The Teen’s Guide To Decorating And Creating A Bedroom Sanctuary

The second the idea for this blog post popped into my head, I HAD to start writing it immediately. This topic is near and dear to my heart as my love of decor started early. I don’t know exactly when, but I do know that by the time I was twelve, I was wallpapering my bedroom and rearranging furniture on a weekly (honestly, this is true) basis. Throughout my teens, I dreamt of updating our entire home, but it wasn’t until my late teens and university years that I dove into decorating more than just my bedroom. This post focuses on decorating your own bedroom and creating a space that is uniquely yours. I’ve written this post, The Teen’s Guide to Decorating and Creating a Bedroom Sanctuary, specifically for teens. Parents are welcome to read too though!

Your Bedroom Is Your Sanctuary

One thing I remember from being a teenager is that my bedroom was my space for everything- sleeping, studying, visiting with friends, as well as planning and dreaming about my life. It was my sanctuary. Your room is the only space that is uniquely yours when you live in your parent’s home. Even if you don’t care that much about decor, it still means a lot to have a functioning space with elements that reflect your unique personality. This post is really about creating a fun and unique space that will be a reflection of you.

Inspiration

The first step of the Teen’s Guide To Decorating And Creating A Bedroom Sanctuary is finding inspiration. One of the exciting parts about being a teenager is that your ideas are developing and changing continuously. To hone in on what your decor style is all about and the elements you’d like to incorporate into your room, I recommend taking a look at Pinterest, magazines, or a favourite television show for inspiration. Create a real or virtual pinboard and collect your favourite ideas all in one place. You don’t need to limit yourself to décor photos, rather, gather images that mean something to you. When you do this, you will likely see some recurring ideas or themes. Here is an example of a design board.

Choosing A Theme

This isn’t the same as childhood decor themes like Paw Patrol or Disney princesses. It can be a much looser theme, like “Inspired by nature” or “dark, moody colours” or “spa like”. It could be a very specific theme though, like Anime or basketball. Once you have chosen a theme, you can further hone your inspiration board. You may even decide to edit and remove some of your earlier ideas to focus more on those that fit your theme. This rock music bedroom is so cool!

Defining Separate Areas

Start by making a list of individual areas you want to define in your room. Sleeping, studying, and lounging are the most common, but your own individual interests may dictate other spaces. For instance, you may want a dressing area or makeup table, or maybe you want a space for playing an instrument or displaying a collection. I recommend drawing up a scale floor plan with defined areas and furniture placement indicated. To do this, take measurements of your space and the main furnishings. Then, draw your room on graph paper (every foot could be one inch on your drawing for example). Then draw and cut out shapes (also to scale) of your existing furniture. This way you can “move” your furniture around without the heavy lifting.

Working With Your Parents

Most likely, you’ll need to get your parent’s permission before you start moving furniture or painting walls. They may be willing to help with the budget and the work. If they can help, then make sure to establish a budget. Most teens have a small budget to decorate with, so I’m going to assume this is the case for you. All suggestions here will be very affordable. To further investigate budget decorating, check out my post, Secrets To Decorating On A Budget.

Make A List

Create a list of the work you want to complete in the space and the items that will need to be purchased. Hopefully, this all fits within your budget. Next, purchase any new furniture or décor items you may need for the space. Then, plan a time when you can complete the work.

Cool Budget-Friendly Décor Ideas For Teens

• Rearrange your room to your heart’s content. I did this for many years and it satisfied my craving for change. I remember moving my dresser out of a nook in my bedroom and making a mini lounge area with pillows and a record player.
• Paint an accent wall your favourite colour.
• Paint a wall or part of a wall in chalkboard paint, so you can write your own messages, song lyrics, or whatever you like.
• Apply peel and stick wallpaper to one or more walls. See my post, Home Office Refresh With Wallpaper.
• Paint a piece of furniture in a fun colour – my favourite furniture paint is Fusion Mineral Paint (click here to read more about why I love this paint and how to use it).
• Create a photo gallery wall by taping photos directly to the wall or attaching them to a corkboard or magnetic board.
• Think outside the box with wall art (see below for suggestions).
• Create a feature wall with a Sharpie marker like in the photo below.

