The ins and outs of decorating the bedroom for teenagers

April 29, 2000

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Mark Montano: The cheapest thing you can do to make your room look cooler is rearrange the furniture and paint the walls.

Tiffany: I share my room with my sister and she is a pig! How can I make our room nicer?

Mark Montano: Throw your sister out of the window!

Janie: The floor of my room is very cold but I can't have a rug because of allergies. Is there something I could use instead?

Mark Montano: Well, you could use inexpensive beach mats from Pier 1. They are about five dollars and they look really great on the floor.

TroubledMom: Hiya Mark, how do I give a room a facelift for two teen girls (13-16) when both have different tastes? Do I draw a line down the middle and let them go at it, or is there an easier resolution?

Mark Montano: I think that it's great to put a tent, or a big piece of fabric that separates the beds, or put the beds as far apart as you can in the rooms so it creates their own space. You might want to pick just one color to decorate the room and then they can have anything they want in that color scheme. Say if you do the room in blue, they can do anything they want in the color blue.

SplitDecision: Are mini blinds or curtains the best for the young teen? What ideas do you have for curtains that will style up a teen's room?

Mark Montano: I like taking really bright colors of fabric, colors that match the room, fabrics that match the room, and just stapling them with a staple gun above the windows. I prefer curtains because they are more fun, because they can be changed inexpensively, and you can use ribbons and fake flowers and buttons to decorate them.

PosterChild: Posters are in with most teens these days, but are there any ways to display them in a room without just tacking or taping them to a wall?

Mark Montano: You can buy big clear Lucite poster frames at K-Mart or Pottery Barn or any of the major stores. They are very neat and they look really great.

Gigglegirl: I really want to redecorate with some cool trendy stuff like beaded curtains or furry lamps and picture frames - but I am afraid I will spend all this money and it will be out of style in a month. What can I do to make it modern but not too 'trendy?'

Mark Montano: Well, it's really important to start with things that you like personally. Trends don't really matter as long as you are following your own personal style. If you fill a room with things that you like, then it doesn't really matter.

Stuffed: What do you think of a room loaded down with pillows? My teen asked if her bed could be replaced with huge pillows strew about the floor - is that the 'in' thing now, and is it safe?

Mark Montano: Pillows are very safe, but keep the bed and just buy a ton of pillows for the floor. It is great to have a place on the floor for kids to study and hang out. And yes, it is the "in" thing.

InquiringMinds: Mark do you have your own website that has interesting room ideas posted, or possibly an email address where you answer questions from time to time?

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