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Proper planning and a little savvy make for a terrific teen's room!

There's no denying it. By the time your child reaches the teen years, it's time to say goodbye to the dancing bears, race cars, trailing alphabet or princess themed room. Not only has he or she outgrown these youthful signs of the past, you're sick of the look, and the linens are probably trashed or even on their second or third replacement by now. And let's face it. They are begging you for a new look. Am I right?

Never fear. Princess Peg to the rescue. I have redone two rooms for the teenage years, and I now feel well qualified to aid you in this arduous process. In this post, I will offer a few general tips. Next time, we'll cover a specific design idea - painting stripes on a wall. I know that sounds like a nightmare, but it's really not that bad, and the result is nothing short of stunning! But I digress...

The Tips:

• Look to your teen for the color palette and general feel for the room - Note that this doesn't mean to give them free reign on the overall design. Some teens will have a better handle on what will fly and what won't, so you'll have to use your judgment there. However, it's best to start with their ideas and guide them from there. My older daughter had a concrete idea of just about exactly what she wanted. We virtually stuck with her plan. Her younger sister was less committed to an idea and needed more direction. Once we looked through some catalogs, perused the paint samples and did some online surfing, we both had a better idea of what we were going for.
• Have a predetermined budget in mind before starting the project. Share these ideas with your teen, emphasizing that he or she can spend a certain amount. Help them understand what various aspects of the project will cost, so they are invested in the success of the project's budget.
• Consider planning the bedding before selecting paint colors. I have made this mistake many times in the past. It is much harder to find bedding to match walls than the other way around. You can always have the paint mixed to your specifications. Also, in the scheme of things, paint is pretty inexpensive.
• Say sayonara to wallpaper. It is my (ever so humble) that paint is the way to go. Having painstakingly peeled wallpaper off many a room in my home, I am here to tell you that you can do an awful lot with paint. We even had a lifesize Big Bird on my daughter's wall at one point. A few coats of primer was all it took to prepare the wall for a fresh coat of paint. Far easier than steaming wallpaper off. Trust me on this one.
• Shop online for the bedding. There are lots of good deals to be had online. Do beware of restocking fees and the fact that you will more than likely pay a return shipping fee if for some reason you do not like what you purchased. We experienced this over the holidays when the "apple (electric) green" quilt turned out to be more like "olive drab". Not suitable for a teenage girl.
• Encourage your teen to "aspire higher" when it comes to his or her design choice. By this I simply mean to suggest that they go for something a little older or more sophisticated than they might have originally gone for.
• Consider doing one wall a little on the crazy side. Stripes, odd shapes, hand-sketched design of some sort. Remember, if you use paint, and he or she hates it a couple of years from now, you can always just re-do that one wall.

The tips above should get you started down the right path toward getting the room redecorated. Next time, we'll do stripes without getting vertigo!