DECORATE A TEENS BEDROOM ON A BUDGET.

A couple of years ago I gave my youngest sons room a makeover, he loved it…for two years. Two bloody years is not long enough in between makeovers. Recently he came to me and told me he no longer liked the theme or bedding.

I could have made him suck it up, but he’s about to commence year 12 and I wanted him to have a good space that he feels comfortable in. So we set a budget and I went to work.

I’m revamping his room. The old room was awesome (I loved it), it was nautical but in a grown up way. Sorry I don’t have a photo of the old room, think nautical, stripes, red shelves…GAH, no wonder he hated it 🙂 I dropped some serious cash on the bedding, artwork and side table but kids can be fickle, they actually don’t care that much (ok. AT ALL) about thread count or artwork. They want what they want. It’s their room so let them have input, and then if they don’t like it you can blame them.

Thankfully I didn’t have too much to do, a lick of paint and swapping over some bedding and artwork. Of course I need to put some love into it so he feels like I tucked him in every night.

He likes the blue feature wall so that stays (phew), but the white walls have seen a few ‘school bag scuffs’ so they need a freshen up.

Hands up if you like painting? I like the ‘thought’ of it but ain’t nothing enticing about dripping in sweat on a hot day covered in paint and dust. Because I love him and there’s a ‘budget’ to stick to, I’ll paint.

Aside from painting there are a few other areas I needed to pay attention to….

SIMPLIFY. The kid was tired of the bold and busyness of the previous bedroom so I needed to calm things down a little.

I stumbled on a quilt cover in Target that was the bargain price of $25 (on sale) for a queen size, this is where my palette started. Gone was the red/white/blue of his old room, instead I wanted to lighten up the look with white but keep grey for the masculine (and easy) neutral look. A little muted green and navy to complement the grey and white and some black to ‘hold it all together’ completed the look.

STAY ON BUDGET. It’s easy to get carried away and want to buy ‘all’ the things but focus on the task and remember the budget. Look at discounted or end of run items and don’t forget to use items you already own’.

We kept the rug, one side table, checked blanket, coat rack, ceiling pendant and bedside lamp. They were all neutral and worked with the new palette so this would allow me cash to spend on something we actually ‘needed’.

I was on a roll, once I found the quilt cover I grabbed a trolley and picked up a new quilt, cushion covers, wall print (the last artwork was $450, the new one is $15!) and cactus. So far I’d spent $115, hardly breaking the bank and lots of bang for my buck. I also collected baskets from around the house and used a chair from his bedroom as a bedside table.

ADD A PLAYFUL DETAIL. While the bedroom is for sleeping, let’s be honest teens pretty much live in their bedrooms so adding some personality and fun will make them feel at home. I picked up this artificial cactus in a pot for $20 from Target, the colour grabbed me first but it’s also a little fun. The text pennant flag was a bargain at $5 from TYPO.

LIGHTING. While a bedroom might have ambient lighting sometimes more is needed, especially at night when the blinds are closed. Is the lighting bright enough for things like reading, homework and getting dressed?

We kept the same ceiling pendant but I did add a string of bulb lighting above the bed, they’re fun, battery operated and perfect for when chilling out or getting your pash on.

STORAGE. Storage for a teen is different to what you need for a young one. There’s no Lego and blocks instead there’s sporting equipment, electronic equipment, oodles of clothes and toiletries.

When we installed a built in robe a few years back we made sure there was upright storage for cricket bags and badminton racquets, shelves for clothes, hanging space, drawers, containers for tech gadgets. We also left a PowerPoint inside the wardrobe. A power board means laptops and phones can be charged and stored out of sight. Teach your teens to turn it off when not in use.

A bedside table doesn’t need to have drawers, we chose a simple low table and a chair, it’s a great way to get more use from occasional furniture…and save some dollars.

The floating storage on the wall was made by the huz around twelve years ago, it’s as solid as a rock and not being pulled down any time soon. Every time we do a room update we just add some colour to the inside of the cubes. You can purchase similar shelves from IKEA and wall mount them.

The addition of a wicker basket means dirty clothes are stored in one place and the ‘floordrobe’ is avoided (mostly). A couple of sets of wall hooks and a coatrack keep bags and boards off the floor too. Check out this skateboard, my son actually made it from scratch…with his hands! Such a dude.

BEDDING. Choosing the right size bed for your teen is important. Unless space is limited a single bed just won’t cut it. My boys are tall (one is 6ft 4) and spend lots of time on their bed, so we chose to go with queen size for the boys and they love us for it. We’ll take the love where we can get it 🙂

A good mattress is vital for a good night’s sleep. I’ve had shit mattresses in the past, some I’ve paid good money for so do your homework and get the best you can afford within your budget.

We took delivery of this *ECOSA mattress. With soft touch removable cover, latex, gel support and memory foam it ticked lots of boxes. Speaking of boxes delivery is quick and direct to your door with the mattress arriving compressed in a box on wheels and watching it unfold is a heap of fun. While firm to start, this mattress is cooling, provides almost zero disturbances when you flip or flop around, is supportive and bloody comfortable. It’s also kind to the budget. with the Queen size coming in at $899. Tick, tick, tickety tick. ✔

Unfortunately for the son I lay on the ECOSA mattress for 11 seconds and fell in love, so you guessed it, I have claimed it. Let me tell you it’s a dream!

Memory foam, latex and gel all working together to give me the best night sleep in years. No more sore hip and shoulders too! Ecosa give you a 100 sleep test guarantee, if you don’t love it after one hundred days they will take it back with a full refund. After dropping $3K on my last mattress (that was the sale price) I wish I had that kind of guarantee in the past.

I’ve had so many of you ask me how I’m finding this mattress since I posted a pic and video, stay tuned for more info and my thoughts once I’ve had several nights sleep on it.

Well the bedroom is done just in time for the start of the school year, and all for under $200!  He likes it and so does his girlfriend. PHEW.

I’m hoping for much study and a clean room, not too much to ask for, right?!

Got a teen? What state is their room in?
Are they a fan of the ‘floordrobe’?

til next time,

Jen x

GET THE DETAILS…

Quilt Cover
Mattress
Bedside table
Coat rack
Rug
String of lights
Basket.
Pendant light.
Check Sherpa throw rug.

*Item sent to me for my editorial consideration in accordance with my disclosure policy.