Try These Four Pointers for Teenage Bedroom Design
Designing a teenage bedroom can be an interesting challenge.
At this point, the nursery décor your teen grew up with has got to go. On the other hand, you can’t simply decorate the room the same way you would with an adult bedroom.
Thankfully, there are some general guidelines you can keep in mind that could apply to any teenage bedroom.
1. Create separate zones for resting, studying, and socializing.
Any teen’s bedroom needs to be a refuge, a home study, and a hangout space for them and their friends. Make sure there’s a designated zone for each of these.
A comfortable work desk will help your teen stay focused and on-task. If the room is too small for a separate seating area, you could also create a lounging space on the floor with pillows and a rug or add ottomans to the foot of the bed.
2. Use your teen’s favorite colors in a sophisticated way.
While nurseries usually have pastel colors, and most adult bedrooms are in neutrals, teens tend to gravitate to bold color combinations. For teen boy bedrooms, navy blue or warm neutrals (such as warm gray) are popular wall colors. Today’s teenage girls usually prefer green, purple, grey, or blue over pink as the dominant color in their rooms.
Navy blue and brick red are great colors for a boy’s room, such as this one in a Preston Hollow home. (Photo: Michael Hunter) 
Look for opportunities to add more storage wherever possible. A bedside table with pullout drawers is a good choice for a small bedroom. (Photo: Michael Hunter)
3. Plan for plenty of storage space.
If you have a teen who keeps their room tidy, you have a rare teen indeed. Including enough storage space and shelving in the bedroom can help your teen keep clutter out of sight.
4. Design around accents and art that express your teen’s individuality.
Before you begin decorating in earnest, ask your teen if they have art pieces or prints in mind that express their personality. Some other ways to set your teen’s room apart from those of their friends include: incorporating an unusual piece of furniture that makes a conversation starter, adding wallpaper to all four walls, or wallpapering the ceiling.
Sometimes even when you follow recommended design guidelines, it can still be difficult to bring everything together. When I work with clients with teens, I ask them to provide examples of rooms that inspire them. An experienced designer will know how to accommodate both the parents’ and the teenager’s requests and deliver a result that will wow them and visitors alike.
Margaret Chambers, a registered interior designer (RID) and member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), leads Chambers Interiors and Associates. Her colleague Caitlin Crowley helped edit this column. Find more design advice at chambersinteriors.com/blog.
