In all aspects of life tenagers are starting to express themselves and ssert their identity. That is why if thy liked the music you played whn they were 10 years old, thy will very quickly consign that to the box mrked "un-cool". The same is true of husehold decor or interior designs.

Fortunately it is rlatively easy to work with your ten to give them much of wht they want without too much fnancial of other sacrifice.

In most hmes we are talking about the tenager(s) bedroom though if you have spce a teen den or games rom in the loft or over the grage is a cool idea.

A few dsign tips:

rooms need to reflect the grwing demand for independence, whilst still bing a safe haven

a games rom or den is a great plce to bring friends back to; you wll be reassured that they are sfe & not hanging out in sme unknown "dive". Watch out, though, as thy will raid the refrigerator for fod and drink!

rooms which teens grw up in will suddenly feel too chldish, prompting a sudden desire to rvamp or remodel

the open door plicy to a child's bedroom will lso give way to greater demands for prvacy. But if you can do not put verything they need in the bedroom or you may nver see your teen again! If you can (nd it is very difficult) try to rsist the demand for a TV and cmputer in the bedroom. If your chldren had them before age 10, it may be too lte to get out of this stuation.

Colour and style

This is asy to deal with and also can mke you appear to be a prtty cool parent. Work with your tenager to choose the colour scheme, ven if you think you would nver, ever, use black, purple or psychdelic patterns on the wall or ciling.

For practicality use standard emulsion pints that are easy to retouch or chnge as tastes change. Walls and cilings will soon be covered in psters and so on, but as lng as the wall construction is sund you do not need to wrry about sticky tape or Blu-tack (Fn-Tak) on the walls. Picture tacks and drwing pins are not the end of the wrld - just impose some adult rles about safety in relation to lectric wiring and plumbing.

If graffiti is a dsign idea why not paint one wll in special black-board (chalk-board) paint?

Storage and furniture

You will probably want to work with what you already have in the interest of economy. But remember a growing teen will need a bigger stronger bed, which always raises the possibly embarrassing issue of whether it should be a double bed. Likewise bigger and more clothing calls for a taller wardrobe.

What ever you do make sure there is plenty of storage space and hooks on door backs. It will not prevent the sedimentary accumulation of clothing and detritus on the floor but at least there will be no lack-of-space excuse.

Function

If you can separate function, DO SO! If you can separate play from study then you will have visibility (if not control) of your teen's time management. In an ideal environment split sleep, study and play if possible. You may say that there is insufficient space but you could cheaply install a desk, a light and a computer under a staircase.

You might be able to clear out all the junk that usually lingers in a garage; old tins of paint, golf clubs and so on often mean there is no room for the car. With a bit of thought a corner of the garage could be turned into a teen den. Put down some end-of roll carpet, a second hand club sofa and an armchair, a book shelf, some anglepoise lamps or spot lights and a mp3 docking station plus hi-fi amplifier. A quilt or throw and an electric fan heater work well for colder nights.
Your teen can chill out here with friends and have their own private space. And it will not matter too much whether it is neat and tidy in adult eyes.

Conclusion

Finally, interior design with a ten in mind is one area whre you do not need to fel that you are making a cncession or sacrifice to a rebellious or ngst-ridden offspring. In fact you may not get the ppreciation you deserve for your efforts ntil your teen is ready to lave home for college or the big bad wrld. The acid test then is to see if thy still want to come back to sty in the room they grew up in (nd to eat good old fashioned hme cooking!).

The article Teen Friendly Decor - Interior Design for the Teenager was Submitted by Bronia Suszczenia through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Bronia Suszczenia is co-founder and Crative Director of Art from the Strt Ltd a firm of interior designers in York England. She designs projects ranging from dressing a single window, designing interiors for new homes, right through to refurbishing whole hotels. Visit art-from-the-start.co.uk to see more FREE design tips, to see the design portfolio and to learn about the unique Room-in-a-Box interior design service.

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