Creating The Teen Bedroom Of Dreams

Notoriously difficult to deal with, and often even more difficult to negotiate with, teenagers don’t always make for the best project partners when it comes to bedroom design and decoration. Updating the interior design to make it suitable for a young adult while ensuring a decent degree of future proofing, and, of course, staying ‘cool’ can be a tricky balance – but fear not, Refresh have worked on even the most awkward of layouts. Consider the following tips and tricks for your teenage bedroom renovation… and give us a call if you need help doing it!

For bedroom sharing, play with split levels

Not everyone has the space for every child in the house to have their own room and while not ideal, there will inevitably be occasions where bedrooms have to be shared. Where this is the case, splitting levels of the room through the installation of a high bed. This buys space underneath for hang-out or study areas and can make a smaller room feel larger. Each bed and the room portion below can be personalised and decorated to suit the individual; and can even face away from one another to increase privacy.

Convert a garage or loft for self-contained living

Teenagers value their own space and getting them to a degree of self-sufficiency is never a bad thing. If a garage or loft is un- or under- used, converting it into a bedroom can provide a larger space than may otherwise be available, and therefore could include other features – such as an en-suite bathroom, tea and coffee making facilities, a sofa and/or a TV. 

Consider furnishings

One of the main differences between a child’s bedroom and a teenager’s bedroom is the amount of time spent in them – because when they’re not sleeping, chances are they’re gaming, studying or watching telly in their room. This means that furnishings are an essential consideration for teenager’s rooms. Plan the layout with them before any renovations take place and approach it like a studio apartment rather than just a sleeping space. Bean bags are great where there’s not room for armchairs or sofas, and a multi-purpose desk with smart storage can be home to lots of activities.

Be smart with screens

If your teenager is a tech junkie, it may be an idea to keep the biggest screen in the house in a common area of the home – so that you actually get to see them once in a while! What’s more, you’ll want to help them avoid unnecessary eye strain when they are using devices; so put lamps near the bed or seating areas.

Keep wall decorations temporary

Aside from the fact that teenagers will likely go through phases and trends during which they change their ‘look’ preferences, one day, they’ll leave home and you’ll need to reclaim the bedroom. Wall stickers are designed specifically to ‘cling’ to painted walls and not leave a mark and come in a variety of styles and designs. Framed photos, pictures and posters can be hung easily without doing too much damage and picture rails can be hung to avoid the dreaded use of blu-tak. 

Encourage organisation

Incorporating smart storage and organisational methods into a teenager’s bedroom design can help avoid clutter but also promotes the development of good habits in later life. Peg boards are great for photos, trinkets and caddy components, multi-drawer storage units for assorted ‘junk’ and blackboard walls for messages and notes that can be wiped away rather than screwed up and thrown vaguely in the direction of a waste paper basket.

Music fan? Start soundproofing

If your teenager is an aspiring musician or DJ, or they just like to listen to music of a genre or volume you don’t appreciate as much as they do, some sound proofing wouldn’t go amiss. Specialist acoustic panels can be installed to keep noise confined to the room and to improve the acoustics within, but there are cheaper and easier options to muffle sounds available too. 

Install power plugs wisely

Teenagers aren’t best known for their tidiness and by all means you should strive to avoid any situations that involve over-burdened adaptors and strewn cables on cluttered floors. Position power outlets by desks and the side of the bed or anywhere else appropriate. While you might not have much call for USB ports, most teenagers will and so outlets with these facilities may be beneficial. If you can’t move the electrics, consider buying furniture and lamps with wireless charging built-in – these can now be purchased widely at chain homeware stores. 

Invest cleverly

As with all interior design, the key to longevity is to opt for timeless style and keep the expensive elements to the essentials. A high-quality bed and mattress is important, as these can continue use should the space become a guest bedroom, and keep wardrobes chunky, well-built and likely to last. If all new furniture is out of your budget, upcycling second-hand pieces can be effective and takes advantage of items that have already lasted the test of time. Even better – get your teenager involved and take them shopping to junk yards, vintage shops and car boot sales; it’ll be a good bonding experience, a chance for them to find something they really like and an opportunity to seek out inspiration together. You may even be able to teach them the art of the haggle!
Teenagers really do need their own space and their bedroom should be a sanctuary for them away from the ever-changing and often very stressful world outside. It can certainly be frustrating to feel as though your kids spend all of their time in their room, but if it’s a room you’ve helped designed, are sure is fit for purpose and know well, it’ll definitely take the sting out of the lack of quality time. And hey – they’ll be out as soon as they need some laundry done or a snack fixing! 

Get in touch!

For help in creating a teen sanctuary, get in touch with our expert renovation specialists today for a no obligation chat to see what we can do for you and your family.