We aren’t keen on falling into stereotypes as there are many keen examples of why they are completely wrong, but if we asked you to imagine a teenage boy’s bedroom, most of us would picture a similar environment.
Perhaps the curtains are closed, the bedroom isn’t made, the television and games console or gaming PC take centre stage, and there are clothes everywhere. Of course, that’s not entirely true for all children, nor does it mean that you can only care for their room if they have a room like this.
However, it is worth considering this as a ‘worst case scenario’ you can improve with your own diligent effort if you’d like to.
In order to stop a bedroom like this from becoming stuffy, tired and a place you have to encourage your child to sort out ‘too often’, it can be healthy to know how to progress. In this post, we hope to consider some worthwhile implements and design tips you can use to ensure your teenage son’s bedroom is not only the picture of health, but that they can more easily maintain it:
Natural Light!
It’s important to let natural light into your son’s bedroom, because often, it’s true that the curtains may stay drawn otherwise. Implementing light-allowing blinds can prevent them from sleeping in until after noon, even after sports practice. It can also help the room look nicer and more vibrant.
You can get the same effect when installing beautiful double hung windows in your upstairs rooms, allowing two sides of ventilation and a worthwhile means of helping the room stay fresher and feel more enjoyable to occupy. That can be a fantastic place to start, bar none.
Furthermore, encouraging a mirror or two inside of their room, especially a large one, can help reflect the light and visually double the space of the room. That can also help the space feel less stuffy and tired.
Dressers & Wardrobes
In order to avoid the deadly cycle of using a spare chair as a laundry holder and then moving that laundry pile to the bed during the day, it’s worth giving your son worthwhile storage solutions they can easily use to fold and put their clothes away.
A simple chest of drawers can help here, as well as public hangers that are easier to access rather than having to use a wardrobe. A mirror in front of the wardrobe can inspire them to see their appearance, and to reflect laundry piles back at them. A laundry basket within the room can at least help them pile their dirty laundry properly rather than throw it about, helping the room stay neater than it may have done in the first instance.
Greenery
Perhaps one of the most commonly lacking additions in any teenage boy’s bedroom is that of greenery. A few potted plants, or some that can be easily taken care of, like a cactus, can provide a worthwhile natural visual implement, one that helps the room feel new and full of life, even if your son sleeps most of the day and barely gives that impression himself (for now at least!).
This can also help liven up empty space, help a desk seem more approachable (or remind them that their study desk is there), as well as giving them something to look after.
It’s not an interior design tip, but usually a fish tank or a small lizard or rodent can serve as a nice pet for them, a reason to keep the room smelling nice and clean, and another means of teaching them organizational tasks.
Storage
Storage is also important to get right in the room of a teenage boy. Most teenage lads, unless particularly tidy, have a habit of placing their possessions across the room and having to search for them.
Something as simple as a proper DVD rack for their game boxes, a storage container for their computer tower, monitors that are all together on one stand rather than haphazardly thrown around the room – all this can make a big difference. It can also be that underbed storage containers help them place their belongings, as can in-wardrobe containers, or hanging storage baskets that serve as a means of storing school supplies or other small possessions.
In this way, we again take possessions from the floor and place them in a place they can remember. It’s important not to give them too many storage options though, encouraging them to throw out old things they don’t need as opposed to holding on to everything forever.
A Nice Visual Theme
While it’s unlikely your teenage boy will want to keep his Toy Story stencils around the room (and that’s unfortunate), it might be that a more mature visual theme could be a great idea. A feature wall painted orange with bed trimmings painted white could give a cool visual theme, or perhaps a nautical option with stencilled anchors or decorations like a water life ring or a miniature pirate ship could be quite nice. We need to remember that our teenage sons are still children no matter how much they’d fight against that fact, and so making sure they have decorations that help retain their youthful charm can be healthy for not only them, but for you as well.
Cool Additions
We’ve made light teasing fun of teenage boys a little in this post, so let’s cap this off by doing something quite nice for them. Purchasing them a games controller holder and charger so that they can keep them organized and recharging for their next gaming session can be a good idea.
A 5.1 surround sound system is often very cheap these days, and so using wall mounts to keep them against the wall around the room can provide a cool auditory convenience. Little ambiance additions like RGB LED lights or even a candle holder can help the room take on a more comfortable tone. With this approach, your space is sure to look much nicer than it might have done.
With this advice, we hope you can make the most of your teenage son’s room. They’ll be sure to appreciate it, too.
