5 Tips for a Tween Room Makeover
This post contains affiliate links. That means we get a small commission if you buy something from the link.
It’s that time that every parent both looks forward to and dreads – the transition from childhood into the tumultuous teen years. One of the biggest parts of this transition is the changing of their bedroom from the princesses and superheroes that they may have loved in childhood to something much more fitting of their new nearly teen sensibilities. If you’re not sure where to start or simply aren’t very good at interior decoration, here are some furniture and decor idea to help get you started.
Include Your Tween
HGTV might make you think that surprise remodels are a great idea. Let us disabuse you of that notion. If you send your tween away and completely redo their room while they’re gone, chances are you’ll have a massive meltdown on your hands when they get home. The most important thing to remember when you’re planning a tween remodel is to include your tween in the process. Get their feedback and input every step of the way. Pay attention to the things that they enjoy and the things that they like – it will help making decisions easier if you both start drawing a blank.
What To Keep, What to Toss
The Tween Remodel is the perfect time to declutter your kid’s room. Go through things they have outgrown and things that have worn out over the years and sort them into three piles – nostalgia, toss, donate.
The nostalgia pile is for those things that you or your tween can’t bear to part with – favorite toys, childhood outfits, and other items that are just brimming with nostalgia. Don’t go crazy with the nostalgia or you’ll end up with more clutter than you started with. Keep your tween involved with this part of the remodel.
Furniture Double Duty
The biggest problem that you might face when you’re remodeling your tween’s room is the lack of space. Beds, dressers, and other furniture gets bigger to keep up with their growth, but without a lot of expensive construction, the room itself doesn’t gain any extra square footage. This is where you need to start looking into furniture that does more than one job.
You might not have enough floor space for a larger bed to accommodate your tween’s growing frame, but a sofa bed or day bed that can be folded away can help to give them some extra space to sleep without taking up the floor space all the time – plus it doubles as seating if your child has friends over.
If you’ve got enough room for a more traditional bed, consider investing in a platform bed frame or one that includes integrated storage. It helps to cut the clutter, and can keep your tween’s room a little neater.
Bringing School Home
Growing up means that your tween will have more work to do at school than ever before. Having a dedicated space in their room where they can work on homework and other projects can make it easier to keep up with those deadlines.
Consider a desk with a built-in bookshelf so your young student has somewhere to store their books and other supplies. If a computer is necessary, make sure that you’ve got plenty of space behind the desk to plug in the computer or laptop and any peripherals. This one would work well for small spaces, or if your teen prefers to work on their or elsewhere in the house, this portable one is designed for laptops AND devices.
Having a desk in their room makes it easier for your tween to get their work done by providing a distraction-free environment for them to work in.
Be Careful With Colors
A fresh coat of paint can be a great way to refresh an otherwise drab room but it’s important to be careful with your choice of colors. Bright colors can quickly overwhelm a small space, and dark paint colors can be difficult to paint over later.
If you’re worried about which colors you’re choosing, take the time to get some paint and carpet swatches before you start investing in carpets.
A dark colored carpet or throw rug can be a great way to ground out room -it provides a great contrast to the other colors in the room and can enable you to use some brighter colors in the rest of your decor.
Remodeling your newly anointed tween’s room can be a great way to help them make that transition into their teenage years. Just don’t go crazy with the colors and look into furniture that can serve multiple functions and you’ll be ready to go. Don’t leave your tween out of the process and you might find that you even enjoy decorating!
PIN FOR LATER
