Austin Statesman: Teen Room
TEEN ROOM CAN BE DESIGNED FOR FUNCTIONALITY AS WELL AS PERSONALITY
A great struggle for any parent of a teen is asking them to keep their bedroom clean. How can you create a functional space that promotes organization, but also creates a safe haven where they will love spending their time?
Lieve Saether of Turnstyle Interior Design recommends designing a bedroom that will make your teen feel grown up, but also makes organization appealing.
She said many teens today are leaning toward designs that are more mature and add touches of their personalities throughout.
“With the likes of Urban Outfitters and CB2 getting in on the act (Restoration Hardware also has just recently launched a line solely dedicated to teens), young adults are wishing for things that feel more like something they might take into an apartment,” Saether said. That doesn’t mean they aren’t going to make a space their own with band posters, dream catchers and furry pillows, but even those have become so much more artistic, more elevated, and the choices out there are truly good ones,” she said.
Teens are also using online blogs, Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration.
“They’re catching the bug that most of us adults enjoy: playing creatively with one’s surroundings. Geometric-shaped side tables, swing chairs and color blocking are ever-present in these younger spaces,” she said.
Organization can come more naturally for your teen if you use some functional design elements in their bedroom, such as upholstered storage benches and large colorful fabric bins.
“Keep organization appealing and give everything a place. If a room is thoughtful in its layout, teens — or rather, children of all ages — are more inclined to keep things nice; therefore, the initial style is allowed to stay in place,” Saether said.
It is also important to keep in mind that teens frequently change their likes and dislikes as they grow. There are many ways to design a room that will grow with your teen, and you, as a parent, won’t feel like you are wasting rime and money on a design that will be obsolete in a few months or years.
“When approaching a room for a child of any age, one will be better served thinking long-term and making decisions that feel a bit more grown up. By considering what lies ahead, you can plan for the space to last and not feel like you have to spend money to redo it every three years, “ she said.
“For us at Turnstyle Design, this is somewhat of a philosophical question since to the core, we believe in pieces that a child can grow with, build a relationship with. So favorite key pieces should have the magic combo of cool and quality to them, so that they end up staying with the teen well into their first apartment, first house, etc. Occasional chairs are good contenders for this, as is artwork or lamps; these things are easy to take with for years to come and usually are innately pretty sturdy over time,” she said.
Saether recommends that when planning a room design, work with your teen to create a plan for the items they need to keep organized and the space they will have to do so.
“In conceiving a room, make a functional plan first. It’s easier to purchase cute shelves and cool bins once you know what, where and how you need them,” she said.
