Help carve out space for siblings.
For a teen that shares a room with a sibling, the room can hardly be a private retreat. But you can try to give her space of her own by trading bunk beds for twins and separating them as much as possible. Sliding a spacious desk or bulky dresser between the beds creates a barrier. Give each sleeper her own lamp and electrical outlets for chargers and electronics. Look for colors and patterns for the bedding and window treatments that are age-neutral. And try to incorporate areas for personal expression, such as separate corkboards for photos and posters, and independent shelves to display collectibles.
Turn her into a grown-up princess.
Some girls never want to leave the princess stage. To give your young monarch a not-too-youthful room scheme, ditch the frothy pinks and purples and use regal finishes and motifs. Even if your teen loves pale pink to this day, it doesn’t have to cover the walls, bed and floors. Choose a neutral hue or a complementing muted shade for the walls and bedding. Limit pink to the accents in pillows, a rug or artwork. Shiny and sparkly surfaces, such as a mirrored side table and silvery chandelier, provide an elegant look. For the crowning touch, include a canopy over the bed. It can be as simple as curtains hanging around a four-poster bed, or as ornate as sheer fabric draped from a ceiling medallion.
Create a future focus.
Most teens are looking forward—to future schooling, work or travel. Help them refine that vision with a room scheme that underscores their interests. A world map will help them plot their course. Implements of their future career can also be inspiring. Help a future car mechanic find vintage racing posters or logos of favorite vehicles. For a someday doctor, you could have fun with not-too-gory anatomical charts or posters from medical TV shows. If your teen has settled on a college, incorporate the school’s colors into the decor, put up the football team’s poster, or look for fabric that displays the school logo and sew it into curtains.