Bring a little inexpensive elegance to a teen's bedroom.
's bedroom should reflect her personality and interests, and the average teen is anything but "boring" or "sensible." Instead, her room should be fun and elegant, with just the right balance of both trendiness and sophistication. Decorating your teen's room doesn't have to be an expensive undertaking; finding thrifty solutions is part of the fun.
Plants and Flowers
When planted in colorful planters, greenery offers a simple way to bring elegance to your teen's bedroom. Houseplants last a long time when properly tended, so talk to your teen about responsibility. Start with low-maintenance plants such as Chinese evergreens or ponytail palms, arranging the plants on windowsills, dresser tops or in corners of the room that need brightening.
Instead of live flowers, try playful flowers made with tissue paper. Choose an elegant color scheme, such as black and white or maroon and gold. Shop at thrift stores for distinctive vases, and arrange the flowers inside for a fun look, or hang the flowers in garlands over the windows or doorways.
Book Covers
If your teen has a drab bookcase, turn it into a fun work of art. Using sturdy paper as the base, trace the book's original jacket, or open the book on its spine and trace the outline. Cut out and decorate the new book jacket, choosing an elegant color scheme -- for instance, try white, silver and purple. Use stencils, decoupage or water color paints to decorate the jacket, paying particular attention to the spines. After you've replaced the jackets on the whole shelf of books, the resulting look should be elegant and cohesive. This is also a useful way to recycle old magazines.
Jewelry Decorations
Many teens have old jewelry lying around, so transform trash into treasure by making elegant picture frames. Purchase basic, inexpensive picture frames or shop at thrift stores and antique markets for quirky frames. Repaint the frames to match your teen's color scheme; black is a sophisticated shade that goes well with almost any other color. Remove the pieces of jewelry you'd like to use. For instance, remove the hooks from earrings or the chains from pendants. Glue the remaining jewels and gems onto the frame, either as a full border or with one distinctive piece in each corner. For added elegance, use the frames to showcase cutouts from fashion magazines or attractive pieces of fabric.
Paint
Repainting walls is an inexpensive way to refurbish your teen's bedroom. Get creative by painting each wall a slightly different color -- for instance, fade from pure white to ivory to cream. Make homemade stencils by cutting designs out of paper and then painting patterns on the walls, either as a border or as a focal point in the center of one wall. Fleur-de-lis or star patterns are two options that blend fun and elegance. Trace and paint the outline of a headboard on one wall, custom-sized to suit your teen's bed. It can be as extravagant as you want without costing much or adding clutter to the bedroom.
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