Creative Space
Teen looking for help to decorate bedroom
September 1, 2010
David Ferguson
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Q: I am 14 years-old and I use my room a lot, sometimes alone and other times with friends. I have been given a budget to redecorate my bedroom, but I am having difficulty trying to fit in everything that I need.
I use my room as a quiet place to read, listen to music, do artwork, as well as to sleep in.
I haven’t done any decorating before and could really use help with some creativity and ideas.
A: Interior decoration is not so much about how much you spend as it is what you do with the money you have.
In terms of its shape and size, your bedroom is fairly typical of most kids’ rooms.
It is not a large space, but even in this limited area, some imaginative decorating ideas, coupled with some clever space-saving techniques, can bring about a more spacious feeling in a room that will accommodate everything your budget will allow.
When you are decorating, make sure you make allowances for new and varying interests. As fashions and space requirements evolve, you should be able to adapt the decor as well.
Dual-purpose furniture is a wise investment where restricted budgets and space are concerned. In a limited space like this one, furniture that does double duty will immediately provide you with the space you need to store personal effects and will adapt easily to increased requirements and changes.
Festooned with a variety of colourful throw pillows, a day bed that doubles as a cozy sofa will give you a pleasant place to read, to study, or listen to music, alone or with friends.
My plan shows a desk-height unit placed next to the bed (and beside the window), providing a naturally-lighted place to study or work on crafts during the day.
It is important that you use sufficient lighting on a desk or table with a surface large enough to sprawl papers and books — especially if this is the only available space in the house.
Later in life, a table like may be able to convert to become a vanity or dressing table.
Across from the bed, I have located a chest of drawers that, because it is not very bulky, will not appear to take up much space.
When choosing a decorating style, consider choosing furniture that can easily blend with a variety of decorating styles. Painted pieces, bamboo and rattan and light coloured wood pieces in simple designs are all worth consideration.
Wicker furniture, for example, is light, airy and inexpensive and can be painted to adapt to any decor. Similarly, unpainted furniture can be stained or painted to suit evolving tastes and style.
The inevitable posters and mementos are subject to frequent change, and a large cork surface on one wall will accommodate the changes.
In deciding what furniture you will need and where it will be placed most efficiently, you can make things easier for yourself to keep things where they belong.
Storage chests and low shelving will hold a large quantity of possessions and will not visually appear to take any space. Of course, virtually all horizontal surfaces can house plants, crafts, toys and framed pictures.
A couple of boxes on casters that slide under the bed can be an unobtrusive catch-all for the reams of art and paperwork you can create.
I would also strongly suggest having the closet redesigned so that it optimizes the available space.
Wire shelving systems are inexpensive and, wisely thought out, can easily double the amount of hanging and storage space in a small closet. Many retailers provide closet designers who, included in the price, will provide your closet with space to grow.
• Note to parents: When planning a child’s room, it is understandably easy to forget how fast children grow. Here’s a great chance to make the transition from a child’s room to a proper teen space. If the furniture is well chosen from the beginning, it can serve well through the entire cycle. The decoration of any child’s room must be conceived with this in mind and their furniture chosen so that as they go through each life stage, their furniture doesn’t necessarily have to change.
David Ferguson is a regular contributor to CBC Radio’s Ontario Today. Write to David at ferguson@creativespaceonline.com