How to Decorate a Teenage Girl's Bedroom

Decorating the Walls and Floor

Choose a style and color scheme. For a room that looks cohesive and cool, it’s best to decide on a color scheme and a general style before you start decorating. Choose a color palette that you love, but make sure you won’t get sick of it easily. Also, keep in mind that while your bedroom should be fun and exciting, it should also be conducive to a good night’s sleep. You can find inspiration online, using sites like Pinterest, by reading design magazines, from visiting home goods or furniture stores, or even watching design shows. Soft, pastel wall colors paired with a brighter floral bedspread and decorations make a room that’s feminine, but not overpowering. Dark purples and blues coupled with white or cream walls give a gentle, relaxed vibe. Opt for a sophisticated space with black, white, and gray coloring, plus pops of pink, purple, or blue. For a bright, tropical look, blend bright pinks and deep oranges with your walls, bedspread, and furniture.

Repaint your room to totally change the style. To really transform your space, a new paint job is the way to go. Tell your parents what you envision and talk about some color options. Go with them to buy the paint and offer to help with the painting as well to show your dedication to your project. Be careful when choosing colors! Although bright shades look great on a paint swatch, they can be overwhelming on your walls. Opt for a more subdued hue to bring a sense of calm to the space. For instance, choose navy blue instead of cobalt blue for a peaceful, warm, color. If you do decide to go with a bright wall color, balance it out with lighter-colored furniture and blankets. You could use accents of bright color with colorful pillows, blankets, or rugs, or paint just the wall behind your bed a bright hue for an accent wall. If you can’t repaint your room, don’t worry! You can still decorate it to match your style with wall decorations, blankets, and revamped furniture.

Hang a print, decal, or poster on the wall to perk up your room. Even freshly-painted walls can use some extra decorations. Look for adhesive wall decals, framed prints, or posters of your favorite movie or band to brighten up blank corners of your room. Decals come in many different shapes and patterns. Look for ones with colors and styles that will play off of your wall color and bedspread. You can get decals at home stores or online, especially at craft-focused retailers like Etsy. Don’t go overboard with your decals—any more than 2 in a small space can look overdone. Stick with 1 large decal, or 2 smaller ones placed separately. To make a poster look more stylish, put it in a frame or hang it with wire instead of simply taping or tacking it to the wall.

Hang up photos or a bulletin board to personalize your wall space. Frame and hang a few of your favorite photos of your friends and family for a homey touch. For even more wall space to decorate, buy a bulletin board and tack up photos, drawings, and mementos. You can also use a small, magnetic chalkboard or whiteboard to hang photos and scribble notes and thoughts. Or, paint a whole wall or part of a wall with magnetic chalkboard paint. You’ll be able to write messages and put up photos or posters without damaging the wall. If you don’t like the tan, cork-like look of a regular bulletin board, customize it by spreading a length of colorful fabric over it and taping or stapling the ends to the back. Decorate the edges of your photo frames with stickers and paint for a look that’s even more you.

Get a soft rug and throw pillows to make a lounge space in the corner. Most teen rooms are too small for a couch or comfy armchair. Luckily, you can make your own lounge area in an empty corner by stacking a few big throw pillows on top of a soft rug. If you have a little extra space, add a small beanbag or a backrest pillow with arms. To create a cozy reading nook, put a floor pouf and a few cozy pillows in a corner. Add a floor lamp to brighten the space.

Add a mirror to make your room look bigger. Hanging a full- or half-length mirror in your room makes it easy to choose a great outfit every morning. As a bonus, a mirror can also make your room look more spacious. Add a small mirror in another area to check makeup and open up the room even more. Make sure to situate it so that your mirrors don’t reflect each other. You can put a mirror on the back of your bedroom door, on your closet door, or even above your bed.

Hang up string lights to add a soft glow to your room. Ask your parents if they have any extra white string lights and use them to decorate a plain wall or add soft illumination to your room. You can make a design out of the lights or simply string them across a wall with tape and push-pins. Weave the lights through your headboard to create a soft reading light, or string them around the top perimeter of your room.

Hang a lighted mirror garland to add sparkle to a plain wall. To make a lighted mirror garland, drape 6–7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) of mirror garland thickly over a curtain rod that’s 4–5 feet (1.2–1.5 m) long, so that the they hang down towards the floor. Install hooks in your wall and set the rod in them for a flashy, unique wall decoration. Set your garland next to a window to make it glow. For all-day sparkle, drape 6–7 feet (1.8–2.1 m) of string lights among the garlands. Ask your parents to help you install the hooks. They should be wide enough to be able to set the pole in comfortably, and will need to be screwed into the wall. You can buy mirror garlands online or at craft stores. You can even use crystals for decoration.

Install hanging shelves to add storage options for a small room. If you’re running out of desk or closet space for pictures, knick-knacks, or books, ask your parents to help you install hanging shelves on your wall. This is a great way to decorate your walls while organizing clutter. You can buy hanging shelves at a furniture store or make your own with the help of your parents for a fun home improvement project. As an alternative to a nightstand, place the shelves on either side of your bed.

Sprucing up the Bed

Choose a comforter that won’t overwhelm your room. Your bed comforter or duvet is the center of your room, so picking the right color or pattern can make a huge difference! Check home stores, online retailers, and catalogues for one that matches your room’s style and color scheme. For a luxurious feel, choose a fluffy comforter and layer a throw blanket or 2 on top of the comforter at the foot of your bed. Add a row of throw pillows for a cozy feel. If your walls are bright or you’re planning on going all-in with colorful furniture, you could try a more subdued pastel or white comforter. If your walls are white or light-colored, feel free to go for a comforter or duvet that’s brighter or patterned to add a burst of color to the center of your room. If you can’t get a new comforter or are looking to save money, you can revamp your bed with a few pretty blankets, or even sew a comforter yourself.

