Teens are notoriously difficult to please, so when it comes to teenage bedroom ideas, agreeing on a look that both teen and parent are happy with can be a challenge.
A teenager’s bedroom is their sanctuary, a place where they can express their individuality and hangout with friends – as well as devote some time to study and sleep (we hope) – so there are a lot of boxes that teenage bedroom ideas need to tick that go beyond standing kid’s room ideas.
Then, in addition to your teenager’s wish list, as a parent, home owner and holder of the purse strings, you’ll obviously want a say in any decisions too. You will want to ensure that any look they opt for has longevity, ties in with the rest of your home’s decor and falls within budget. So it’s easy to see why coming up with a scheme that pleases everyone can sometimes turn into a battle.
Teenage bedroom ideas
While coming up with a room scheme that all parties are happy with is key, it’s not just colours and decor that needs to be considered. Teenagers accumulate an awful lot of ‘stuff’ – from clothes, sports kit, make-up, school work, books, games and more – so factoring in plenty of bedroom storage ideas and easy tidying tactics is essential if you want to keep that freshly-decorated teen bedroom looking its best.
1.Trend-proof the decor
(Image credit: Future PLC)
Neutrals are a safe bet for most bedroom colour schemes, but it’s not likely that any teenager will want to go down the ‘safe’ route when it comes to choosing their bedroom decor.
Calmer colours and soothing shades can be a good compromise, falling somewhere in the middle between neutrals and brights. Easier-to-live-with and less-likely to date than bold brights, softer shades make a more versatile backdrop that teens can dress up with colourful accessories and bold bedding that are more easily swapped-in and out as trends and tastes change.
2. Go halves with colour
Comet sleeper bed, £319.99, Furniture and Choice
(Image credit: Furniture and Choice)
While a black-painted bedroom might be the teenage dream, if it’s a step too far, strike a compromise and opt for a half-and-half colour scheme instead. Black and white bedroom ideas are a classic colour pairing for a reason. They have great staying power and can be updated with different accent colours or pattern combinations.
Half-painted walls are also an on-trend look perfect for girl and teenage boy bedroom ideas. While painting the ceiling a dark colour is often frowned upon, painting the ceiling and top section of wall in the same dark shade helps to extend the wall upwards and can increase the sense of space, which is a useful trick for a small teen bedroom or poky box room.
3. Create a bold focal point
(Image credit: Future PLC)
When planning a teenagers room it is important to treat it like any other space in the home, creating a focal point around which to build the scheme.
‘Creating a focal point in a teen bedroom is just as important as in other rooms in your home – creating both a feeling of individuality as well as a talking point for friends!’ explains Nicky Phillips, Style Editor at Ideal Home. ‘A dark navy, green or even gold painted ceiling, a whole wall clad in cork board covered edge to edge in photos, or simply an oversized upholstered headboard.’
A curvy upholstered headboard, paired with on-trend peach and paprika bedding is a sophisticated teenage girls bedroom idea, that is still playful and fun.
4. Highlight an area with lights
(Image credit: Future PLC / David Giles)
‘Lighting is really important in teen rooms, as they are such multi functioning spaces – remember to light work areas well, but add in a dimmer switch for central lights, so that it can turn into a chill-out zone in the evening. Colour changing strip LED lights are a great way to highlight an area, like around a bed head or along a shelf,’ suggests Nicky.
If you are converting boys bedroom ideas into a more grown up space for your teenager on a budget repurposed festoon lights can make a striking wall feature. Whilst doubling up as added ambient lighting alongside the loft bed.
5. Choose a versatile blue backdrop
(Image credit: Future PLC/Simon Whitmore)
Blue is a good all-rounder when it comes to colour options for a teenager’s bedroom idea, with mid-toned blues creating a grounded effect and calming backdrop that feels relaxed and restful. Inky blues are versatile too, without being too boyish or girly, and can be prettied up with softer pinks and blush tones, calmed with earthy neutrals, or mixed with denim blues and chambrays for a casual, comfy vibe.
If space is tight in a small kids bedroom, opt for a leaning ladder-style desk that can be slotted into a recess or alcove. It can do double duty as a work space or used as a mini dressing table.
6. Make more space to hang out
(Image credit: Future PLC/Simon Whitmore)
Converted loft space is the ideal spot for a teenage bedroom. Adolescents crave privacy, so a space away from nosy parents and noisy siblings is the dream, with a loft bedroom offering plenty of space for sleeping, study and hanging out with friends.
Make use of a sloping ceiling to squeeze in extra storage – modular units are ideal and can be arranged at staggered heights to make full use of height. Then add sectional seating or a sofa bed set-up so that there’s plenty of seating and sleepover space for friends.
