Grow Up Your Son's Bedroom for the Teen Years

By the time your son reaches eleven or twelve, he will most likely be sick of the choo-choo trains and cartoon sports figures that decorated his bedroom for years. Interests change in these pre-teen years, and your son will want to update his image. Not only will he become uncomfortable with his babyish bedroom, but his friends may make fun of him as well. It is, however, quite simple to update your son's bedroom for the teen years.

Walls and Floor Coverings

Painting your son's bedroom is a great first step in making it more grown up for his teen years. Baby blue with a border or teddy bears will not make a thirteen-year-old boy happy. Wallpaper can be removed or replaced and the paint color can be made darker or brighter depending on his tastes. It is also a great idea to let your son paint one wall of his bedroom with skateboard graffiti style or whatever other theme he enjoys.

Rugs are more expensive to replace. If the existing rug is still in good condition, your teen son can still change the look by using smaller rugs on top of it.

Furniture Changes

Furniture for a teenage boy's bedroom should reflect his personal style. Your son may like to furnish his room with colorful crate-style shelving, metal lockers to hold his clothing, or even utility type shelves. Of course, if you are not prepared to change the entire furnishing of his bedroom, you can update the look by painting wooden pieces, changing the hardware, and letting your son use decals or stickers on some pieces.

Accessories and Decor

The easiest way to update a teen boy's bedroom is by using different accessories and decor. Take down the fairy tale creature curtains and put some ones up that look like auto race checkered flags. Get rid of the Mickey Mouse lamp and let your son pick out a lava lamp or more sophisticated pole or track lighting.

Of course, the decor that your son picks out will truly update his bedroom. It should reflect exactly what your son likes the best. Some good teen bedroom theme ideas are sports, skateboarding, a particular music style, or video games.