DIY: Decorating for Teen Rooms

Decorative Furniture

• 1

  Furnish your bedroom with refurbished or repurposed items to show your style and personality. Go to thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets or search online sites like CraigsList for cheap or free bed frames and headboards, nightstands, shelving, dressers, vanities and chairs.

• 2

  Customize your thrifty finds. Place batting over the headboard, then cover it with upholstery fabric. Tack upholstery buttons on for a customized tufted headboard. Paint an old headboard for a quicker option or cover it in wallpaper.

• 3

  Sand and paint your nightstands or cover them with fabric scraps using laundry starch as an adhesive. Place a decal with a large image or repeating pattern on your painted nightstands for a bolder option.

• 4

  Place a slipcover or throw over your new side chair. Place an accent pillow shaped like your favorite character or animal, or customize a pillow with iron-on photo fabric, patchwork, beads or writing with fabric paints and pens.

• 5

  Apply a fresh coat of paint to a work desk or vanity, if you have one. Choose a color that goes with the nightstand, bed and chair colors. For a patterned desk, apply decals or wallpaper. You can also paint it with metallic paint for a faux silver or chrome look, or search for faux mirror contact paper to add a touch of glamour.

Decorative Accents

• 6

  Repurpose items to decorate your room. Turn an old window frame into a jewelry display by painting it and drilling holes to install hooks or knobs to hang necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

• 7

  Turn a vintage sheet into a curtain by sewing a curtain rod pocket at the top or simply clip on decorative clips and hang it up.

• 8

  Weave or tie a floor rug from old T-shirts, or sew fabric pieces together and place them on rug backing for an non-woven rug.

• 9

  Hang up your own artwork, photography and creations to express your passions and tastes.