Childrens Bedrooms

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

August 17, 2018
The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

 

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

The daughter has now finally flown the nest or should I say the departure lounge aka her bedroom and our ten-year-old son has taken up residence. Thankfully we’re back to calling it the bigger bedroom as we’ve at least 8 years before he even thinks of moving out! That is, of course, if we ever let him now our two eldest have gone.

Thankfully, the bedroom he inherited from his big sister was redesigned around her love of yellow and grey (you can find it here) so we’ve not had to make too many adjustments moving him across. We will, of course, be changing a few things to make it more personable to him but as he’s fast approaching teenagerhood we need to give some thought to make it right for him in the long-term. Afterall their bedrooms become a bit like mini apartments for teenagers albeit they tend to sleep a lot when the hormones kick in.

 

Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Street Graffiti Wall Mural from Wallsauce.com

All this change got me thinking about how quickly our little ones grow up and how they suddenly become teenagers overnight.  Preteens can prove to be a difficult age to know where to begin when it comes to redesigning their bedrooms. You may want to start before they hit the Kevin stage as trying to communicate with grunts and the “What Mums” can be rather challenging.

You may have gotten away with neutral gender styled bedrooms for a while or may have even opted for a  themed bedroom approach which, from experience, has an acute lifespan before they move on to the next big thing. My advice is don’t do it unless you’re prepared to change everything every few months!

 

Top Tips for Your PreTeens & Teenagers Bedrooms

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

‘World White Flags’ Map Wallpaper Mural by Lovell Johns at Wallsauce.com

Having been there once with a pre-teenager son and one currently at that stage, I completely understand how tricky it can be to create a design scheme together that will hopefully last them into their teenage years and if you’re lucky beyond!

To help you try and keep your sanity as a parent, you might want to consider the next few tips to help you and them if you’re looking to change their bedrooms completely, or maybe like we will be doing altering a few things. I’ve even put together a selection of look boards at the end of this post to help get you started! Ready…..

Avoiding The Drop Zone

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Kelston 3 Peg Rail – Oak – Garden Trading

If there’s one thing guaranteed with your pre-teens it’s that the ability to put stuff away suddenly becomes an almighty chore especially if it means opening a door or drawer. The floor is a much easier option for them. I’ve named this phase as the drop zone which basically means on entering a room they will drop said bag or jacket and there it will stay; well until you ask them to pick it up a dozen times at least!

The answer you’re looking for is hooks! It takes a minimal amount of effort and they can see exactly where things are which helps you in the long run as you won’t keep getting asked where things are. If they can see it there’s the likelihood that they’ll use it. You may want to read How To Create A Happy Home & Healthy Home You’ll Love which deals with some other aspects of making life a little easier with a family.

These multifunctional ones from Garden Trading are great as they have the leather loop option which doubles up the hanging space. Oh, and they look cool too!

 

Put hooks up near their bedroom door and you’ll hopefully avoid the drop zone!

 

Alternative To The Chair of Doom

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Ball Seat – Pouf Ergonomi – KSL Living

As we’ve discussed the drop zone, there’s another important matter that we need to address. The chair of doom aka the chair that will become the dumping ground for washing, clean or otherwise as well as whatever else they’ve decided not to drop on the floor. Whatever you do, try and avoid the spare chair it will become yours and their worse nightmare.

Maybe consider a bean bag or why not try an alternative design like this Ball seat – Poof Ergonomi offered by KSL Living. They are based in France but do ship worldwide. What I love about this poof ball seat is that if you’re worried about bad posture brought about by gaming and/or IPads, this will actually help contribute to the proper postural support and help their muscles need at this age. In fact, it’s ergonomic value may mean you replace their desk chair with one. Oh and the fact that there will be no chair of doom appeals immensely don’t you think?

Lounging Around

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

ICON® Serenity Connecting Floor Cushions – Beanbag Bazaar 

Floor cushions are great for relaxed seating for them to hang out with their friends or for generally lounging around. These Serenity floor cushions can connect to create a modular floor layout. They’re also water-resistant ideal for when their hand to mouth co-ordination suddenly appears to stop working. If they do venture outside they can be used outdoors too!

 

Storage

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Industrial Iron Cabinet – The Farthing

Opting for cool looking storage and you may find they might actually use it. You might want to consider industrial style storage that not only has kerb appeal but is durable too.

