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How to Teach Your Teen the Power of Expression Through Interior Design

Finding ways to let the teen in your house express their ever-changing and expanding creativity can oftentimes become difficult. Their personal style and design ideas likely don’t always mirror yours. Additionally, as your teen continues to grow and expand their identity, they begin seeking outlets to express the changes happening in their lives. 

Giving them the power to make creative choices through some new interior designs (with your guidance of course) can give them a nice boost in confidence and satisfy that creative itch. From the bedroom to the bathroom, teaching your teen about the basics of interior design is easier than you think. Here are some ideas to help get you and your teen started.

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Guide Them (But Don’t Stifle Them)

Considering that your typical teenager’s style tends to fluctuate as they age and keep up with the latest trends, it’ll be up to you to help steer them away from design decisions that won’t provide any room for growth. Showing your teen all the possibilities with a more neutral base can provide a lot more flexibility in their future styles. 

Moreover, avoiding furniture and decor that isn’t exclusively teen-targeted will ensure that the pieces they pick out today will grow with them. Just keep in mind that they’re the ones with the creative reins in the equation and letting them experiment, even with not-so-great decisions, will allow them to get to know themselves and their creativity even better.

A Little Bit of Elbow Grease 

Another great way to get your teen more involved with interior design is with a teen-friendly DIY project — or a couple! It might take a leap of faith and some elbow grease, but try letting your teen pick something in their bedroom or a spot in the family room that they have been wanting to upgrade. From new wallpaper to a bigger desk, teens can not only flex their problem-solving muscles, but they’ll feel a great sense of satisfaction when they finally get to display their hard work. Just make sure it’s nothing too permanent that mom and dad can’t fix if things go awry.  jonny-caspari-Kuud

Can You Picture It?

If you’re hesitant to really carve into any rooms, there are still some simple ways your teen can add a part of them to the house. Pictures and paintings are a very creative yet transitory option. Take a trip to the local craft store and let your teen either pick out new picture frames or some canvases and paint. If they’re better with a needle and thread than a paintbrush you can also select some embroidery hoops and let them cross stitch a fun design or favorite movie quote. 

You can hang up their work and pictures throughout the house and they can be reminded of their artistic accomplishments. This is also a great time to show them the importance of balance on walls, where to hang smaller pieces and how, and simple interior design tricks such as the odd number-rule, and much more.  

Get The Whole Crew Involved

By now your teen probably has a good understanding of group projects. However, we know that life involves working with others beyond a science or history project. Learning how to mesh one’s creativity with another’s is quite a tricky task. The interior design of your home is likely splashed with bits of you and your family already, but coming together to pick out a particular design, couch, or a new set of curtains can a great bonding experience. 

Show your teen and other children a home design catalog or have a discussion on color theory and have them flip through a book of paint. Let everyone voice their opinions and ideas, then decide as a family what will work best. Even if your teen’s idea isn’t the final decision, being part of the creative process is still worthwhile.  

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Organic Design

Consider killing two birds with one stone. Plants are a bright, lively addition to any home design but also require a bit of care and responsibility. Take a trip to your local plant supply store and let your teen pick out some new indoor plants to bring home. They can feel more included within their home design if they get to take home a colorful orchid or an exotic-looking monstera. Encourage them to ask plenty of questions on how to care for their new plants from one of the employees. 

When you get home they can pick out a new spot in the living room or even the bathroom for their new plants. Not only will they learn how to care for their plants but they will also get a better understanding of the layout of their home: What window gets more sunlight? What one doesn’t get direct sunlight at all? What plant pairs well with the other elements in the room? Is the dog going to eat the new family addition if it’s too close to the ground?

At The End of the Day, Just Create

If you and your teen still aren’t quite ready to dive into the realm of interior design, there are still plenty of ways you can let your teen express their creativity at home. Fashion, writing, and even makeup is a great outlet for expressing themselves, with minor commitment. 

Take a look into their closet and work together to come up with some ways they can change up their current style or spend a Saturday writing funny or dramatic poems. Afterward, you can frame the poem and hang it up for future guests to read or even host a photoshoot to show off their new style. 

Teaching your teen how to express and solidify their thoughts, ideas, and creative designs is a powerful tool that’ll stick with them, wherever they go. Having the right outlets to exhibit their creative ideas is not only healthy but will make them feel like a contributing member of the family. Whether big or small changes, giving them more artistic freedom when it comes to interior design can inspire them for years to come.

image1-2Bio: Magnolia Potter is a blogger from the Pacific Northwest. She loves writing on a variety of topics from technology to lifestyle. When she isn’t writing you can find her traveling far and wide or reading a good book.

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