Rooms for Preteens – They Grow Up So Fast

By Better Homes
August 14, 2009

It seems to happen overnight — one moment your child is just a tiny swaddle of blankets and diapers, and the next he’s listening to crashingly loud music and talking in unrecognizable lingo. Just as suddenly, the bedroom decor he loved as an 8-year-old has become completely uncool by the time he’s 10 — a horror for any preteen.

The Robson family, in Westport, Connecticut, had a similar dilemma but with an added complication: Thomas, 14, and Sam, 11, shared a room and they’d never quite figured out how to make the most of the space.

With two of everything — beds, desks, and dressers — the room was cramped, and the white walls and bland wood furniture did nothing to reflect the young boys’ vivacious personalities.

Athena Diaconis, 14, of Hatboro, Pennsylvania, can hardly believe she ever liked her room’s formerly pale-peach walls and the daintily painted flowers on her furniture. An active kid involved in several after-school activities, Athena felt that her room no longer matched her personality.

It had become merely a pit stop for sleeping and a holding pen for her stuff. Indeed, mounds of clothes and textbooks were piled in the corners of the room. In addition to the unhip furnishings, lack of storage was a major problem.

What was the solution for both spaces? Updating the furnishings so they reflect teen sensibilities and adding some much-needed storage.

 

A Place for Everything

 

Ikea’s Stora loft/desk combo ($399 for the full bed, $150 for the desk) is a great space saver for the Robson boys. “I actually feel more organized doing homework at my desk,” says Thomas.

The far wall, painted in a rich red from Ralph Lauren paints (about $23 to $35 a gallon, available at Home Depot) gives the room a much-needed jolt of color, and The Container Store’s nifty hanging CD holder ($7.99) lends its own visual punch.

Ikea’s cube bookshelf ($149) is the perfect storage solution; the boys can divide the cubbies equally and each have his own space for treasured books and games. Land of Nod’s red, white, and blue seersucker bedding (about $78 for a twin set) warms up Ikea’s metal-framed bed ($99).

A nook in the corner of the room was the perfect spot for Sam’s new desk, which was easily constructed from a one-inch piece of plywood covered in durable denim, attached to simple wooden legs. But Sam’s favorite touch is the Art Clip Racks ($34) from Pottery Barn Kids. “I love having a spot to show off all my favorite artwork,” he says.

 

Bold and Beautiful

 

Athena fell in love with Bombay Kids’ Betsy bedding collection ($69 for a twin sheet set), which made choosing the rest of the room’s colors easy. Her old furniture was updated with two coats of white paint, and bold prints from Artivise look great against the pale lilac and mint green walls.

A shelf from The Container Store ($7.99 for an 8-x-24-inch model) runs the length of the wall and provides a showcase for some of Athena’s favorite things, including her trophies and colorful Rio vases ($11 each from Uncommon Goods). All paint from Glidden (about $15 to $21 a gallon, available at Home Depot).

The Morgan Storage desk ($449) from Bombay Kids is the perfect spot for Athena to tackle homework, and the attached hutch ($399) offers additional storage. The built-in bulletin board is ideal for invitations and to-do lists.

The closet was outfitted with The Container Store’s Elfa closet system (starting at $100), which provides plenty of space to hang or fold her clothes, and neatly stack her shoes. Bombay Kids’ freestanding Mirror Turn Around ($449) unit adds extra shelf space.

Copyright 2009 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com