There are normally 2-3 big room updates in the life of a child. The first is usually sometime between sleeping in the crib and transition to a big kid bed. The second usually happens once they reach middle school and have outgrown their "baby room" and the the third is normally sometime in high school. As parents, we usually have a lot of say in the nursery and "big kid bed" room, but after that, we're at the mercy of whatever is popular on TV, basically. So today, we're going to discuss what those trends are currently for the middle school bedroom transition and the high school bedroom transition. If your kids are in either of these categories, here's a little heads-up of what you can expect to hear once they decide they've outgrown their current room design and want something older.

The first thing to be able to accomplish in a bedroom for this age group is multi-functionality--kids this age typically do a lot in their rooms, whether it's sleeping (obviously), watching tv, doing home work, or entertaining friends (sleep overs and what not), they use it a lot. It's also their safe place, an area they can call their own and escape their parents, if only for an hour and their area to express themselves--display sports memorabilia or trophies, get artsy, hang posters or pictures...you get the point. So yes, it needs to be a variety of things.

It used to be that, if you were a kid, you had a twin bed. I mean, isn't that why they invented twin beds...for kids? But now, lets be honest, no teenager wants a twin bed in their room. Kids sleep, a lot! And they want to be comfortable when they sleep. They also sit on their bed to do homework, work on creative projects or watch tv, so a space large enough for 1 isn't very fun or practical. So bigger beds are where it's at for a teenager. Bonus is that it gives their friend a place to sleep when they spend the night, too!

More and more kids are getting interested in the look of their room. They want to be proud of the way it looks when their friends come over--girls especially, really care about how stylish it is. For this reason, the feature wall is becoming increasingly popular in teenager rooms. By feature wall we don't necessarily mean an accent wall with just a different paint color, we mean something that's really different than the rest of the walls that sets the room apart. Sometimes this is pattern wallpaper, or it could mean a mural, maybe it's an entire wall of pictures or whatever other creative thing your teenager dreams up. Whatever it ends up being, expect to have a wall that screams at you a little louder than the rest when you walk into the room.

When I was kid, desks were all about the storage, the keyboard drawer, the file drawer and all the other little drawers that stored junk. Not to mention the hutch with a cork board and open shelving that just ended up collecting dust. Today, don't be surprised if your kid selects a desk that's just the opposite--something very minimal and open feeling. Why? Because technology has come a long way since then and kids don't need the book and paper storage that they used to. Plus, they're probably working off of a laptop instead of desk top so storage for the tower and keyboard are unnecessary. Something sleek and streamlined is where this piece of furniture is headed in kids rooms.

Extra, comfy seating. Like we mentioned earlier, kids in middle school and high school like to have their friends over to "hang out" (in their rooms), so the more places for friends to sit is always a plus in any teenager room. This could be fun bean bag chairs, little moveable ottomans at the foot of the bed, a window seat, or even a bunch of oversized pillows in the corner that everyone can just lay on. So yes, seating matters. And the more diverse, more fun it is, the better!

As far as current color trends for teenage rooms, we're still in the grays but with a pop of something fun. Kids still like the bright, fun colors and patterns--whether it's beach inspired or has to do with their favorite movie or video game, they're still kids and most want something a little more playful and whimsical.

Sometimes parents dread decorating their teenagers room. When they're that age they have a lot of opinions and can be pretty determined in what they want. Let them have a space that they can call their own, though. As adults, we like our rooms to be a little hideaway and escape, why not let our kids have the same thing?

Design Trends | Middle School & High School