Bohemian Design Teen Room Tour ☆ Easy Fix & How To Decorate

Back in June, my daughter asked me if I could help her redecorate her room. My initial reaction was wanting to convince her to like her room as it was. I was a little reluctant to redesign her room only because we had one year left in Manila at that point until our next international relocation. I was trying to be practical, but after giving some thoughts, I realized it was no big deal. Plus, we were not spending any money to dine out, travel or entertain my kids outside our home. I could justify spending some money to improve her room. At the end of the day, our home had to serve as our sanctuary as well as source of happiness.

Another reasoning I did which changed my mind and decided to redesign her room was that my daughter had been feeling down especially in June. Many of her close friends had gradually left Manila over the span of 3 months starting in March. If you’re an expat and have stayed abroad all these months during the pandemic, you probably witnessed a mass exodus of expats from your city. Did it feel as though your birthday gifts were taken away from you one by one? Every time I learned about a departure of someone we knew, I was like, “Yep, another one.”

Needless to say, I was looking for something to perk up my eldest. Since she doesn’t come to me often for help, it didn’t take much effort for her to twist my arm. In the end, it was wonderful for us to spend time together to create the room she wanted.

HOW INTERIORS IMPACT OUR MINDS

Recently I encountered this interesting article on Arch Daily about how interiors impact our minds.

Psychology of Space: How Interiors Impact our Behavior?

Having a direct impact on your subconscious, contributing to your emotions and perceptions, through that special part of your brain that reacts to the geometry of the space you occupy, interior design became an inherent part of people’s psychology.

Of course, interior design isn’t a magic. It won’t resolve issues. Nevertheless, decorating your room to your liking will surely help you feel uplifted and relaxed. There is something to be said about surrounding yourself with items you love. The article talks about the role of architecture, but you can achieve your ideal space by changing up accessories. It doesn’t have to be intimidating or involve DYI’s. You can have various budgets. The point is that it doesn’t have to be difficult.

If it is proven to help you psychologically, why not try it? It’s definitely worth an investment even if you live in a rental home like my family and I as an expat family abroad.

WHAT TO DO TO REDECORATE A ROOM WITH ACCESSORIES

1. Set your budget.
In our project here, I only purchased accessories. We probably spent equivalent to US$2-300.

2. Research designs.
Pinterest is one way to do it. (Click here for mine.) You can also look at interior design websites or study IKEA catalogues or Wayfair, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, West Elm, H&M Home, and other home goods and furniture stores’ home pages for inspirations. Try to identify one design style that you’re drawn to. If it’s too hard, just pick a color that draws your attention in the style, which brings to the next one.

3. Pick one main color (or 2) and stick with them.
If you’re confident in dealing with multiple colors to decorate, that’s up to you. If you’re uncertain, it’s better to stay within the range of 1 or 2 colors. (Green in plants is exempted from this.) Having one color theme will unify the look of your room even if you have splashes of other colors.

4. Need to fill a space? Add a plant.
Real is better, but if you tend to move a lot? Go for an artificial potted plant. Better than keeping a dying plant in your room. Artificial is less intimidating and easier to deal with. Just saying.

5. Pillow cases.
The easiest way to change up a room without dropping a lot of cash is to decorate with pillows. I love pillows and pillow cases.

6. Add a basket.
You can never own too many baskets. They are available in most countries. The best of all, they help you hide clutter. Must have!

WHAT WE ADDED IN THE ROOM

My daughter’s previous room was decorated with a big medallion tapestry. Then she redesigned it into a Bohemian style with white as the main color. The photos below show some items we purchased to use in order to redesign the room and to achieve the look my daughter envisioned.

If you are curious to see before & after photos (I can look at before & after photos all day) of the transformation of this room, please click the link below.↓

Easy Room Transformation ☆ Medallion Tapestry To Bohemian Room

HOW TO COVER AN UNATTRACTIVE CHAIR

You have a chair that you don’t like to look at? A blanket can do wonders. I recommend a shaggy blanket for it.

REDUCE BEFORE REDECORATE

Many people tend to decorate their homes with what they already own. If you put together a home with what you have collected from various places over time without any design theme and furnish your home using some furniture you inherited from others, your home will inevitably look as a mishmash of decors.

What helps is to come up with a style of a room and purchase a few items to tie all the items in the room together. If something doesn’t go with the design style, move it to another room. You may want to reevaluate if you still need certain decors or not. If you are still in love with some decor items that don’t go well with your design theme, store it away. My point is not everything has to be in display. Actually fewer is easier and better. The more you decorate with, the technically harder it will get.

Less is more.

TEENAGERS & THE EFFECT OF PANDEMIC ON THEM

I worry about all the teenagers who have been affected by the pandemic. I have seen how my 3 children of different ages were affected by it. The effects manifested in my kids’ emotional states and behaviors in different ways. I’m not professional, but I have sensed the gravity of emotional and psychological effects of the pandemic and lockdown on young developing brains.

My oldest, who is 15 years old, was impacted by it the most compared to her two younger siblings. Maybe the way she demonstrated made it easier for us to see. In retrospect, I think that my daughter’s asking to change her room may have been a sign of her wanting some changes in her life. The process of designing, purchasing, and redecorating allowed my daughter and I to talk. I hope it will help other parents, too.

It’s hard enough for parents and kids to navigate online schooling and all the adjustments we were forced to make in order to adapt ourselves to the ever evolving environment due to the pandemic. Whatever it is, I think it’s important to know that professional help is available. It shouldn’t be stigmatized. I wouldn’t say kids are naturally resilient. The emotional support of adults around them to help navigate the challenges allows children to become resilient over time.

I hope this post will encourage you to be strong as a parent.