Wall Art

• You can purchase fabulous and fairly inexpensive prints and frames from Homesense/Homegoods, Target, and IKEA. They have a huge selection and probably something to suit just about everyone’s design sense.
• Thrift shops are also a great place to look for genuine art at a discounted price. You might find some beautiful old paintings or abstract art or some old postcards from around the world for only a few dollars.
• You can also use your own talent to create art. Grab a canvas and some paints from a store like Michaels and create your own artwork. You can even coordinate the colours with your planned décor scheme. There are lots of Pinterest pins and YouTube videos to help with creating your own art.

Wall art doesn’t necessarily need to be a framed print or painting. Here are some ideas for various interests:

• Snowboarding- hang an old snowboard (maybe your first one) on the wall
• Sports- frame 8 by 10 photos of your favourite players
• Reading- install a wall of bookshelves and fill them with your book collection. You can also ask your parents if they have any old books they could give you. And keep an eye out for second-hand book sales.
• Music- install guitar hooks on the wall to display your instruments
• Fashion- create a bulletin board of your favourite trends or hang a full-length mirror next to a clothes rack for your favourite outfits
• Movies- create a wall of your favourite movie posters
• Collector- install some open shelves to display your collection

The Teen’s Guide To Decorating And Creating A Bedroom Sanctuary: Room Essentials For Every Teen

I think every teen needs a bed to sleep, a desk to study, and an area to lounge. Additionally, your room should have storage space and be inspirational.

Bed

Most likely you will need to work with the bed you already have, but you can make your bed unique with bedding and pillows. Start by looking around your own home for some of the bedding items that could work with your plan. Then, purchase additional items if that’s in your budget. The thing that can make the greatest impact with the bedding is the comforter or duvet cover. You can easily change the overall look by replacing this one thing. If you know how to sew, a duvet cover is a very easy project.

If you’re in the lucky position of being able to buy a new bed, then carefully consider bed size. I think a double bed is perfect for most teens if your bedroom size allows for it. Unless you are over 5’10” a double bed should be more than enough space and will allow more space in your room for other areas like a lounge area. When I was 15, I got a futon bed, which I thought was amazing because I could convert it into a sofa when I wasn’t sleeping.

Desk

Most young adults start needing their own desk by grade 7 or so. If you haven’t gotten your own desk yet, it might be a good opportunity to discuss your wishes with your parents. Consider painting an old desk your favourite colour. Ikea also has some great affordable desks. Drawers and hutches add extra storage and display space and can help you stay organized.

Lounging Area

Create an area with a low comfy chair (or chairs) or a beanbag chair where you can relax and do your favourite things whether it’s texting with your friends, listening to music, or reading. If you are planning a feature wall (wallpaper, chalk wall, etc.) then this might be a good place to position it. Another great place for a feature wall is behind the headboard. Also, don’t forget a small table with a charging station and a place for a snack or drink. If you have the space, consider extra seating for friends that come to hang out with you. Think floor pillows, beanbags, or stools.

Closet

Closet storage is actually pretty important for teens because you’ll need it for seasonal clothing, shoes, and perhaps even your favourite toys you no longer play with but want to hang onto. At the very least have some organizing bins with labels to store items at the bottom of your closet.

Privacy

You may want to ask for a lock for your room, or at least come to an agreement with your parents and siblings that they need to knock before entering your room. And it’s also a good idea to let siblings know if you don’t want them to be in your room when you’re not home.

Favourite Affordable Décor Sources for Teens

• Ikea- affordable furniture, storage items (including closet organization systems), rugs, wall art, pillows, and lighting
• Fusion Mineral Paint- so many great colours to paint an accent wall or piece of furniture
• Homesense/Homegoods- affordable furniture, bedding, art and accessories
• Bouclair- smaller furniture items,
• Structube
• Thrift shops

Summary

I hope you have enjoyed my post, The Teen’s Guide to Decorating and Creating a Bedroom Sanctuary. I’m convinced that everyone needs a quiet place of their own.