Helping teenagers define their interior style

Beat the bickering and work with your teenager rather than against them to create a bedroom you are both happy with, SOPHIE AUBREY reports

There comes a time to kiss goodbye to governing your kid’s style like your very own mini-me.  A teenager’s bedroom is their castle. It’s the space to express their budding style and the private den they can proudly invite friends into. What decorating comes down to is finding a happy medium between the existing character of your home and poster ripouts of pop stars.

Mandy Molloy-Lee Director of Premium Interior Styling says the first step is to let teens voice how they want their bedroom to look before you put your opinions on the table. Only after hearing each other out can you come to a compromise and make a shared decision. ‘‘It’s their environment and it’s important to them,’’ Mandy says. ‘‘It’s important to create an original space where your teen will feel a sense of ownership and a sense of identity.’’ She says painted walls, soft furnishings and art are a great way of bringing out personality. Make it a fun, joint project to choose a colour scheme you both enjoy and your teen can grow with.

Mandy says bright hues such as aqua, yellow, orange or chartreuse green are right on trend and ideal for teenagers. ‘‘Colour and accessories make an impact and your teenager will take pride in the room,’’ she says. ‘‘Changing the artworks and bed linen makes a huge difference to how they see their space.’’ As an added bonus for your pocket, focusing on painted walls and decor keeps costs down in the long run. It’s easier to swap accessories than to do a full redecoration every time your teenager’s tastes flip, so keep the furniture neutral. Mandy says it’s near impossible to avoid posters – we’ve all been guilty of sticking our dreamboat du jour above our bed at some stage – but you can ban blu-tack from coating the walls.

Ask your teen to select some favourite posters or special artworks for you to frame in a way that will appeal to their sense of style without looking sloppy. Mandy stresses the need for plenty of storage in the form of shelving and cupboard space. ‘‘The more they can use, the better. They will be more inclined to keep their room neater,’’ she says.

Mandy recommends putting shelves for folders and textbooks in the bedroom but to set up a fully fledged study nook in a shared part of the home. If you have a few kids, make this space big enough for them all. Studying in an environment solely for school work fosters a healthy work ethic. And when they’re in your line of sight, kids can’t go incognito until teatime. To maintain some reference to school work in the bedroom, Mandy says pin boards or magnetic notice boards are very effective. ‘‘What they want to achieve can be pinned on the board. It’s neat, tidy, and it makes them view it daily.’’ When it comes to gender differences, Mandy says girls tend to be more visual and love their bedroom with a bit of flavour and fluff. Boys usually prefer a more practical, no-frills room.

Mandy suggests waiting until age 13 before making a teen interior design makeover.

As seen in Geelong GT Magazine