A little boy's room isn't necessarily going to work for a tween, teen or young man who increasingly distances himself from the world of toys as he enters a world of music, pop culture and girls.
The cute little pirate ship bed or cowboy bedspread may no longer cut it, as your young man seeks a room that is a little cooler and hipper, something that he wouldn't mind letting his friends see.
When thinking about young men's bedroom furniture and décor, you need to resist the temptation to know what's best. Young adults spend a lot of time in their room, and it really should reflect their personality and needs, not yours. Remember, paint is cheap and so is spackle. After your son heads off to college you can always redecorate the room the way you want for very little money.
In the meantime, your son can have the room of his dreams. If you're thinking about transforming your young man's bedroom, start by talking to him about his interests, likes and dislikes.
A theme for the room is always a good idea. For instance, if your son is really into music, you can turn the room into a pseudo recording studio, complete with posters of his favorite bands. A lot of kids are into gaming and your hard core gamer could fall in love with a room that celebrates his passion for Call of Duty or World of Warcraft.
When renovating the room, start off by selecting a color for the walls. Take your son with you to shop for paint and get him involved in the color choice. You can always exercise ultimate veto power. If your son suggests black, you may be able to guide him instead to doing a section of wall that is covered with "blackboard paint," a special paint where he can express his creativity with chalk. For other new products and for painting ideas in general, talk to the paint specialist at your local store.
When coming up with a color scheme for the room, ask your son about his favorite color. Use it as the basis of a palette of colors, so everything matches. A lot of parents will try to wing it, ending up with colors that are either blah or a little too feminine.
Before you get to the painting stage, get some buy-in from your teen. Tell them that you'll be happy to purchase the materials, but they have to do a lot of the work. This will not only lighten the load, but give you some family time, working together to transform the room and really make it his.
Of course, the old furnishings may have to go. If you can't refinish them or if they are too childlike, it's time to go on a shopping trip. The best approach is to go with a flexible furnishing approach. For example, you may opt for a futon instead of a traditional bed so your son can have a space to chill out with friends after school. If space is at a premium, you may want to go with a loft bed instead. The setup can have a second bed below or even a desk for your son's computer.
The goal with young men's bedroom furniture at this stage is to purchase something that can serve another purpose later. For example, if your son will be going off to college some day, you may want to get quality furniture that can later become part of his first apartment.
If you're planning to turn the room into a part time guestroom instead, you may want to go with a more conservative look to the furniture, adding color and style with items that can be later removed, such as art, wall color, bedding, etc.
One indispensible part of any room for a young man is a comfortable desk. Kids these days have a lot of homework on their plate and you want to create a space that allows them to do the work while staying organized. Comfort is an important part of the workspace, too. Invest in a desk chair that is comfortable. The desk should have enough room for a computer and papers as well as a workspace. The size of the desk will depend on the type of computer your son has, so factor that in.
If you already have a great mattress, you can always use it on the new bed. There's no reason why you'd want to replace a relatively new mattress. Instead, shop for a new bed that uses the same size mattress you have now. It will save you a couple bucks.
Finally, lighting is important. Young men like different moods of lighting. They may want low lights for chilling with friends and listening to music and bright light when doing homework. You can create different spaces in the room with different lighting strategies. For example, you may want to add a lamp to the desk for homework while adding a dimmer to the light on the ceiling. A floor lamp will do nicely over a chair for reading or playing video games.
Creating a room filled with young men's bedroom furniture can be a lot of fun. Done right, you can create a space that your son loves and rarely wants to leave, meaning that you always know where he is. The response "I'll be in my room" is a welcomed one for parents in this day and age.
