Find a Fun and Creative Way to Incorporate Their Passions

Now for phase two of the “strategic freedom stage” of the operation. This part will take patience- you’re going to be working as a team with your teen to come up with clever and sophisticated ways to pay homage to their passions. What are they into? What do they love? What do they spend all of their free time doing?

You’re going to inevitably get some eye rolls when you initially begin the process, but don’t get discouraged! If you spend extra time doing a little research and finding inspiration that you know will catch your teen’s eye, they might even have fun being, so hands-on with the job.

Here are just a few ideas to help you get your inspirational wheels turning. These are some rooms we’ve done for teens that were ready to ditch their “little kid” rooms for something a little more sophisticated, but definitely not boring.

• If your teen is a big fan of sneakers, give them the proper shelving to let those shoes shine… afterall, they practically cost the same as high-end artwork, you might as well display them as such.
• Dance competitions, horse shows, swim meets, baseball games… the list goes on! And does the collection of medals, trophies, and other awards. Use wall space to create a fun hanging display for medals and awards.
• If you have a future rock star in the house, make an afternoon thrifting date (they’ll hate it at first, be prepared) to find old records to include in a gallery wall. You can use the actual vinyls and the covers. Vintage music photos would be another great addition to the gallery wall, and they’re easy to find.
• Open shelving is an easy way to make a chic display of some very not-so-chic things. If you strategically place a few components of their prized collections on the shelf, you might be able to bargain to have the rest in a less visible location.

Cleverly Disguised Study Area

In theory, if you create an inviting yet “very, very cool” study space, it will get used more. However, this is another one of those times when you can’t look too eager to make it happen, because you know where that will end up.

In the case of encouraging late middle schoolers and high schoolers to not avoid studying, you can’t give them any excuse to not like the space. Again, giving your teen careful choices here and allowing them to be hands-on in this process will greatly benefit your end result.

You want to make sure the area is conducive to studying, so there should be a very comfortable and possibly trendy desk and chair situation. A built-in desk with cabinets and shelving is one option that always works well, if you have the space. With the addition of extra storage is always a huge bonus.

Use an area rug to define the area further and separate it from the rest of the room. You can also include a fun accent chair or floor cushions for more relaxed options, and of course for those “study group” afternoons.

Designated Zones

As adults, we create our bedspace to be as relaxing as possible, so when we finally get to lay down at the end of the day, we can enjoy the moment. Teens, not so much. They’re just fine sitting in and on their bed all day.

Enter distinct zones for sleeping and that “chillin’” thing teens do. Separate the key areas of the overall space to allow for plenty of room to relax, gather, play around, and study. A designated bed area paired with a trendy, fun, and comfortable lounge space encourages teens to get up and out of bed- even if they don’t know it. And let’s be honest, it might be better to sneak it in that way. Just a few steps to the left to sit in a beautiful rattan chair or plush lounger can make all the difference.

If you’re working with a smaller space, an area rug with luxe floor pillows and a chaise is plenty. But if you have lots of area to cover, you can add a sofa with fun toss pillows, accent chairs, and even a small table.

Another element to consider, whether we want to admit it or not, is that teens sneak food into their rooms. It’s a right of passage. Giving them a place to sit besides their bed will hopefully curb any urges to sit in the bed and eat, and let’s be honest here, just knowing you’ve done your part to help that not happen should make you sleep better at night.

Don’t Forget the Stylish Storage

Simplicity is the key to success with this piece of the puzzle. To start, assess your teen’s wardrobe while considering realistic expectations as far as their ability to follow the system you put in place- ability and willingness, we’ll say.

For dirty clothes, a simple (and big) laundry basket or hamper will do the trick, or you could even go as far as to use a laundry sorter if you think your teen will cooperate. If it’s going to be more of a chore for you, or you’ll stress about them not doing it right, skip it and just go with the easiest modern solution.

Keep the dirty clothes hamper somewhere far away from the actual clothes storage, but close enough that it’s easy to reach with as little effort as possible. Keeping the dirty clothes away from any clean clothes will lessen your risk of cross contamination. It will also prevent any, shall we say, aromas, from potentially reaching the clean clothes.

Stylish storage is just as important as the other decor in your teen’s space. A beautiful dresser with fun drawer pulls is the ideal way to go for clothing storage. Or, you could try a simple chest of drawers that fits inside the closet might be a better option for your teen’s space.

Think beyond the traditional storage and start taking advantage of any untapped potential spaces that might be good for hiding things that are less sightly. Rolling storage for under-the-bed is a brilliant place to keep things that you don’t want to see all the time, but can still be easy to pull out when needed.

Unique baskets and bins can fit on open shelving, but still harbor small little things that otherwise might make their way onto the floor, into the laundry basket, or who knows where else.

Teen Spaces Don’t Have to Be Scary

You don’t have to keep your teen’s bedroom door closed at all times. It has the power to be a beautiful and sophisticated space that also reflects your teen’s personality. Let it be part of your home and enhance what you’ve already built- a smart, stylish, and fun home that works for your family. And, that you of course love living in.

If you need to call in some reinforcements to help merge your teen space with the rest of your home, or maybe your teen still isn’t convinced that you know anything about design, we’ve got a whole team of experts that can swoop in and do it for you!

Contact us today to book a discovery call so we can better understand what you have in mind for your home and to see if we’re the right team to help you make that happen. Because guess what… kids and teens don’t get as much of a thrill out of messing up a space that someone besides their parents created.