13y boy bedroom - help!

[stickystick]

I need to makeover my DS13 room.
It is roomy, but very plain/bare since we recently got rid of the child’s loft bed he had since he was 5. It only has a single bed and the remains of a nursery set of furniture he’s had since birth (small light wood wardrobe, drawers, bookcase).

I am really short of inspiration. Stuff on Pinterest for this age group seems to be very gaming-themed, which he’s not that into. Football is a bit cliched and I don’t think he wants a team-themed room. I have tried asking him what he DOES want and he is clueless (not a creative type!). I the tried asking ChatGPT but it came up with stuff that either looked rather elderly, or proved impossible to source.

Does anyone have any good suggestions where I might get realistic. sourceable inspo?

We just chose a colour back in my day! Does it need to be themed? Far more grown up to not have a theme IMO.
My kids’ rooms are full of furniture from Ikea & Dunelm, I find Dunelm always has really nice stuff at a good price.

Ikea. They have lots of inspo pictures of kids and teens rooms on their website and they have some cool metal locker/rail type furniture that is very teen boy ish

Whats his fave colour?
Maybe different shades of his fave colour? 🌈

If he's not into sports or gaming, then is he into music, films, or the theatre perhaps?
🎶 🍿 🎭

Ikea and Dunelm recommendations from the other posters are good shouts 👏

He may not want a certain theme, but for inspiration, maybe see what his interests are and take it from there?
Best of luck OP!
@stickystick

Posters are surely what it's about for teens? I have girls but one has film and music posters mixed up with art and the odd souvenir type poster from somewhere she's visited. Also postcards and a lot of her own art work, photos of friends etc. The younger one has big maps, her own art work and photos and football posters torn out of programmes. A nice clock and bedding for Christmas maybe? Sone cool lighting?

I wouldnt do a theme as it will date and he will be fed up with it soon. Paint the room a good colour and get some coordinating bed linen. I would also consider a double bed as teenagers grow fast and spend a lot of time in their rooms. A good desk for studying is needed too. Maybe a shelving unit in a neutral colour for storage? It won’t take much to make the room feel more grown up and less bare.

The last time I did ds' room, he was 16 and obsessed with cars so I used car marques and posters of F1 cars

i decorated DD(16)and DS(14) room about a year ago, i asked them what colour they wanted, if they wanted a theme and went from there, DD asked for olive green/cottage look and DS asked for Red/gaming.

Have you asked him? My same age DS had some very definite ideas - he went for obsidian green walls with shelves displaying his lego and rock collection.

We are currently doing my 13 year old DS room and he has chosen everything. It's basically white and grey! I suggested more colour which he agreed to - by adding two green trailing plants 😂

He has put up a strip of LED lights which look cool as well as some large F1 posters and framed prints of album cover art he likes. We put up some IKEA floating shelves to house his treasures but it's all very pared back.

He has a couple of fun things like a magic 8 ball rug and a fluffy cushion but it's all very Y2K. He loves it though and I'm happy with that. It is, at least, very tidy.

ETA: in terms of furniture he has a double ottoman bed (great for hidden storage) white IKEA wardrobe and white IKEA desk with black leather office chair. He also has a barrel-shaped bedside table - white of course!

Ask him!
He’s old enough to have an opinion about his space.
Get him to help decorate it too.
I was trusted to paint the windows on the lower floors of the outside of the house by 13.

Thank you, good thoughts. Will take a look at Dunelm and Ikea…

I agree on themes being a bad idea - it’s just that when you search or ask Ai it keeps coming up with themes…

Yes I did ask him! But he just said he didn’t know! He really isn’t creative or artistic at all. Although, if it isn’t nice (as it isn’t really at the moment) he will let me know… Frustratingly his favourite colour in a non bedroom context is red but that isn’t a restful/suitable colour for bedrooms. He quite likes football and cricket as discussed doesn’t want a sport themed room. He listens to heavy metal but doesn’t want a metalhead themed room… He is interested in travel - that might be a thing for wall decoration maybe, it’s just all the rest of it I have no clue about. I am not very good at picking things that go together well.

On posters - when I was his age my whole room was plastered with Smash Hits posters but for some reason he doesn’t seem so keen!

Do you have a budget? Could you get him a red and white stripey rug/red blinds/red beanbag or something, and then I think teens like lights don't they so some cool lights and more grown up furniture and the accessories he can add as and when (e.g. posters)

When I was that age it was all about the posters, so I wanted plain walls in a nice fairly neutral colour to stick said posters on.

I’d paint it in a neutral ish colour and see where his interests take him.

My son picked a grey and a few months later put some pics up. He was fine with a simple IKEA style decor and over time has acquired trinkets.

Would any of these do? 🛌
@stickystick

DS picked the paint colour, which is a dull green. It’s a great backdrop for changing tastes in wall art etc. gaming desk and chair with loads of sockets. Loads of shelves built into an alcove, these have everything from Lego, framed photos, rocks, books, plants, piles of £ coins, boyhood cuddlies. It’s like a wall of his best life. LED strip lights round the top of the walls. Space between the wardrobe and wall for sport gear.

Double bed for sure to start with. Then you won’t be needing to change that in the future. I always start with a wall colour and Pinterest for inspiration

11 year old here. He has a proper grown up bed in his bedroom, an oak bedside table from Marks, oak desk with drawers and a brown leather office chair. Basically, the classic basics that could go into any room.

As the walls are light blue, I got some red wall shelving for contrast. He also has a beanbag for reading. To finish off the room, we got a mustardy yellow lampshade from Next for the celling.

He is big into tennis and hockey, so I got him some posters/frames related to those sports. They are very colourful, especially the orange tennis clay court ones so again they pop very nice against the blue background. I also put up a few vintage wooden tennis rackets on the wall, looks really cool and makes the room look just that bit more mature. You could try that with cricket bats?

Ikea does a metal memo board with pegs, that could look lovely with some LEDs weaved through and polaroid style photos of your travels. They also have cork ones. If red is his thing, Ikea also has this really cool red mesh gaming/office chair; we nearly bought it ourselves. You could also get red striped/checkered bedding. Paint the bookcase red, fill it with trophies, books, knickknacks and all of his most prized possessions.

Lots of storage. Neutral colours, but one feature wall or accessories in a particular colour. Restful lighting. A sofa bed or bed chair he can relax on but also use for mates. A desk for his homework. Shelves if he has hobbies to display, a high row of cupboards if not. Those hanging photo pocket things for photos/ postcards/ ticket stubs, small trinkets (wristbands/ patches…). A mirror for more light/ to cheer up bare wall space/ to check his hair)

The key is keeping the room adaptable for his interests in the next few years.

I can recommend "Egyptian Cotton" dulux paint. It's kind of a beige grey but a warm nice shade, doesn't feel cold and icy.

We teamed that with grey curtains and carpet..easily changed if tastes change. But the neutral wall colour worked for us, changing a rug can change a whole room.

Also if space allows...a small double bed is a nice way to give them more comfort and feels more 'grown up' than a single bed.

Absolutely agree. We decorated DS room a year ago, bought cool strip lighting, graffiti bedding, striped the floorboards. DH actually made a fantastic high up double bed with bookcases round the sides and a reading space underneath. Under a year later he's gone completely white, carpet down and only lamps, all the strip lighting is down and rolled into a ball and he convinced his granny to buy him a normal bed.

He draws on his walls then paints over it again in white. Puts up posters for a month then they're down. Constant change. The best thing was a double bed and we had space for a futon which sits in front of his Xbox. Don't do a theme, it will be dated and hated in 6 months!!!