Move your bed to change your room set-up. Turning your bed the other way or moving it to the opposite side of the room can really freshen up your space. Talk to your parents about scooting your bed against a different wall, or turning it so that it sticks into the middle of the room instead of sitting against a wall. When deciding where to place your bed, try to put the head against a wall with no pipes running through it, near enough to your window for natural light. If you’re worried about putting your bed too close to the window, put up some drapes to block out the sun on mornings when you want to snooze a little later. To create a daybed feel, position one of the long sides of your bed against a wall and line that side with pillows. You can easily relax or study there, then simply move the pillows when you’re ready for bed.

Toss fun throw pillows on your bed for a burst of color. Look for pillows that are pretty and comfortable, that match your comforter and walls. Scatter 3-4 of them across your bed for a casual look, or stack them neatly for a style that’s more sophisticated. Look for pillows in various shapes and sizes that match your room decor.

Place an end table at the foot of your bed for more storage space. A storage bench at the end of your bed is a stylish way to store clutter and add an extra, comfy seat to your room. Look for a bench to match your comforter at home stores and online. For even more storage space, grab some colorful bins at a home store and stash them (and your clutter) under the bed.

Try a mounted headboard for a cleaner look that takes up less space. A headboard can push your bed a foot (0.3 m) or more away from the wall, which is a lot of space in a small room. Talk to your parents about getting rid of your headboard, or mounting one on the wall behind the bed to save space and look neater. As an alternative to a headboard, hang up a wall tapestry or decorative scarf on the wall behind your bed.

Hang a blanket over your bed for a relaxed, boho canopy. If you feel too old for the full princess canopy, try lightly draping a thin, patterned blanket above your bed. String it from the ceiling and let it dangle 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) from your pillows for an airy feel.

Dressing up Your Furniture

Use a small table as a desk and dress it up with colorful containers. If you don’t already have a desk, look for a small table that will save space and look light and easy in your room. Fit it into your color scheme with colorful accessories like a desk lamp, a pencil cup, bookends, and a digital clock. Try not to clutter your desk space up with too many knick-knacks, especially if this is a space you’ll use to do homework. All those small items will distract you from your studying.

Set out a small, pretty trash can to quickly dispose of clutter. Buy a small trash can online or from a home store, looking for one that matches your overall decor. Place it in the corner of your room for a quick, convenient way to throw away scraps of paper, tags from clothing, or any other bits of waste you have in your room. If you don’t have much trash, you could use a container you already have around the house, like a basket, as a creative trash can substitute. Remember to take out your trash at least once a week to keep clutter from piling up. Don’t use your small trash can to throw away food or anything else that could decompose. This could make your room smell and even attract bugs.

Organize your makeup on a magnet board. Buy a magnet board and glue thin fabric over it to match your color scheme. Then, hot glue small, round, strong magnets onto the back of each of your eyeshadow, blush, and bronzer containers. Stick them onto the board to make a cute makeup organizer. To organize your brushes and liners, glue a few magnets onto an old, small plastic cup. Store your mascara, brushes, and liners inside and stick them on the board.

Turn over a colorful trash can to make a simple night stand. If you want to revamp your bedside table, buy a cheap, colorful trash can online or at a large general store. Flip it upside down and set it by your bed for a small, cute table! Look for a trash can with artful designs or a pretty pattern that will blend nicely with your bedspread and walls. Or, find a plain trash can, turn it upside down, and spray paint it the color you want. Try a glittery gold paint for a fun and bold option.

Decoupage dresser drawers with fabric for a splash of color. Cut a sheet of matching fabric to fit your dresser drawer, then wash it and dry it. Brush Mod Podge over the fabric and the dresser drawer and press the fabric onto the drawer one section at a time, smoothing it down with a straight edge as you go. If you’re using a thin, cotton fabric, paint your dresser drawers white first. Mod Podge makes thin fabrics somewhat see-through, allowing dark colors to bleed through. To get the process down, try practicing on a small piece of wood first.

Paint an old filing cabinet for modern storage space. Ask your parents if they have an old filing cabinet they don’t need anymore and transform it into a unique storage space! Lightly sand the cabinet with some sandpaper, then clean the cabinet and apply 3-4 coats of paint with a roller. Paint the cabinet with chalk paint and label the contents of each drawer with chalk for extra organization. Or, pick a bright color like neon pink or yellow for a mod vibe. To clean the cabinet, simply run a wet cloth over it to catch any dust and grime. Let it dry before you paint.

Spray paint the bases of your lamps in fun, matching colors. To update an old-fashioned looking lamp, pick up some cans of bright spray paint. Bring your lamp outside, set it on some newspaper, and spray paint it evenly on every side. Let the lamp dry outside or in the garage for as long as instructed on the spray paint can. Make sure to remove the lampshade before you spray paint.

Create a fashionable dressing area by dressing up a tailor’s mannequin. Pick up a female dress form mannequin at a craft store or order one online. Dress it in a pretty dress and place it in a corner of your room near a mirror or vanity to create a classy “dressing area.” Go for a dress form rather than a full-body mannequin to save space and give your dressing area a sophisticated, classic look. Use the dress form to express your creativity. Try switching out the dress form’s outfit based on the season, or put a dress on it to get you excited for an upcoming dance.