Your teen now has their own taste and interests to express. Teach your teen how to decorate their room without breaking the bank, it’s fun!

How to Let Your Teen Decorate Their Room Without Breaking the Bank

We received products from PhotoWall.com in return for our honest opinion and review. Every opinion stated is 100% ours.

Do you remember the countless hours you spent planning and decorating your baby’s nursery? Coordinating the crib bumper (because those used to be a thing) with the sheets, the mobile, wall art, and maybe even a rug in front of the crib?!

The theme you picked for the baby’s nursery became the theme of your baby registry. You lived, breathed, and obsessed about all things Winnie the Pooh or Elephants.

In hindsight, those were some of the last days we had “complete control” over our child’s room.

Now, our child is bigger, messier, and WAY MORE opinionated than during those early months and years. Our child is now a TEENAGER (gasp)! Their room ranges between a “pit of despair” and a “sanctuary for forks and cups” – on a good day!

Now that the Baby Muppets decor is long gone, the Thomas the Train table sold at a yard sale, and the ever-expanding collection of dolls passed down to siblings and cousins, how do you help your teenager to create a room fit for the solitude they require, visits from friends and (hopefully) hours of homework and studying?!

This task can either be daunting or viewed as a great opportunity to teach our kids how to decorate without breaking the bank.

Soon, ALL TOO SOON, our kids will leave the nest and be on their own. It will be reassuring to know that we have empowered them to make their house a home, and get the look they want – without going further into debt.

Our teenager was in dire need of a room refresh a few months ago. While his furniture was nice and age-appropriate, his room lacked “his vision” and needed some personality.

We followed these seven simple steps, taking one at a time, and spent hours talking about things as we went along. But a lot of the groundwork was done by our son and in the end, the final decisions were his to make. Within a few short weeks, after countless talks and learning opportunities, his room is a revamped teen sanctuary.

How to Teach Your Teen to Decorate Their Room

Set a budget.
1. Together, sit down with your teen and discuss how much they can spend on the entire project. Determine what you will pay for and if they are paying for a portion of it.
2. If you expect them to pay, where will their money come from? (ie. salary from a job, their savings, birthday money, allowances, or work done around the house)
Pick a color palette.
1. Shockingly, your teen may have a list of favorite colors that would clash with the look of the rest of the house. Now is a good time to determine if your teen has free rein with the color selection, or if you can compromise to keep a cohesive look throughout the house. (There’s obviously no right or wrong choice here, it’s up to you and your teen to decide what works for your family.)
Create a vision board.
1. This can be done on poster board or on Pinterest, either works great.
2. What are your teen’s hopes and dreams for their room?
3. What are their hobbies and interests, and how can those be reflected in the decor?

Give your teen a list of quality, affordable and stylish websites.
1. Our teen shopped at PhotoWall.com for posters and wall decor. I found the quality to be top-notch and the price was perfect.
  1. Our son loved the selection and variety of products. They have fun movie posters, beautiful landscapes, popular prints, and countless unique and unusual pieces.
  2. Their murals are OUT OF THIS WORLD and I wish we had more wall space because I would be all over that.
2. For new furniture, bedding, and other decor, we looked at Target, IKEA, and Amazon.
Teach your teen the joy of reusing items.
1. Let your kid “go shopping” around the house.
  1. Do you have a lamp or a rug you no longer use?
  2. Would the shelves in your bedroom be better suited for your teen’s room?
  3. How about the trailing houseplant in the kitchen, wouldn’t that look nice in their room?
2. Show your kid that using old pieces in new and fresh ways is a lot of fun and brings character to a space.
3. Go to thrift stores together or scroll through Facebook Marketplace to find shelves, baskets, or other pieces of decor.
Never underestimate the power of a can of paint or spray paint.
1. There is no time like the present to teach your teen a thing or two about refinishing a piece of furniture. Did I know everything about how to properly paint furniture when I first started? No, no I did not – and I still don’t. But that has never stood in my way of just jumping in feet first and sprucing up desks, metal chairs, and plant stands. Adding a pop of color with fresh paint is fun and will save you money in the end.
Start small, but start!
1. Be careful not to get paralysis by analysis. Start the room revamp by rearranging the furniture, or painting the walls. Or simply add a few fun posters and then enjoy saving up money for the bigger purchases. Regardless of where you start, it’s important to “just do it” so your teen doesn’t lose interest or confidence in the process.
2. You don’t need to have all the pieces in place before you start. Part of the fun of the process is planning and dreaming of the finished result.

Why you should check out PhotoWall.com for all your wall decor needs?!

Their selection is unique and out-of-this-world amazing.
1. We spent HOURS searching different keywords on PhotoWall.com and simply marveling at the results.
2. Their murals and wallpaper are perfect for those hard-to-decorate rooms or focal areas you wish to make show stoppers.
3. The price and quality are perfect and make it possible for you to decorate your house while staying within your budget.
4. The posters arrive packed really well and disassembled from the frame, so there’s no risk of the pictures getting scratched by the frame during transit.
5. The colors are vibrant and the posters are printed on thick high-quality paper.

There are countless life lessons to be found in letting your teen decorate their own room.

I hope you enjoy the time spent with your teen. Remember, you are setting them up with the tools and life skills needed for them to find comfort and happiness in whatever place they end up calling home. This is truly the gift that keeps on giving.