7. Stretch storage space all-round
Skadis pegboard, from £13, Amazon (opens in new tab)
(Image credit: Ikea)
Lack of space can be a problem in a single bedroom or box room, so finding savvy ways of working in extra storage without wasting floor space can be invaluable.
While wall-hung organisers and peg board systems are brilliant above desks and work areas, they can also be used above a bed – or even all round the bedroom – providing stacks of extra storage for all kinds of teenage essentials, from clothes and accessories to sports gear and gaming kit.
8. Create easy-change displays
(Image credit: Future PLC/Simon Whitmore)
Likes and dislikes can change quickly in the teenage years and what’s ‘in’ one month, might be ‘out’ the next. So when it comes to displaying artwork, instead of hanging pictures directly on the wall, create an easy-change gallery using an arrangement of slimline picture ledges or poster hanger frames.
‘If you’re like me and blue-tacked posters on bedroom walls are a complete ‘no-no’, think about buying wooden poster hanger frames, then fave pop stars or football strikers can be changed up again and again, neatly and stylishly,’ says Nicky.
These inexpensive Ikea picture ledges (opens in new tab) start at just £5 each and come in a range of standard colours, but are easily painted if you want to blend them in with a particular colour scheme for a more seamless look.
9. Make tidying easy with open storage
(Image credit: Ikea)
Any parent of teens will know the pain of clothes left cluttering the floor while a perfectly-usable wardrobe is within easy reaching distance, so employing stealth tactics is often the only option when it comes to the battle of the tidy bedroom.
Open storage with easy-access hanging rails makes clothes instantly visible and easier to grab and put away. Arrange so that clothes worn more often are in the most prominent spot and then put those that are worn less-often in see-thru boxes on top shelves or out of sight in lockers.
10. Build over-bed storage
Children’s bedroom storage with desk and over-bed bridge, from £1757, Shelved
(Image credit: Shelved)
Factoring in separate space for sleep, study and storage can be tricky in a small bedroom or loft space. So why not consider consolidating everything into one area with wall storage that stretches over an entire wall and bridges the bed to maximise floor space.
Modular pieces like these can be configured to create a tailored set-up that fits the wall space snugly. Components include a desk and pinboard unit for study space, bedside lockers, closed cupboards and open cubbies for displaying books and favourite things.
11. Set up a styling station
(Image credit: Future PLC/Dominic Blackmore)
Organise dedicated storage so that beauty kit and hair-styling essentials can be kept ordered and within easy reach. Use a wall adjacent to a dressing table and mirror area and fix up a stack of wooden racks one above the other to serve as mini shelves for products and tools. Ikea’s Bekvam spice racks, £4.50 each (opens in new tab), are the perfect size and a brilliant budget Ikea hack.
Fix the rack that’s positioned at the bottom of the stack upside-down, which will give a ledge for resting tubs and small bottles, plus a hanging rail for hooking on hair dryer, straighteners and other hair-styling tools.
12. Try ‘switch-able’ decor
(Image credit: Future PLC/Simon Whitmore)
Future-proof the decor by opting for easy-up wall stickers that are perfect for brightening up white walls or plain wardrobe doors in a bedroom, but are easily removed should your teen tire of the look a little later down the line.
Investing in simple white furniture can be the key to longevity in any teen or child’s bedroom. Classic white won’t date, will work in any colour scheme and is easily added to, should you need to buy additional pieces at a later date. Adding colourful drawer pulls and door handles will add a splash of colour too should furniture need brightening up.
How can I make my teenage bedroom look good?
Joining forces at the outset is probably the best tactic to ensure that any parent and teen collaboration runs smoothly and gets the best results. Look through magazines, books and online images and ideas together so that you can get a sense of their likes and dislikes and how they want their bedroom space to look and feel.
Creating an online mood board can be a good starting point when putting together a room scheme. You can both add in things that you find, plus must-have items and then build up a picture that’ll give you a visual tool to refer back to when it comes to ordering paint colours, fabrics, the best bedding and furniture.
How do you set up a teen bedroom?
If space is tight, start with the larger items of furniture first, such as the bed and wardrobe. Smaller items of furniture can then be arranged around these. Opting for multi-purpose pieces is sensible, such as combination desk/dressing tables, storage ottomans that double up as stools and wall-hung shelving that can work as a table or desk space if there isn’t room for a full-sized piece.
Beds with a pull-out trundle or mattress under the main bed are useful for sleepovers or consider a cabin-style bed with built-in storage stacked underneath to give extra stowing space for clothes, games and study kit.
Beds with built-in headboard storage are another way of working valuable extra storage into a small teen bedroom.