The coronavirus inspired many homeowners to take a second look at their houses and tackle remodeling projects that improved their experiences staying at home. Kitchen and bath remodels, office additions, and improvements to security and privacy, like putting up new fencing, continue to take off with record numbers of households undertaking these home renovations.
During the remodeling process, teenagers’ bedrooms often get overlooked — and that may turn out to be a critical mistake. Unfortunately, as of last year, teenagers are struggling. Millions of teenagers missed memorable life events, like graduation, sports events, and prom. Now as children transition back to part-time or full-time in-person learning, they are still feeling the effects of loneliness and social isolation. Teens are “trying to navigate this huge change — a huge change in their social lives, a huge change in their home lives, and a change in their academics. They’re trying to understand what their futures will be like and that is throwing many teens in crisis,” Associate Director of Psychiatric Services at Washington’s Children’s National Hospital, Colby Tyson, tells The Washington Post.
While the solutions to this problem are not always straightforward, there are some relatively simple things you can do to help boost your teen’s mental health. One of them is breathing new life into your teen’s surroundings at home. A new bedroom can help give teenagers something to look forward to even when they are stuck at home. Use these remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom to give your teen’s space a brand-new look.
Consider Your Teen’s Interests and Hobbies
Are you at a loss? If you are struggling to get your teenager’s room makeover up and running, use this list to get inspired — and one of the first items on our list of remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom is to begin with your teen’s hobbies and interests.
Your teen’s ideal bedroom may look very different depending on whether he or she loves football, swimming, painting, or Minecraft private server hosting.
If your child is a big Minecraft fan, for example, there are several ways you can transform their space into the ultimate Minecraft-themed bedroom. You may consider:
- A Minecraft-themed accent wall. Minecraft has a signature, pixilated style. Use painter’s tape and straight edges to create simple designs like clouds, fields, or grass.
- In-theme wall decor. There are plenty of pixilated swords and tools that you can purchase online to make your teenager’s room look complete.
- Carefully chosen accents. Just like there is a wide variety of wall decor available, you can also find Minecraft comforter sets, pillows, blankets, rugs, and curtains available for sale.
You may also consider converting their bedroom into the perfect space to explore that particular interest or hobby. If your child is a painting enthusiast, purchase light-filtering curtains that let a lot of natural light into the room. Set aside an appropriate space for an easel, canvas, and paints, and hang works from their favorite artists on the walls. For a teen who enjoys video games, on the other hand, add a gaming PC, a large computer monitor (or two), and neon strip lighting to illuminate their gaming station.
Think About How Private Items Will Be Stored
Teenagers are learning to navigate social niceties and battling to establish self-confidence. One of the simplest — and perhaps most underrated — remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom is to give them an appropriate space to store private items.
What constitutes a private item may vary from teen to teen. For example, although 85% of teens have at least some degree of acne, many are embarrassed about it. Get them the appropriate dermatology care services, and allow them to take care of their skincare routine on their own and store skincare products in a safe, appropriate place away from view. While their routine is not shameful or out of the ordinary, granting them some privacy may make them feel more comfortable.
Likewise, give teenage girls private storage space for their toiletries, allow teens to keep diaries, journals, poems, and song lyrics securely put away, and, unless there are extenuating circumstances that may warrant an exception, do not go rifling through your teenager’s trash.
Often, bathroom cabinets, bathroom drawers, a dresser, or desk drawers should easily serve this purpose. As long as teens behave, let them know that you will not go snooping. If you need to change these rules or boundaries, let teens know the reasons for these changes.
Choose a Theme
Revamp teens’ bedrooms by asking your child to choose a theme. Themes run the gamut. Your teen may choose anything from the mountains, flowers, the beach, a beloved book or film, cars, or custom bicycles. Whatever the case may be, sit down and brainstorm with your teen. If their chosen theme is practical, take the next steps to remodel their bedroom.
- Repaint. Adding a fresh layer of paint to the walls is one of the easiest things you can do, and it makes a tremendous difference. If your teen chooses a beach-themed room, consider painting the room a striking blue or a pale, sunshine yellow. For a mountain-themed room, dusky blues and purples, grays, and earth tones work. To complete the look, designate a wall to be an accent wall. Purchase wall decals or wallpaper that fits your child’s theme.
- Turn a critical eye to your teen’s furnishings. If your teen chooses a beach theme, dark pine furniture will look out of place. Swap out old pieces for driftwood, distressed wood, white furniture, or furniture with nautical details, like blue and white furniture or furniture with rope details.
- Accessorize. Once you have a theme, run with it. Choose light fixtures, carpets, pillows, curtains, and any other accessories that may complement or highlight your theme.
