Since your teen will soon grow into new phases and tire of whatever decor you and they select, it’s a good idea to try and recycle furnishings or find used stuff at garage sales and then refinish or otherwise redecorate items for your teenager’s bedroom.
You can take that old chest of drawers, desk or wood pedestal side table or old nursery-white nightstand and give it a new look with a faux finish or by painting it black, lime green or whatever color your teenager has selected to go with their funky teen room decor.
Making a teenager’s room an expression of their personality and interests doesn’t have to be a large budget project if you follow a few simple tips on how to make their room fun and interesting without spending a fortune.
Beds, Futons and Bedding
Futons can be a great, affordable bed choice for your teen’s room. Even if you just store a simple folding futon under the main bed for sleepovers, it will make a great addition.
Another way to give your teenager’s bed a new and cool look is to create a custom headboard. If they are into sports, perhaps a headboard made from plywood and painted to look like a basketball backboard, soccer goal or snowboard scene.
If your teenage daughter likes animal prints, you can easily cover a headboard with an inexpensive fabric in her favorite zebra stripe, cheetah or leopard pattern.
Of course, adding a comforter or bedspread and bed linens, pillows and blanket that match the bedroom’s theme, will complete her bed and since these are all items that must be replaced periodically anyway, you won’t have to worry about giving them away to the Goodwill next year or the year after when she decides that animal prints are out and shabby chic is suddenly in!
Comfy Chair Ideas
Chairs are another furniture element to consider for your teen’s bedroom. The more comfortable seating that is available, the more teenagers and their friends will want to spend relaxing and hanging out in the bedroom.
Bean bags like we all had as kids in the 70s are in again and these are cheap, comfortable and can be stored easily when not in use.
Take an old armchair or recliner and refinish it; if you are handy with a glue gun and staple gun, this is a project you can easily tackle yourself without spending a fortune.
Desks, Dressers and Nightstands
A desk is a very important piece of furniture for your teenager’s bedroom, since you want them to be comfortable when studying and doing homework. Be sure it has plenty of drawers to store school supplies and add a comfortable chair and work lamp.
Add a simple bookcase that matches the desk for books and display items like trophies, doll collections and other personal items your teen will want to proudly show off in his bedroom.
You can easily recycle old dressers and nightstands by refinishing them with faux paint, stenciling patterns that pull your design elements together cohesively.
Here’s a great and inexpensive tip; take any old table lamp and get a new shade for it. In my teenage boy’s room, we had splurged on a new Lazy Boy reclining chair and matching area rug with black background and cool jazz-inspired pattern. The theme really expresses his interests in music and his talents as a jazz musician.
So, we simply bought a swath of the same fabric as the chair and used our glue gun and staples to decorate the lampshade with the same fabric. Or, use a sheer fabric with funky pattern to throw interesting patterns of light on the walls and ceilings.
Start with a good cellulose, aluminum, wooden or other type of window blind as your base; this piece can always be reused if you decide to change draperies or other more decorative components of your teen’s bedroom window treatment.
Use the same fabrics selected for the bedding to create decorative curtains, a valance or cornice to complete your window treatment. Then, later if your teenager’s tastes change, you can easily switch out these fabric coverings as needed.
Closet Organizers
Go to Target or your favorite home improvement store to find great deals on closet organizers. Shelving, plastic or wire frame baskets make an excellent way to keep clothing, toys and other items well organized in your teenager’s closet and help prevent the clutter and chaos of clothing that can quickly overtake any teen’s bedroom.
Area Rugs and Accent Pieces
You can complete your teen room furnishings by adding a nice area rug that matches bedding, window treatments and wall paint colors. These are also easily changed out or moved to another room in the house in the case that your teen later decides to change decors.
As with any room decor, adding accent pieces is the best way to finish your teen room design. Let them decide what accent pieces they want. It is usually easy to use their own personal items as accent pieces since this is a great way for them to make the bedroom their own and express who they want to be as a young adult.
Selecting and refinishing furniture for a teen’s bedroom can be a fun project that helps parents and teenagers bond and gives kids an opportunity to make their bedroom a space that they love and want to spend time in alone or with friends.
this was alot of help! i am moving into a new room and i want a fun crazy teenager look! i am going into 8th grade and this will be great for me and my friends to hang in! Thx sooo much for this great info!
Teens need some limitations too; I don’t think you need a huge budget to do a lot of the things mentioned here.
And it really has to reflect their interests and tastes, so picking a theme comes easily for lots of teens. The challenge is finding something both you and they can live with!
where can i find the comforter pink ???
where can i buy it ??? for internet please i need an answer
Unfortunately the most creative items such as the pink comforter are hand-crafted so you have to find something or make your own so that’s it will be unique to your bedroom.
so i can’t buy the comforter :s ?
Where do i buy the pink zebra wallpaper?..Iv been looking everywhere for it or anything like it?..Anyone know?
Hello manganx,
American Blinds has the wallpaper:
http://www.americanblinds.com/products/wallpaper/index.asp?P=WP&cm_re=A-_-Top%20Nav-_-Wallpaper&si=8&N=4294967258&Ntk=search_pattern&Ntt=zebra&Nty=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ns=&results=1&sterm=keyword&sval=zebra
Or, you could also use stencils:
http://www.designerstencils.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=DS&Product_Code=3416&Category_Code=
Have Fun!
Sorry Stephanie; we can’t help you with that comforter. Perhaps a supplier who happens to read this will see a profit opportunity in mass producing something similar but until then only those crafty enough to make their own are fortunate enough to own one.
I cant find it on the website?..can u link me any closer to it?..and do u you know if you can get it or anything like it in ireland?
Here’s a link to pink zebra bedroom wallpaper sold by a UK company so they should be able to ship to you in Ireland:
http://wallpaperandborders.co.uk/wallpaper-shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=180&products_id=1228
Do you now where i could get cheap duvet cover with pillow case for a twin bed. I also would like a green or white valence. The duvet can be any colour that is stylish becuse i can paint my room a non-sycidelike colour. plz help im still trying to find a cool colour to paint my room.
Thank you so much..u hav been a great help!..but do you know if i can get it in ireland or anything like it?
Where can I find the metal wall covering in the boys’ picture?
Hi Shar. That is just corrugated metal siding like you’d see on some industrial buildings or sheds. You can probably find some at a home improvement center like Home Depot or Lowes. If not, try checking with a local siding supplier.
wow, also some teens look for a more colorful look, and by doing so=, can add many MANY cool looks under about …30 dollars all together.
for instance, hanging scarves that women use in their hair that is somewhat seethrough, can be hung from the door, so when you walk in it’s almost like walking into a whole new environment! also a fish bowl with a colorful beta fish can create lots of colors for 10 dollars tops. also candles add a colorful look, just explain to them, that they are for decor only, not for lighting unless you really trust them
Do you now where i could get cheap light green duvet cover with pillow case for a twin bed. I also would like a green or white valence. The duvet can be any colour that is stylish becuse i can paint my room a non-sycidelike colour. plz help
I want a lime green room but I don’t own anything green and my mom dosen’t want to spend alot of money. Any tips?
well what i would do is find a dresser and paint it lime green and start with that and once u do that u will start getting ideas
We are renting a house and my room has a built in desk and wood floor How can I make that stylish?
How can i make my bed room funky without spending alot?
well if u want a quilt just bye fabric and somewone in family must know how to sew just put most of ur color their and add pics put in chair/s and walah
i wa loking at the girl room and i was wondering where can i get the differnt color carpet? and thank you.
LOVE it needs a little spunk to it though but other than than that room is ROCKIN!!!!!!