When big kids become little teenagers, you know it’s time to upgrade their room. Preparing for high school, change of interests and a new phase of live. Personal taste and functional storage solutions are key while designing a teenager’s room.
A growing child
When a child grows into a teenager a lot of things change. Some for the best, while other.. well, let’s say it’s an interesting phase of life 😉
Children are very aware of their surroundings. Growing up they’ll want to change the style of their room as often as the style of their clothes.
Why? So whatever surrounds them will reflect their personality. When their room (or your house) does not feel like a welcoming and safe place to them, it can result in frustrated behaviour, sleepless nights and a lack of concentration. Just as a trendy pair of trousers can lift your look up and make you feel better and more confident, so does your (personal) space at home.
Functionality first
Most kids have a clear vision about what they like or don’t like. Generally speaking it’s about colours and accessories (style). Since their personal taste is changing every month, let’s cover the basics first.
Best advantage of a room with plenty of storage space is that it will make it easier on the child itself to keep it organized and tidy!
Declutter before design
Decluttering is a smart thing to do when transitioning into a different phase of life. Your child becoming a teenager (and later on a young adult) means changing lifestyle. For a certain time they want to be surrounded by their stuffed animals and Lego constructions. Then, all of the sudden, this doesn’t seem relevant anymore, yet the items will remain in their place while new ones are added to the collection. Overwhelm and chaos are around the corner..
This phase is perfect for teaching them the basics of decluttering! It will allow them to understand what they actually need, what can go and how to limit (and validate!) their ‘special items’.
Since decluttering isn’t an easy thing to do (and we as parents have a hard time letting go of their items packed with ‘childhood memories’), you can find my tips on the basics of decluttering here.
Teenager’s style
Of course one could go over the top when designing a room for kids or teenagers. It’s a fun project!
Yet my personal advice is to keep the basics neutral and cohesive to the rest of your house. This will create a perfect canvas to add personality through colour!
Since changing wall paint is much easier than changing furniture, this will ensure an easy upgrade every time your teenager’s taste will change. And we all know that could be different every month 😉
Wrong colours
What to do when your child loves a colour you absolutely don’t like?
You could always opt to find a compromise. Perhaps a different shade in the same colour scheme will work for both of you.
Personally, I believe in trusting your child’s vision. They instinctively know what colour they need to be surrounded with in order to feel great. Yes, this means accepting black as well!
Of course there are different ways to add their colour preferences to the design. Looking for inspiration? Check these shared boys room, shared girls room and baby blue teenager’s room.
Atmosphere at home
Last but not least is atmosphere. It’s created by paying attention to little details. Small touches with a lot of impact on how happy we feel at home.
Creating Happy Homes is also about creating happy rooms for children and growing teenagers! When they feel at ease in their personal environment, it will allow them to feel focused, relaxed and inspired to be the best version of themselves. Isn’t this all we want for our kids?!
Not sure how or where to start when redesigning your teenager’s room? Book your free 1-1 call to discover the possibilities. Looking forward to meeting your teenager!
As an interior designer I help expat families with home improvements, including renovations and tailored design solutions.
As a coach at home, I help expat mothers of young families who feel overwhelmed by the challenges of both home life and the expat lifestyle.
Best of both worlds is the Happy Home package where it comes all together!