Creating a Teenage Pad? Here’s Five Essentials to Remember

As your kids start to teeter on the cusp of adulthood, revamping their bedroom can be a great way to show off their interests and favourite activities. Having a room that starts to reflect their growing personality is important, and can help them create a personalised “teenage pad” where they can relax and refresh at the end of the day. 

From the bed frame and mattress to decor and soft furnishings, there’s plenty to consider when redesigning a bedroom. Wondering where to begin? We’ve got you covered with our handy guide to creating your teen’s dream room.

Begin with the basics 

Before you go selecting colours and hunting for decor, consider the basic layout of the room and the functions it needs to serve. A bed is the best place to start. First consider the type they may love – from a loft bed with a desk, frames with in-built storage or a classic base for a clean aesthetic. With the bed picked out, you can turn your attention to the mattress. Mattresses for teens come in a range of sizes, from your classic single to a king single. If they have a little extra space, then you may want to look at a double or queen, offering them plenty of room as they grow.  

From there, you can also consider other furniture to help create their space. Whether that’s a desk for a study space, or a lush chair and lamp for a comfy chill-out space. Built-in wardrobes are great for storing clothes and extras, but if the room has little or no storage built-in, you’ll want to consider a free-standing wardrobe or chest of drawers. 

Play with colours and themes

This is where you really want to get your teen’s input. While a cohesive theme can be pleasing to the eye, talk to your teen about the colours and themes that they love. You can show them examples such as natural tones, or fresh and bright colours. You might even want to work together on creating a mood board, collecting images, paint swatches and notes to pull together a vision of how the room will look. 

If you’re not keen to paint the walls, or are unable to due to renting, you can steer your young person toward decorative items, bedding and soft furnishings in their favourite colours. This will also make it easier to swap and mix items as your teen outgrows them, so the room can grow as they do, without needing to go through a complete overhaul at every stage.

Create a relaxing space

You’ve brought in the big furniture and equipped the bed with a quality mattress, now it’s time to dress things up a little with some soft furnishings. From comfy chairs to throw blankets, bedding and pillows, soft furnishings are a great way to add a pop of colour and personality to a space. 

A cushy chair or small sofa with a floor lamp and side table makes a comfy reading nook. You  can add visual and textural interest to the floor with a bright rug. A mix of pillows in different sizes, textures and coordinating colours, along with a gorgeous throw blanket, can really finish off the bed and make it look inviting and aesthetically pleasing.

Make it practical with storage solutions

There’s nothing worse than trying to find your charger or specific necklace in amongst the clutter. Having a place for those smaller daily use items can help make it easier for your teen to keep their space tidy. 

To help keep clutter at bay, it pays to spend some time considering what kind of storage will best suit your teen and their room. Some common sources of bedroom clutter include:

• Electronic devices, chargers, cables and cases
• Clothes, hats and accessories
• Jewellery, makeup, perfumes and deodorants
• Bags and purses
• Books, toys and collectible items

Consider how often things will be used to help make storing – and retrieving them – easy. Things that are used every day might be tidied away into a drawer or side table, while off-season clothes can be folded into a tub or space-saving bag and kept in that awkward space at the top of the closet or under the bed. The key is to devise a system that’s simple enough your teen will be motivated to use it.

Display their personality

Decor and personal effects are the perfect place to really let your teen’s personality shine through. Let them take the lead in choosing pictures, posters, decorative pieces and favourite objects to complete their bedroom look. Favourite childhood toys, trophies and handmade artworks can be used as feature pieces that add a touch of nostalgia and familiarity to the space.

Enjoy the process!

Whether or not the final result is worthy of spread in the latest design magazine, the important thing is that you’re working with your teen to make a space that’s perfect for them. Have some fun with it and let the creative juices flow, while taking a step back and allowing your teen to get hands-on with the decision-making process.