Teen Room Styles

Preparation

• Before embarking on a decorating project for your teen's room, spend a bit of time in the planning stages first. You should consider elements such as budget constraints, your teen's current decorating theme and ways for you to work with some of the furnishings you already have in your teen's bedroom. Sit down and talk with your teen about what decorating styles appeal to her, and then narrow it down to one style or two complementary ones. Once you have established these elements, assess what you already have, how much money you plan on spending and what your teen can bring to the mix. For example, if your teen decides she likes the shabby chic decorating style, you can suggest to her that she paint and decoupage her existing furniture so that it fits the style. Ask her to make pressed flower prints for the wall. Take her shopping for paint colors like cream or spring green and take a trek to a flea market to find a quilt for the bed. In this case, choosing a decorating style like shabby chic allows you to reuse furniture, expand on a decorating theme and work within your budget to buy a few new items for the room. Treat any decorating preparations with the same kind of forethought.

Rock 'n' Roll

• Teens just discovering a favorite band or music in general tune in to the possibilities that a rock-'n'-roll decorating style provides for their room. A black-and-white color scheme provides a logical foundation for this decorating scheme. Create an accent wall by painting one of the walls in your teen's room with a shiny black paint. Hang black-and-white photos of rock stars, framed records and concert programs on the accent wall; use white ceramic frames to set off the black. Find vinyl musical note stickers and stick them on closet doors, the dresser and the bed. Set up a corner where your teen can practice her music: Make a raised platform stage and cover the surrounding walls with egg crates.

Beach

• A beach theme appeals to teens who like activities like surfing, collecting shells and general fun in the sun. Fortunately, the accessories to put together a beach-theme room are plentiful. You'll locate the raw materials for this room at craft stores, home sections in department stores and in secondhand stores. Set the tone by painting the walls blue or sea-foam green. Lay down a bamboo or grass floor mat. Lean a surfboard in the corner of the room and use architect's tape to hang photos on it. Glue a variety of shells onto accessories like a vanity mirror and chair back. Find bedspreads that feature red and nautical blue elements. Hang up photos of the ocean or ships.

Art Deco

• Art Deco represented the modern style in the early 20th century. Sleek furniture fixtures featuring hard woods, metal inlays, geometric shapes and Egyptian motifs all found their way into Deco homes of the 1920s and 1930s. If your teen loves this style, throw a pink or electric blue comforter on the bed. Hang up wall sconces that have colored glass lamps with a geometric pattern. Get a bedroom set made of oak that's adorned with mother-of-pearl inlay designs.