Teen Bedroom Colors
When decorating a teen bedroom, the color scheme sets the tone. A new neutral can serve as a mellow backdrop, while brilliant hues, patterns and contrasts bring the room to life. Teens often like trendy, bright or dramatic color combinations, so devote an accent wall or some key pieces in their favorite hues while keeping larger pieces neutral so that you do not need to repaint and purchase everything when your teenager’s tastes shift. In general, consider paint colors and finishes for the walls first, and then complement or accent with bedding, window treatments, floor covering, artwork and furnishings. Keep in mind that colors can also highlight design assets and camouflage design problems. Use lighter, cooler hues to give a bedroom interior the illusion of more volume, and warmer, more intense hues to make the space feel more intimate.
International Color Schemes
The decorate-beyond-borders approach encourages bright splashes of color, high contrast and brilliant details such as stenciled trim, wall decals of ethnic motifs and gold stamping. Evoke an Indian palace with a palette of mango orange grounded by fuchsia. Accents in cobalt blue and bottle green cool down the look, while metallic details give the palette glamorous style. Head for the tropics with a festive combination of lime green, periwinkle, sunny yellow and orange. If you want a cleaner, cooler look, integrate white trim on walls, doors, window frames and furnishings. For south-of-the-border style, combine Mexico’s popular hues of indigo and pumpkin orange. A Moroccan look brings together bright turquoise against a creamy white backdrop.
Urban Color Schemes
The urban industrial look is a popular choice for teen bedroom decor. Veer toward a contemporary loft conversion vibe with metallic and clear hues. Stainless steel furniture frames, ghost chairs (made of clear acrylic), and plenty of glass and mirrors boost reflection in the room. Paint the ceiling a crisp white with blue undertones for a modern finish that reflects natural light. Make the urban look grittier with a Gothic color scheme. Walls in basic black or stone gray get a boost of color with an accent wall covered in flocked wallpaper or painted a deep burgundy. On textiles and furniture frames, moody colors and jewel tones such as ruby, amethyst, jade and deep turquoise step up the intensity.
Artsy Color Schemes
An artsy teen room suits people who prefer to mix and match vintage pieces with artisan creations, flea-market finds, thrift-shop scores, mass-produced items and DIY projects. A single color on walls can unify the space. Consider a trendy blue hue such as steel blue, blue-based granite, periwinkle, royal blue, peacock blue or retro aqua. Avoid matching the bedding, window treatments, floor coverings and accessories to the wall color. Instead, pick up the wall color as a background hue or detail in your other pieces. Bright, warm hues such as orange, yellow and hot pink pop against blue walls. Select patterns such as paisley, florals, fleur-de-lis, toile, and retro designs that have complementary colors, such as burgundy and forest green, yellow and violet, and blue and orange. Channel Jackson Pollock’s paint splatters for a contemporary room featuring black, white, gray, red and cream, or go Tiki modern with hip artist Shag’s palette of saturated greens, reds and oranges.
