Tips for Furnishing a Bedroom Fit for a Teenager

It probably seems like only yesterday you were transforming the spare room into an idyllic space for your new-born to rest their weary head. Since then, the years have flown by and now you’re left with a teenager who has outgrown their room. Redecorating your son or daughter’s bedroom is an undertaking that shouldn’t be undertaken lightly.

This room is their hallowed escape from the outside world, somewhere they can go to relax without being disturbed. A teenager’s bedroom should be a comfortable environment and one that can cope with the inevitable changes in interests, hobbies and attitudes. It should also strike a balance between being somewhere they can knuckle down with schoolwork, but also enjoy themselves and be entertained. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Paint

While it is easy to pick common colours and follow a gender stereotype, the reaction of your adolescent offspring is likely to be negative. Consulting your children as to which colour they desire is a good idea and a positive relationship during the painting process will result in a happier teen.

Just remember that a teenager’s taste comes and goes as often as their mood swings so err on the side of caution, as a bold choice could mean a redecoration in a few months’ time. In spite of this, paint will be the cheapest part of your redecoration, and can be much easier to change or modify compared to furniture and fittings.

Encouraging a more mature look and giving your teenager the responsibility to pick the style and feel could even result in a more grown-up attitude, something all parties would benefit from.

Furniture

When it comes to furniture you have two choices. You can either purchase the items that your child wants at that particular time, or choose furniture that will stand the test of time.

Satisfying a teenager’s immediate desire may be easier, but it’s potentially more expensive, as a bedroom refit in the future is a distinct possibility. Nevertheless, a younger sibling, relative or friend may be more than happy to inherit the furniture once its run its initial course.

Buying quality long lasting furniture that isn’t too old fashioned or immature is the sensible decision. If it doesn’t become a permanent fixture in your house for generations, it could easily move with your teenager to college, university or even their first home.

In any case, quality, affordable furniture is readily available. For example Sainsbury’s homewarehas a comprehensive range of items that cater for all preferences and tastes. Bedroom furniture, mattresses and children’s items are all available and you can even collect those valuable Nectar points too. Be sure to check out the Sainsbury’s bedding sale for affordable extras that can be used to personalise the room.

Storage

Teenagers tend to acquire a lot of items during their growing years. Whether trophies from sporting events at school or musical instruments bought from painstaking saving, they are going to want to display their prized possessions. A clothing collection that grows at an exponential rate also needs to be stored and schoolwork must be put in order. Therefore space in a teenager’s room is at a premium.

Storage solutions can not only keep a room organised, encouraging your teen to keep the place clean, it is also a great opportunity to add some personality and flair for a relatively modest outlay.

Shelving allows your teenager to display what they want, noticeboards are useful for pinning up those important letters from school and boxes under the bed enable unwanted clutter to be hidden away.

Work

As a parent, you’ll have to decide whether it is a good or bad thing to have your teenager doing homework in their room. There will obviously be a temptation to entertain themselves and subsequently lose motivation for homework, however having a dedicated space means they can be comfortable and relaxed while working on assignments.

Giving them the responsibility to manage their time and taking it upon themselves to work can have extremely positive outcomes.

Entertainment

If you give your teenager access to television, music, the Internet and computer games in their room you may not see them for days. However, deny them all of these luxuries and you’ll have a very stroppy adolescent on your hands.

Therefore some compromise is needed. Give your teenager access to the entertainment they want, but also come up with alternatives to how you can interact and have fun together rather than just saying no.

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