From my experience, the more colourful the better when decorating a teen’s room.  Remember that this is their personal space, so it does not necessarily have to flow with the rest of the house.   Allowing teenagers to express themselves through decoration and paint is always more favourable to parents than the potential expression through hair dye and tattoos!

If your teen is artistic,  one colour that I would suggest you consider would be yellow. It is a bright, happy and uplifting colour, and is associated with the intellectual side of the mind and the expression of thoughts. It focuses on memory and clear thinking, decision making and good judgment.  It also helps with organisation, assimilation of new ideas and the ability to see different points of view. It is the ideal shade to keep your daughters creative mind flowing and is a good choice if she uses her bedroom to study. Yellow can also work with a multitude of colours; pink, green, purple and even turquoise.

If you want to be a bit more adventurous you could paint a feature wall behind the headboard. One technique that I love is large vertical lines. This will not only create the illusion of extra height in the room but will also be a focal point I’m sure they’ll love. If you do decide on yellow, use two shades of yellow to create this look - I would recommend using Gentle Yellow or Beach House on all walls and combined with a cream such as Fresh or Antique Cream or a light beige (Snowfall or Lightest Beige) on the feature wall.  You will find these shades in the Crown Paints 2009 colour card, or here.

When it comes to furniture, although it might be the easiest option to choose matching sets, these can sometimes seem too co-ordinated in a bedroom for a creative teenager. If you have time, try to shop around in antique furniture shops and flea markets where you can find some real gems. Don’t forget that you can always paint old furniture.  Cream and white look great with yellow.

If your son or daughter has any paintings or drawings, it might be a nice idea to frame them and hang them around her room. They can also change many of their digital images into black and white photographs. I find this is sophisticated way to add digital photographs from her favourite nights out while showing off their personality.

If the room is floor-boarded, shop around to find a colourful rug as these can make a room cosy and frame a space perfectly. Keep an eye out for deals, there are some fantastic savings out there on quality rugs.

I hope these tips have helped and happy decorating! 

Neville