My teen boys’ room has been through a few transformations as they’re getting older (14 and 15). This time around they had a few requests: 1) no more bunkbeds, 2) no more stars on the ceiling and 3) an art change. I wanted to make this room a bit more sophisticated, a bit more college dorm-like since it is shared and needs to fit a lot and function well.
I tried to keep this economical and spent around $300, repurposed things and found some great deals.
Before and afters
Problems:
Beds: They had these IKEA bunkbeds for eight years and they held up great with all the roughhousing until the last six months or so. They became a bit wobbly so they were waking each other up. They wanted separate beds, which at this age is understandable.
Clutter: Being teens, they want to sleep in later so one night I randomly hung up some curtains I had with nails! Not our best look. See if you can count all the backpacks in this picture! It’s a problem. So are all their accumulating hoodies. On the right there is a random drawer thing my father-in-law found on the street and gave it to us for some reason and a lizard cage with no lizard.
Solutions:
Layout: So down came the bunkbeds! I rearranged their room so each kid has their own “side” with bed and desk. Their weren’t too many layout options, so the dresser (that came with the house!) went in between the beds.
Paint: I painted over the ceiling stars. (I get it, but weren’t they cute?!) Then we painted the whole room Benjamin Moore Newburg Green to match the board and batten accent wall. This made a huge impact, making the room feel enveloped and more sophisticated. (You can watch the YouTube video to see some painting tips for dark rooms.)
Beds: I saved these Costco headboards and some inexpensive bed frames from their old room that have served quite a few purposes over the years. They’re nice because they can easily be folded up for storage. The bedspreads were from a TikTok I did with Beddies. I went with some $10 navy blue bedskirts. It was fun to decorate in a more moody, masculine style!
Curtains: Adding brown blackout curtains with actual curtain rods really elevated the space and I liked the way they play off the headboard even though they are different textures.
Art: They didn’t want the soccer player posters anymore, so I found these ball wall mounts and I love that they are functional storage AND look like an art installation. Ok, maybe not an installation, but I love the look and gives their room a bit of their own character.
Now we move to the other side of the room. It feels sort of chaotic. I just took down the art (which we were able to give to a kid who was so excited!) and everything on the shelves. Not sure why my son started lining up his shoes in this space??
I separated the desks with the shelf for symmetry and added large peel and stick bulletin boards that come in squares. They are so cool! And much cheaper than cork. These $5 desk lamps have been perfect for homework or if one kid wants to sleep while the other is working. The desks were from Target years ago and they wanted to keep their gaming chairs here.
I wanted to use the shelves for shoes, but it really works best for giant backpacks that are too heavy and bulky for hooks. Top shelves are for soccer and bottom for school bags. It keeps it simple and they’ve actually been doing it!
In fact, they’ve been so excited about their new room they’ve been keeping it tidy and even making their beds!! When I say making their beds, I mean they pull the blanket up when they wake up, but we’ll take it!
This wall didn’t change too much. I just painted it, added an extra wooden rack on the right and replaced the handle on the closet door. Oh, and made them edit the hoodies that are seemingly multiplying.
Here’s Clara and I painting the room. And hey, she’s pretty good! Made things go much faster. It took me about five full afternoons to get everything done.
By the way, look what a big difference curtains make! If you’re intimidated to hang them yourself, don’t be. I show you in the video, but you just need a good sturdy rod and some steel, self-anchoring screws instead of the maddening plastic ones.
And what’s a teen boy room without a cologne collection? I got them two of these display stands in black and they were so excited about them. Makes the bottles look neater on the dresser too.
I’m convinced my son will have this alligator head forever that my dad bought him at a flea market when he was like eight. So gross.
And finally I went through their closet and simplified. It’s helpful that they want to hang their shirts now so they won’t be wrinkled, but also it saves space in the drawers. Above is just one bin for extra backpacks and one bin for clothes that are too big.
Sleepover kit: The plastic cases in the middle are “sleepover kits” with a fitted sheet, blanket and pillow for when friends come over. Because teen boys never tell you in advance! I have to keep boxes of mac and cheese, frozen pizzas and blankets on the ready because you never know.
Who would have ever thought the boys’ room would be the most organized room of the house? Not me! But it feels so great to stop thinking about it and get it done. I think my room needs to be next!
