Today, your teen's bedroom, tomorrow, a guest bedroom

Ever since I remember, the end of the summer has left me feeling melancholy. Still, the cool, crisp feeling of the late afternoons and the yellowish brown tones that had begun to appear in the landscape brought me incredible peace. It is “the end of” and yet “the beginning of”—literally a time of transition, a time of preparation and change for the next step forward.

We all feel uneasy in front of change. However, once we embrace change, we feel enthusiastic and full of energy.

One of the most rewarding kinds of changes are home projects, no matter how big or small. It is nice to feel that sense of accomplishment after we have painted a room that looked dated or put some new accessories over the fireplace. And we feel one step closer to being ready for the warmth of the upcoming family reunions.

What does back to school mean to us, the adults in the home? Years back, when we were in school, the end of the summer meant the vacations were over, but at the same time we were excited about starting the new school year. Now we look at our children growing up and we want to hold back time. Every summer’s end reminds us that college and an empty nest are one year closer. We are never fully prepared for that transition.

Needless to say that adolescence is also a difficult time for our children. They are transitioning into adulthood, one of the biggest changes in their young lives. Sometimes communication with your teen is difficult and more than once tears escape our eyes as we are reminded that the cute baby from a few years ago is a distant memory. But still, it is time to embrace change. Teens love to have their space. Decorating your teen’s bedroom can be a wonderful project to work on together with your teen. Along the way, you can find out more about what they like and how they feel.

Recently, my thirteen-year-old son son and I started decorating his bedroom for the first time since he was tiny. The first step was the color scheme. He had told me: “I don’t like this baby blue on the walls.” The message was clear: “I am no longer a baby.” As an interior designer, I do many professional paint color consultations to find the perfect color for my client’s taste and personality. This time my client was my son; not my easiest project!

We finally selected Benjamin Moore 2066-10 blue, his favorite color, a deeply saturated color for the walls. He likes high contrast, thus Benjamin Moore OC-152 super white for the trims and window frames was perfect. He loved having his own color consultant. William wants to be an astronomer, so I had seen a lovely wall paper that had a sky like a galaxy and I ordered a sample to view it in the light of his room. I thought the blue shade of the paper was matching the paint color beautifully. But he told me: “I want a real image of a nebula. This wall paper has primary colors.” Well, the paper was lovely, but from a Disney series. We selected a mural with Hubble's Orion Nebula. To be continued…

So what is your teen color scheme and style? A glamorous white and light blue Modern Queen Anne or a dark distressed wood with red accents? Today it is your son or daughter’s bedroom, but tomorrow it will be a great guest bedroom. Because when your guest comes, you will proudly tell them the story of how you worked together with your teen. And any guest would enjoy spending the night in a room designed with love…

If you need help with your teen’s bedroom, please contact us or call me at 703-464-0459. Our initial consultation is complimentary.

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