 

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Kuba Large Open Bookcase with Studded Trim – Wooden Furniture Store

Shelving is a great way for them to show off their possessions and add their personality to their rooms. Add some functional baskets for storage and you’ll hopefully create a happy medium of a room that looks great as well as the potential for them putting stuff away.

 

Walls

If you’re trying to prevent the advent of those Assassins Creed’s/Fortnite posters going up you may want to check out some seriously cool art that will stop them in their tracks at least for a few years I hope!

 

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Oversized art like this map from Maps International not only makes an impact it’ll take up wall space to prevent them from even considering getting the blue tack out. Huge Classic World Map Canvas – Maps International

For our children, the world is their oyster and there’s nothing like a giant map to let them see that there’s more to being in their bedrooms on their Playstations or X-Boxes. Even if they use it as they get older to pinpoint where their virtual friends they talk to around the world are based.

 

You may want to check out my previous post here on Decorating Your Home With Maps

Larger scale artwork is ideal for those of you that may shy away from wallpapering. It’s also easier for re-positioning around furniture as the imagery won’t be lost as well as creating a feature wall. It might even encourage your pre-teens to enjoy geography more at school too!

 

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

‘Antique World Map’ Mural by Lovell Johns At Wallsauce.com

Considering teenagers end up lying down a lot you could even add a map mural to their ceilings.

 

Want to find out more about how decorating your ceilings can enhance your homes? You can find out here.

 

Personalise Their Walls

 

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Roll & Pin Custom Cork Pin Board – Albert & Moo – 3 metres of natural cork and a peel-off adhesive backing, this doesn’t just give you a pin board, it gives you a work of art. It comes with a clever cutting template, 20 pins and an inspiration booklet.

Part of becoming a teenager is finding out who they are as they enter into a different stage of their lives. Your pre-teen/teenager will want to be able to express themselves and allowing them to put their favourite posters or personal artwork up will help them identify who they are and make their space their own.

Dedicating one part of their bedroom wall, say near a desk, will allow them to have some freedom that we all need to personalise our spaces. Cork is a fantastic way to do this so consider cork tiles either by creating a vertical line or add a pin board or two. This ingenious roll and pin custom cork by Albert and Moo adds another level to their creativity. Allowing them to create a feature out of the cork board itself. You may even find the posters don’t go up!

 

Or you could encourage them to get outdoors and start photographing. Our daughter loves taking photos and she had started a gallery wall with some of the images she had taken. It’s a great way to personalise their rooms and make their mark.

 

Art

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Mr Smiley by Davies Babies – Made.com

If your pre-teen isn’t keen on creating their own art displays, why not consider some fun artwork. I’m loving this piece by Davies Babies from Made.com.  It adds a fun grown-up up feel to their rooms. There are others in the collection too that they may like.

 

Lights

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

‘Way Out’ Light Sign – Sweetpea & Willow 

If your preteen is anything like mine, given half a chance they’re probably be stuck gaming all day and all night. With that in mind, they might need a little direction as to where their bedroom door is! This neat sign is your way of having a bit of fun with them and has the cool light up factor that their friends will be envious of!

 

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Rubik’s Cube Lamp – Smithers of Stamford

I’ve spoken about lighting up our bedrooms here and for children here which you may find useful. You may, however, want to encourage them to actually switch a light on by considering a fun decorative form like this Rubik’s cube lamp from Smithers of Stamford. I can’t tell you how often I walked into my eldest sons room to find him staring at a screen in the dark so it’s definitely worth considering.

Four Looks To Help You Get Started

And finally, I’ve put together 4 looks incorporating some of the ideas above to inspire you and your preteen/teenager to help get you started!

The Dreamer

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Raw Wall Blue Wallpaper –  Woodchip and Magnolia £75 roll, Biscay Domestic Cork Wall Tiles – Walls and Floors Ltd  £5.99 per tile,  Kelston 3 Peg Rail – Oak – Garden Trading £30, Must Graduated Blue Rug – Sue Ryder £54.99

 

The Scientist

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Steampunk Grey Wallpaper Woodchip and Magnolia, £99 roll, ‘Way Out’ Light Sign – Sweetpea & Willow £75,  Tall Industrial Iron Cabinet – The Farthing £255 Rubik’s Cube Lamp – Smithers of Stamford £69

The Adventurer

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Huge Classic World Map Canvas – Maps International £150, Blue Mountain Cushion By Abstract House, £23.99 Ferm Living – Hush bedding Single Duvet Dusty Blue Cloudberry Living £79, Biscay Domestic Cork Wall Tiles – Walls and Floors Ltd  £5.99 per tile

