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A bedroom is very important to a teenager. They are just beginning to find their own personality and are still feeling their way along.

The bedroom is an extension of the teenager's soul. It is a place where they feel secure - secure enough to be themselves. In the same way that they are trying out new relationships, new fashions and new hairstyles, they also want to try out new decorating ideas.

Do you remember how important it is to look cool to a teenager? What if your friends came round and thought your bedroom WASN'T cool? It might mean the end of the world! At the same time, the teenager needs to retain some sort of security. They need to know that their childhood isn't too far away.

As far as you can bear it, and within safety limits, I think you should let a teenager do what he or she wants to the room. It will give you a good insight into how he or she is feeling. A dark bedroom will reflect a dark state of mind,whereas a light airy room reflects an innocent mind.

Paint effects can always be painted over and carpets replaced. Furniture can be moved and light fitments changed. So don't worry! Just don't agree to any major structural alternations that can't be changed when you want to sell your home.

Try to get your teen to choose a basic color scheme that is reasonably neutral and just to jazz it up with accessories like pictures, duvet covers, curtains and rugs. This way you'll be able to change it easily whey the fad changes.

So, which theme might go down well?

BLACK AND WHITE

Cool and chic black and white. Make a James Bond-y spy kind of theme, or a 1960s Mary Quant theme.

ARMY

Try camouflage textiles, planes from the ceiling, cargo nets up the wall.

FOOTBALL

Paint the walls in the team's colors and add pennants, posters etc.

FLOWER POWER

1970s psychedelic rules! Paper just one wall in psychedelic colors, and co-ordinate the paintwork and textiles in bright orange, lime green and Barbie pink. Add a disco ball and a lava lamp. Hang up an afghan coat in the corner and put Sargent Pepper on the CD player. Groovy, man!

DARK AND DANGEROUS

Lots of teens go through a black phase. Try dark red on the walls instead, and lots of black paint on the woodwork. Black out curtains and low lights work well. They can play their depressing music and chill out in peace.

SPORTY

Paint faux lockers on the walls add a basketball hoop, and some cheer leading pom-poms, depending on their preference! Go with pennants and sports posters.

SAFARI

This is a nice half-way theme. Still a bit animally, but also quite cool. Use sandy colors to decorate the room and add rattan furniture and mosquito nets. Put up some safari posters or photographs and get a camera tripod set up. Fun!

GOLD AND CREAM

Nice for a girl who has grown out of Barbie but still wants to be a princess. Palest cream everywhere, highlighted with gold. They're too young to know it looks tacky! Lots of places to hang jewelry and have their dresses on show.

FILM STAR

Still every girl's dream. Put lights around the mirror, paint stars on the walls with film stars signatures copied into them. Lush, plush shag-pile carpet in deep delicious white and posters on the walls. Add a mini-bar and a casting couch for authenticity.

BUILDERS DEN

Add some scaffold poles to the bed. Paint some faux bricks on the walls, or find some brick wallpaper. Get a Workmate bench set up, and hang yellow safety helmets from the ceiling. Grey heavy-duty carpeting will be the thing in this boys room. Add an architect's drawing board to make it that bit more grown up.

These are just a few ideas - get you thinking caps out, and I'm sure you'll come up with lots more. Happy decorating!

Learn more about this author, Susan Hibberd.
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