Your teen’s room is probably one of the hardest spaces to decorate in your home. At this point in their lives, they aren’t ready to move out and live on their own, but they do want a space that’s just for them. They think of their bedroom as a place where they can go to be alone, relax, kick back, and just be themselves.
Partnering with your teen and making the decisions together will help you make a bedroom that’s good for studying, sleeping, and hanging out with friends. So, what are the most important elements to think about when making a room for your growing youngster?
Cosy Bed
Their room won’t be complete without a bed, so that’s the first thing they need in their room. Most teens don’t care as much as adults do about having a stylish bed frame or headboard. Instead, many of them would pay more attention to the size of the bed, how cosy the sheets and blankets are, how comfortable the mattress is, and the colours or patterns.
Most teens would love a comfy and spacious size king single mattress that can be used for more than just sleeping. They might do homework on it, watch movies on it, or even have sleepovers with their friends. Also, buying a bigger mattress might be more useful and save you money than buying a twin mattress.
You don’t want to buy a small bed for them just to find out a year later that they’ve grown out of it. Work with your teen to find out if they have a theme in mind for the bedding and sheets for their king single mattress. Take them with you when you go shopping for sheets and other bedding.
Most king single mattresses have an innerspring design, which consists of a continuous steel coil system that provides support for your body. This is usually combined with memory foam, latex, or hybrid materials to ensure a good night’s rest. At 107cm x 203cm with a firm comfort level, it offers the necessary support and comfort for a growing body. It also prevents sinking into the mattress, which has been known to cause back pain.
Studying Station
Teenagers have a lot of homework, so a quiet place to work is a good idea if you want your child to have a regular study schedule and you have the space. This can be as simple as a thin desk or shelf against the wall, with a good task light and a place to put notes, books, and pens. Wall-mounted storage and a small stool that can be tucked under the desk when not in use can also help organise study notes and loose papers.
Layers of Light
Any room needs a variety of lighting, but especially a teen’s bedroom, which needs to fit different moods at different times of the day. It’s important to have bright task lighting by the desk for homework and by the bed for reading. But at the same time, softer, more relaxed lighting like fairy lights or warm table lamps can help create a cosy den when your teen’s homework is done for the day and the room needs to change into a place where they can relax.
Blackout Blinds
Sleep is important at any age, but especially when you’re a teenager. A dark, quiet place to sleep should be a big part of the bedroom design. The best way to control the amount of light and block out street lamps or early morning sun is to use blackout blinds or lined curtains. And if they have balcony space, you can use it and create an outdoor idle zone for your teenage and their friends!
Storage Space
When kids are still very young, they need a place to put their toys in their bedroom or playroom. But as they get older, they need more storage space because they need bigger clothes, shoes, school books, and stuff for their hobbies. Buy as much closed storage as you can, like chests of drawers, blanket boxes, and built-in cupboards, to keep most of these things out of sight. Anything that can be closed and tucked away is your friend here.
Big Enough Wardrob
Teenagers’ clothes are a big part of how they express themselves, so it’s important that they have a place to show them off and be recognised. With a combination of useful shelves, hooks, or a rail, everyday clothes can be neatly put away out of sight, while a few favourite pieces can be put on display and admired. In the same vein, a laundry basket is a good addition if there is still room to be put to good use.
Hang-Out Area
When your teen’s friends come over, they probably won’t want to hang out with the rest of the family in the living room. This means that space and privacy to hang out are often high on the list of priorities for a teenage bedroom. Beanbags, soft rugs, and lots of cushions can help teens sit on the floor, so make sure you have a lot of soft fabrics, and your teens will regard you as the coolest parent around (even if they don’t tell you so!).
Digital Zone
Dealing with technology is an important part of designing a teen’s bedroom, and USB charging ports are probably a must-have for powering phones, tablets, and computers. But if you want to limit how much time your child spends in front of a screen at home, you might want to create a “digital zone” in one corner of the room, away from the bed, where all devices can be left when it’s time to sleep, instead of putting a charging station near the bed.