 

The Playful Artist

The Ultimate Guide To Preteens & Teenager Boys Bedrooms

Street Graffiti Wall Mural – Wallsauce.com From £27 Playstation Icons Lights – Menkind £24.99, Ball seat – Poof Ergonomi – KSL Living  £80.33, Mr Smiley by Davies Babies – Made.com From £29

 

Which one would your preteen/teenager go for? Mine is drawn to The Scientist and The Artist which will make for an interesting update for his bedroom. Me, I was hoping he’d go for The Adventurer as I really want to get a giant map on his wall. I can see we will be conferring for some time yet

 

Until next time have a beautiful day wherever you are and thanks for stopping by!

Maria xx

 

The Interior Editor

Please follow and like us:

You Might Also Like

18 Comments

  • Reply Marlene August 19, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    Some great ideas here for a bedroom decoration !!

    • Reply Maria August 19, 2018 at 8:26 pm

      Thanks Marlene 😃

  • Reply Juan Sandiego August 20, 2018 at 9:07 am

    I’ll have the dreamer one! These are really good ideas, some of which my Mum put into practice, haha. I had the same bedroom decor through my childhood and teens, but the neutral colours worked well (even now when I visit).

    • Reply Maria August 20, 2018 at 6:59 pm

      Haha I like your style and the neutrals always win for longevity 🙌🏻 Mine went from swans to a Pierrot Clown coordinated room during my child to teens years….now I’m showing my age lol 🙈😆

  • Reply fionamostyn August 20, 2018 at 9:35 am

    Some great ideas here. The wall coverings and art really has an impact. I love the idea of having the map covering the ceiling.

    • Reply Maria August 20, 2018 at 7:00 pm

      Thanks Fiona and I’ve tried to convince the youngest re the map on ceiling or wall for that matter and he’s not having any of it lol.

  • Reply Donna Ford August 20, 2018 at 2:11 pm

    My boys are only 2 and 5 but I have a feeling I’ll be at this point much sooner than I think! Thanks for the ideas x

    • Reply Maria August 20, 2018 at 7:03 pm

      Ahh Donna it creeps up on you and happens over night and you wonder where your babies went 🙈 Someone once said to me they don’t get any easier they just pose different challenges as they get older and they were right 😅

  • Reply Natalia Peel August 21, 2018 at 8:02 pm

    Wow those murals are so impactful and a relatively easy update too!

    • Reply Maria August 22, 2018 at 1:01 pm

      I agree Natalia you’ve got to love a mural 🙌🏻

  • Reply Jenny Kakoudakis August 22, 2018 at 10:15 am

    The Albert & Moo cork adhesive tape caught my eye, what a great little product!

    • Reply Maria August 22, 2018 at 1:02 pm

      It’s on sale at the moment Jenny and I’m even considering it for my home office 😬

  • Reply Claire August 24, 2018 at 8:52 am

    I am with you I hate ‘drop zones’, great idea! I also love the map wall!

    • Reply Maria August 24, 2018 at 8:54 am

      Haha the dreaded drop zones they really are a parents worse nightmare! 😃

  • Reply Hollie Brooks | Audenza August 24, 2018 at 10:57 am

    I love all 3 schemes, but I think The Playful Artist is my fave. I haven’t got any kids, but I do have 3 brothers, so I know alllll about the Kevin phase!! Some great tips here for navigating teenage bedroom decorating. Fingers crossed for the Amara IBAs! x

    • Reply Maria August 25, 2018 at 8:06 am

      Thanks Hollie! I have two brothers and feel like I’ve been on repeat with my own lol 😆 And yes good luck for the Amara IBAs I’ve voted for you!! 🙌🏻

  • Reply Stacey Sheppard August 25, 2018 at 7:49 am

    Plenty of great ideas here. I must say I’m now feeling a little scared of the chair of doom. My toddlers can’t reach to put their clean clothes away so I’ve trained them to leave clothes on the chair for mummy to put away. I can see now that this will become a terrible habit later in life. I’m now going to work on retraining them after reading this article. Thanks for the head up.

    • Reply Maria August 25, 2018 at 7:56 am

      Thanks Stacey! Be aware all training of said youngsters suddenly goes out of the window when they reach a certain age 😅 You actually begin to wonder whether your kids have been abducted and replaced with malfunctioning ones lol 😂

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    close

    Enjoyed reading? Please spread the word :)

    Visit Us
    Follow Me
    Tweet
    Share
    %d bloggers like this: