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Sari’s Interior Design Tip of the Week!

Who isn’t interested in picking up a quick tip on how to easily update their home?! Every week our on staff Interior Designer, Sari Pollock, will be giving everyone an design tip right here on Facebook!

Some times all it takes is a little idea to spark a light bulb in us to create something amazing in our homes. Check here every week to see what new and exciting idea she has posted.

Have a comment or great design ideas of your own? Post it on here! Have a design question for Sari? Ask away! She will be able to help you create your own amazing spaces!

5/17/2010 - Sari’s Design Tip of the Week:

Tips for Turning a Child’s Bedroom into a Teenager’s Bedroom
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Any time your teen decides it’s time to do a bedroom makeover, you’ll want to use the experience to teach them decorating and budgeting skills. The time will come, because all children eventually become interested in having a more grown-up space instead of the little kid space they’ve grown up in. Allowing your teen to help with the entire procedure will give them a chance to both express themself, and also to learn responsibility.

When you first sit down to discuss the room with your teen, you’re going to find that they wants more of everything. For instance they’ll want extra seating and sleeping space available for friends. Don’t panic, though. Providing them with what they want doesn’t have to be expensive. By using a bit of ingenuity you can help them create a fantastic teen bedroom without breaking the bank.

1. The first thing you and your teen need to do is come up with some ideas. You may want to have them invite some of her friends to this session. Listen to what they have to say, and don’t just automatically say “no” to their ideas. This is a great time for you to share your thoughts, ideas, desires, and even concerns while both bonding and coming up with a great ideas for her new room that you’ll both love.

2. Determine the things your teen would like to have in their new room. Then try to set up different areas in the room for different functions. Maybe they’d like a vanity where they could do her hair and make-up. How about a study area, an exercise area, or a place to hang out with friends? Make the room as cozy as you can and as multi-functional as possible in the amount of space available.

3. Your teen’s ideas for their new room will undoubtedly include a brand new set of bedroom furniture. You need to explain the money situation with them and help them understand that the responsibility of paying for a lot of the things they want will be up to them. Talk about alternate, less costly ways to update their room, and make sure they participate in everything being done.

4. You might suggest ways that they can redecorate their room while still using the same furniture. Here are a few ideas you may want to give them:
* Suggest painting their furniture either a light color of using creative painting techniques such as sponge-painting or using stencils.
* Take the old storage pieces that were once used for their toys and books and stack them in a more adult way. Then paint the whole new piece one color and add decorative hardware or accent lighting.
* You can update the bed by just buying a more grown-up style of headboard.
* Find new furniture pieces to add to the teen décor by looking through items you are no longer using in the rest of the house, or take a rummage through Grandma’s attic.
* Rearrange the furniture. Sometimes that’s all it takes to give the room a more teen look plus a little paint, new accessories, or funky lighting.
* Go to garage sales, secondhand shops, and flea markets looking for real finds that will look cool but cost very little.

5. Emphasize organization and storage in your teen’s room. When deciding on the things to include in the room include shelves, a bed with storage underneath, ways to maximize the space in the closet, and rolling storage bins that can go under the bed. Get everything organized before starting to decorate.

6. Most teens will have strange (to you) ideas for painting their rooms. Is what they want something you can tolerate in your house? After all, colors can affect moods, and teens already have plenty of those. Go with their preferences if you possibly can, because you can always paint over them later. You might also suggest only using the color on one wall.

7. The best possible accessories for your teen’s room are things they themselves have made. Include items like collages, bulletin boards, and hand-painted items. They will like having these items in evidence to show off their talents and abilities. Also prominently display things like trophies they have won, sports medals, or anything else that shows their accomplishments.

8. For a teen who loves posters, you’ll want to provide bulletin boards, cork strips, or other things that they can hang their posters from without putting tape on newly-painted walls. Another suggestion might be hanging a clothesline or other cord across one end of the room and giving them some clothespins to hang their posters with.

When all is said and done, you’ll find that all of your plans and negotiations have paid off well. And always remember when your mind tells you to censor their ideas, that their ideas are an important part of the person they are becoming. They need opportunities to express their own tastes just like they need a great room of their own to do their dreaming in.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 2:28 pm and is filed under SuCasa Press. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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