Decorating For Teens

Guest post by Scarlett on Decorating For Teens

At some point, your growing child is going to want to decorate their room "their" way. It is as inevitable as the sun setting. But, how to you do it without too much drama, no fights, and without breaking the household budget, especially if you have more than one teen in the house? With the following tips, you might just survive the experience, in time for the next one.

The first rule, no matter what your teen wants, he or she has to stay within a budget. You set the total amount, not them. If they blow it all on one "have to have" item, they will just have to live with it.

The budget includes everything, from the paint for the walls to the rugs for the floor. And, do not let them weasel more money out of you. Besides getting the room the way they want it to be, they are also learning two valuable lessons they hopefully will carry with them in later years: how to get the most for their money as well as living on a budget.

Work with your teen on what they want their "new" room to look like. Sit down together and work out a floor plan on paper, listing exactly what they want changed. Go over how you would implement the plan, like starting with the rug they want, then paint or wallpaper, followed by curtains and bedding, plus any artwork or other decorations they want. Explain how different colors go together, and come up with a final list of things they want to purchase.

Starting with rugs, if they are unmovable on having their particular favorite thing reflected on the rug pattern, it might be time to look into what might be available in kids rugs. It is true that this makeover is going to last well into their teen years and beyond, but if it makes them happy, go for it. After all, if they get tired of it, any girls rugs or boys rugs that they may desperately want now, can always be removed later on.

If they cannot decide on what type of area rugs they want, suggest trying reversible braided rugs in complementary colors, for now. Once they see it, they might just like the idea of being able to flip it to change the look. As far as the walls, however, this is where you might want to exert some sort of control. Paint can be redone at a later point quite easily, but, wallpaper, not so much.

So if your teen boy desperately wants his walls done in wallpaper featuring his favorite superheroes, you might want to suggest painting the walls the same color as the background on the wallpaper, and buying some matted posters instead. Saves money, and at the same time, saves future drama when your teen is tired of the wallpaper choice they made when they were younger. Keep the artwork down to a minimum for the same purpose. But, above all, have fun when you are decorating for teens..

Share this page with your Facebook friends by clicking the Like button.