Tapping into a Teen’s Personality for Decorating Ideas
by Veronica Smith

Decorating a room for a teen, such as their bedroom or a game room, can be a great way to introduce a teen to design and decorating. Teens often enjoy being part of the planning process, which can help insure that the finished room will not only suit their needs but also reflect their personal style. Teens often love things which are unusual and unique, which lends itself to a very inexpensive and fun style of decorating.

Decorating for Function

Although style is definitely important for a teen's room, design emphasis should also be placed on providing functionality. Teens use their rooms for a lot of different purposes besides just sleeping, such as studying, listening to music and hanging out with their friends. In addition to the usual bedroom furnishings, try adding features that will make it easy for teens to enjoy these other types of activities, such as adding extra seating or even an entertainment center to house a television, game system and music system. Multi-purpose furniture such as futons beds that provide storage drawers are also great choices for a teen's room. A desk and study area is important in any teen's room as well, and should include a comfortable ergonomically designed chair and desk. Provide plenty of storage options, and optimize closet space by using organization systems or other closet accessories such as a shoe rack that can be hung over a closet door. A bookcase or shelving unit is also a great addition to any teen's room.

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Decorating for Style

A teen's room is a reflection of their individual style, and as such they should be given as much freedom as possible when decorating. Paint is an easy way and inexpensive way to add a lot of color to a room, and even if they select a dark and dramatic color, it's easy to switch back to something more neutral in the future. Although many teens feel they have outgrown a "theme" bedroom, many times an overall color theme can be used effectively. An overall interest such as music, fashion or a specific sport can also provide the inspiration for many teen room decorating ideas. For example, framed record album covers, posters and other musical memorabilia can provide the basis for a room with a music theme. This can also be quite effective for a game room. Teenage girls often have a preference for specific styles of decorating that they find appealing, such as shabby chic, retro or art deco, while teenage boys often prefer a simpler decorating style. Both boys and girls often have collections that can provide the inspiration for a room's decor, including sports card or memorabilia collections, music collections or even stuffed animal collections.

Decorating to Support a Cause

Teens can be very passionate about various causes, such as environmental or social issues, all of which can be used as the basis for teen room decorating ideas. For example, using decorating materials made from recycled or easily renewable natural resources such as bamboo, including LED lighting units and utilizing recycled and repurposed furniture can be a good approach for an environmentally conscious teen.

While looking for an opportunity in decorating Veronica Smith found herself working with AmericanArtisanArt.com where she developed her own unique style for metal wall art and contemporary metal wall art.

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