Repaint and Rearrange Furniture
Remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom may vary by teen. While some teens will be onboard with a theme, others may prefer something simpler and more subtle. For these teens, repainting and rearranging the furniture can make a big difference.
If your teen wants to significantly change the look and feel of their bedroom, repainting or bringing in a residential painting service can easily do that. There are painting tricks and tips you can use to make rooms appear larger, make ceilings appear higher, or even to make rooms feel less cluttered. To make a small room appear larger, paint the walls white. To make short ceilings appear higher, paint the walls your teen’s favorite dark color and keep the ceiling white. Finally, teens have their preferences and favorite things, and they can be reluctant to let go of them. With the right paint, they do not have to. If the room is a little crowded, paint furniture and built-in bookshelves the same color as the walls to give rooms the appearance of being more open and having more space. Disguise vents and any other, less visually appealing features by painting them the same color as well.
To create more space when rearranging furniture, choose symmetrical layouts and maximize your use of vertical space. That may mean choosing a tall, slim dresser instead of a wider one, stacking storage bins, or even raising the bed up onto a platform.
Soundproof the Room
Is your teen is a fan of loud music or playing the drums? Read the next remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom carefully.
As parents, it is only natural to want to encourage your child’s artistic pursuits — not to stifle them. It is also natural for hours of loud drumming, out-of-tune music, or sharp notes to get under our skin, and that applies to even the most patient parents. A good compromise is to soundproof your teenager’s bedroom. That way, he or she will be able to listen to music as loud as they like. They will be able to learn their instrument of choice and play it whenever they want. They can even practice with friends who are also learning.
Start with silicone and spray foam for soundproofing. If you need more soundproofing, purchase thick foam tiles or large, wood and fabric panels to further dampen sounds in the room. Remember the best remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom can also be practical ones.
Consider Your Teen’s Privacy
Teenagers value their privacy. “Giving teens some space and privacy can work wonders for their development. Not only do they feel trusted, but they also feel capable and confident,” Verywell Family writes. It is best to keep your teenager’s privacy in mind generally speaking and while following remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom.
For example, if you are recently going through a divorce, allow your teen to journal about their experiences or ask if they would benefit from a therapy session or a series of therapy sessions. Let them know that you are there for them and always willing to talk if they like, but that there are also private ways for them to express their feelings and vent their frustrations.
Approach your teen’s room the same way. Knock on their door before entering, give them plenty of time alone, and allow them to purchase appropriate coverings for their windows, like blinds or blackout curtains, for additional privacy and to help them sleep. If your teen wishes to display a poster from a band or video game you do not particularly like, consider it part of respecting your teen’s privacy and individuality and let them decorate their bedroom however they like.
Makeover Your Teen’s Bathroom
Of course, you may want to look beyond remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom. Teens may also benefit from improvements to their bathrooms. To successfully remodel your teen’s bathroom, consider a mix of practicality and style.
Begin the process with the items you need to address, and then you can move on to things your teen would like to have. For example, start with toilet repair, adding caulk and grout around tiles, faucets, sink taps, and showerheads, and by fixing slow draining tubs and sinks. From there, you can move on to luxuries that may require working with a bathroom remodeling service. Swap out old cabinets for new ones with extra storage for your teen’s things. Install a deep soaking tub for teenage girls or a sleek, frameless shower enclosure for boys. If teens share a bathroom with their siblings, consider installing cabinets with double sinks.
Can the Basement Be Your Teen’s Bedroom?
Is it possible to relocate your teen’s bedroom to the basement? It may seem like a win-win for you. You free up space for a guest room or at-home office, grant your teen more privacy, put more space between rooms and your teenager’s bedroom (dampening sounds, etc.), and many teens even dream of the perfect, refinished attic or basement bedroom.
A basement bedroom checks off a lot of boxes, but it may surprise you to learn that they are not always legal or in accordance with state rules. While the specifics may vary from state to state, in general, you will need windows of certain dimensions (check your local building codes) and a second door or sizable window that meets safety exit requirements in the event of a fire.
Of course, even with legal codes met, there still may be a considerable amount of work for you to do. If your teen will be using the basement as a permanent bedroom, it is important to ascertain that there is sufficient ductwork and/or heating or cooling reaching that part of the house as well.
Once these basics have been met, you can talk to your teen about a theme, bedroom paint color, and furnishings.
Putting together a teenager’s bedroom can be very different from putting together a nursery, guest room, or an adult bedroom. Talk to your teen about his or her preferences, and draw inspiration from the remodeling and decorating tips for teenage bedroom above.