Teen bedrooms ideas and tips !

[holidayfever2024]

Going to bite the bullet and update my DD 14 and DS 11 bedrooms this year and they are still both in mid sleepers and DD in particular has outgrown the way she space is used , her room gets very untidy and stiff under a mid sleeper just languishes as it's hard to tidy.
We will do DD first and then may do DS later in year though I am tempted to replace both beds now !
What do I need to consider ?
Has anyone done this recently and can share links ?
She sent links to her 'dream room' on Pinterest and the good news is it's an ikea single bed and ikea desk so nothing too beyond my budget !
Would like to get a chest of drawers and a new wardrobe at the same time. It's not a big room at all 4.03m x 2.67m with eaves reducing space further so am keen on any small bedroom wins you may have !
Colours of her choice are soft pink and sage green.
Will need lamps , bedding , desk chair , storage ( avid bookworm and crafter !)

If you're after a safe saving desk, we got this one for my youngest and it's great, when it's folded down she can use it as a shelf Wall-mounted Folding Table, Folding Table With Shelves, Space Saving Table, Folding Dining Table, Murphy Table, Study Desk, Foldable Desk - Etsy UK. It would save space for the chest of drawers and the wardrobe. We've got it mounted under the window.

Have a look also at an ottoman bed, or a bed with storage underneath. Things like chunky jumpers, out of season clothes etc can be stored under there so you can get away with a smaller set of drawers.

Thanks @xmasdealhunter for the reply , that desk looks great though I feel she will probably want to prioritise on desk space and it won't be a clearable surface.

Great idea about the ottoman bed I am wondering whether that or built in storage is more practical I think built in is easier to access but also more visually cluttered.
I was thinking about a tall boy so there is a smaller footprint than a chest fo drawers.
Sorry about all the typos in my message.

One like this could work, with the built in drawers Mack + Milo Buckwalter Single Cabin Bed With 3 Built in Drawers, White Wax Finish & Reviews | Wayfair.co.uk

Thanks @xmasdealhunter that's the sort of thing I imagined.
I am wondering though whether in time she will also outgrow this look or whether I should get something that will last longer term ? (Less kids bedroom ! )
It's occurring to me she will technically be an adult in 4 years !

If you go for a neutral coloured bed, there is less risk of them outgrowing them. My DD has had the same bed since she was 14 (she's now 20!) It's a double, but they made the same style in single and I wouldn't have been switching that either. You can make it seem more grown up by what bedding you use on it. She has an ottoman rather than ones with drawers underneath but it's whatever works in the space really.

Thanks yes I looked at a queen first as thought it might last better but there is of course less choice and it may limit other furniture too much.

Do you mean that white is neutral enough not to outgrow ?
I think I associate it with younger rooms. But appreciate soft furnishings make a big difference too

I think White is neutral enough not to outgrow. My DD (and from what I heard growing up, a lot of her friends) still have white bedframes. Have you looked at a small double size? It takes up less room than a full sized double but would give her more space. One like this maybe? Fairbourne Wooden Ottoman Bed Frame | Dreams

Thanks that one looks good - yes that's what I mean by ' queen size' think I need to measure up and see what is realistic . A single will definitely look better and there are more,options but the next size up would definitely tick the less likely to outgrow box!

If I had to do it again I would avoid the bunk bed/ cabin beds and go for a queen/ double if they're teens. You'll only have to change it in a few years.

if its in budget a desk like https://www.litfad.com/2-drawers-flexible-height-natural-finish-lumber-adjustable-kids-desk-with-hutch-shelf-locker-natural-finish-50l-x-24w-x-57h-table-s-6768316.html also gives storage and will work for her to display things now and for revision later

There are also full length mirrors with storage inside or on the back - they get recommended lots on the christmas threads

ikea and other places also do great shelves which have drawers built in and make a good dressing table under a window

neutral floor and curtains, use a colour/pattern for a blind and rug which are easy to swap out later. walls can easily be repainted so whatever colour she likes, and add a massive pinboard with some cute pins which she can update as much as she likes for pictures etc without wrecking the walls

See this one is one of my worries do most/all teens end up needing a double ? Surely loads of kids have spaces that make that tricky ? I can see as she gets older her room won't house quite so much 'stuff' and the bed dominating the space would be less of an issue but for now I am worried
I am going to make it too cramped . I might have to give you a drawing if anyone has the inclination to comment further!
Don't want to get it wrong as it's easy to buy in haste !

That desk is amazing @AuntieDen - DD would love all that storage. I think I would struggle to accommodate it as was hoping to put it under a window.
Will do some measurements and try a few layouts .

i just realised that actually says kids desk so might be too small for her but there are others like https://www.lakiq.com/simplistic-rectangular-natural-color-reclaimed-wood-work-from-home-desk-with-hutch-and-external-shelving-white-without-chairs-39l-x-20w-x-67h-s-1079844.html?

I'm sure i saw other similar ones doing my office a couple of years ago but can't find them now - perhaps hutch desk or study desk?

I did similar last year with DDs (12 and 8). They were in bunkbeds in a small room and I moved them into a larger bedroom which had a complete makeover. It wasn't ideal for them to keep sharing but needs must and it worked out quite well.

The room is a decent double but it had to fulfil a lot of criteria - separate spaces and lots of storage. Oh and my budget was about 50p...

I used an app called Roomplanner - you can scan in a room so no need to measure anything. Then I dragged and dropped various bits of Ikea furniture in and 'painted' the walls. The girls then got to do a 3D walkthrough and were able to make choices on colours, layout etc.

What they've ended up with is a sage green room with a fairly natural/minimalist vibe and loads of storage but no actual bedroom furniture. DD1 had a daybed with drawers and DD2 has a Malm bed with drawers under. Daybed can be extended for guests or whenever DD fancies a big bed (she can convert it in about 10 seconds)

There's also a coat stand which dumps all her uniform on - quick way of preventing floordrobe.

Then there's a stack of Kallax units arranged at right angles which gives DD1 a fairly private desk area hidden behind (nice bamboo desk with pegboard above).

DD2 has a quirky Ikea desk with masses of space for craft shit.

This gives the girls own beds, capacity for guests, study areas, clothes, books, toy, craft storage and a decent amount of floor space in the middle for roller skating and cartwheels.

Visualising beforehand really helped as I knew what would fit and just tweaked design along the way!

Thanks so much @umberpigeon I think that would really help me - I have been on Pinterest looking at all these gorgeous rooms and then have to remind myself that a large part of the challenge is making it easy to keep tidy and that none of the 'inspo' pics reflect the amount of stuff my DD ( DS less so!) wants to keep in her room.
I will look at roomplanner

Love the sound of your Dads finished room
And the
Coat stand is an excellent idea !

I'll try and post some of the plans here. I also did a moodboard to try and put together an idea of the overall style - v tricky with polar opposite DDs!

It's not perfect (just me renovating room while working f/t) and it has been somewhat overtaken by squishmallows but DD1 is very proud of it and gets up at 6.30am each day to hoover it (and often won't let DD2 in)

Some of the items in the plans are placeholder (bought different lighting and rug) but you can get the general idea

And here is the moodboard - the cats were part of the plans and they arrived a month later. They particular love climbing the Kallax units and going into the drawers under the bed

Thanks for sharing @umberpigeon it looks very well thought out and my DD would love your moodboard (especially the cats!)
I am going to try to do some playing wring with layouts this weekend- the roomplanner app looks good .
I hear you on the squishmallows - they aren't really aligned with the overall serene 'aesthetic' DD says she wants !