As kids grow-up into their tween and teenage years, and teenagers grow into young adults, their everyday preferences evolve and their new personal styles begin to shine through. Though it may be easier to accommodate their maturing personal styles through clothing and grooming, it’s also important to support their evolving personal style in the space that is uniquely their own.
As you dive-into helping your son or daughter re-design their bedroom during a milestone age transition, here’s a few tips to help you get started:
Employ Intentionality
Take some time to sit with your preteens and adolescents and really listen to what they hope to find in their bedroom space. While a full room re-design may not always be realistic, implementing changes based on specific needs will go a long way in giving them a space that’s uniquely their own. From basic things like added storage to more design-driven requests like a new wall color, drapery or bedding, creating a plan based on specific requests will make the process more enjoyable for the both of you.
Take Stock of their Personal Style
Take some time to figure out the objects, motifs, colors and patterns they are drawn to by taking a closer look at what they wear, point out and talk about. By observing their everyday items like the wallpaper on their phone, the graphics on their t-shirts and their favorite video game or tv show, you’ll get insight into the patterns and colors they gravitate to the most.
Include both Present and Past
Though you’re designing for the future, it’s still important to think about the past. Include items that reflect both their past and present style preferences while allowing for flexibility for their design style to evolve. Sometimes it's tempting to scrap patterns, objects and colors because it’s a seemingly fast way to create change, but because growing-up is a moment of transition, it's important to continue to reflect personality in their room. For example, if your tween girl really likes butterflies or flowers, find butterfly or flower motifs that are more sophisticated in their style to give the room a more mature look. Whether through the intricacy of the pattern or the scale of the motif, you can showcase and include their style preferences in a more grown-up look through a motif that is already both familiar and preferred.
Let Color be Your Friend
Refine the color palette to reflect their own personal style. Instead of incorporating patterns with the primary red, blue and yellow color palette often found in toys and designs for early school age kids, opt for a richer color palette, or even a more neutral color palette, to convey a more grown-up look. From a shift to jewel-tones like ruby, jade or sapphire, to softer or muted colors like mauve and slate green, you can still incorporate their preferred colors, through a more sophisticated color palette.
Metallic Remix
Incorporating metals into a color palette is a great way to grow-up a look. From including table or floor lamps that feature metal finishes, to small metal vases and frames, products with metal finishes provide a more grown-up look to an interior environment.
Material Upgrade
Convey maturity through the materials in the room. More fragile products like glass vases and intricately woven drapery place emphasis on care of materials, and are a sign of care by more mature hands.
Ready to give this a try?
Here’s a quick list to help you “grow-up” your growing one’s bedroom decor:
- Replace plastic bins with wood boxes and woven baskets.
- Place glass vases and objects on the dresser.
- Display ceramic jars and vases on wall-mounted ledges.
- Include a leafy indoor plant on a side table or in a basket on the floor next to a window.
- Showcase metal objects in bookcase nooks.
- Include age appropriate books and novels at nightstands.
Got a few tips you’d like to share with us? We’d love to read them, drop us a line in the comments below.