that can go under her bed. Get everything organized
before starting to decorate.
6. Most teens will have strange (to you) ideas for painting their
rooms. Is what he wants something you can tolerate in your house? After
all, colors can affect moods, and teens already have plenty of those. Go
with his preferences if you possibly can, because you can always paint
over them later. You might also suggest only using his color on one
wall.
