Teen Furniture Shoppers

They have access to numerous resources by way of websites, fan pages, tweets and blogs; they trust peer endorsements when it comes to brands; and they expect comfort and function when shopping for furniture and decorative accessories. They are tween and teen shoppers, the savvy consumers who have never known a time without the Internet. Their needs are straightforward—sleep, study and storage—and their desires are simple: to express their personal style through the design of their room.

“A teen’s room should really reflect his or her personality as much as possible, because it’s a tough enough time in life to try to figure out who you are,” explains Jennifer Duneier, president of Duneier Design. “I ask to see a teen’s iPod and study his or her music choices—this can teach me a lot. I ask if they are on any sports teams or cheer teams, or if they are in the science club, etc.”

Pinpointing a teen’s style can be as easy as listening to a teen explain why she loves a certain apparel item, according to Judith Balis of Nest Interiors.

“I always ask my teens to do one or all of the following: show me pictures of what they like from PB Teen or other catalogs, and explain why they like it … the color, the feel or the pattern; show me something they own and love, and tell me why; or show me their favorite outfit and tell me why they love it,” Balis explains.

Then, start with paint.

“Paint is the cheapest and easiest way to transform any room from drab to fab,” Balis says. “Be creative and push the envelope a little, whether it is a solid, bold wall color, or accents of stripes, polka dots or a giant flower.”

Balis continues: “If you are using a deep or bold color, either use it on an accent wall or the ceiling of a neutral room, or balance out a room full of color with lots of white…white wainscoting on the lower half of the wall, all-white furniture or white bedding with colorful accent pillows and a throw across the end.”

“There are some fabulous and funky wallpapers out there right now that will make a great backdrop for teen rooms,” Balis says. “Try it on an accent wall—usually the wall the headboard goes on—or cover closet doors and bulletin boards with the fun print.”

A teen’s room must have the latest technology, including Wi-Fi and Skype, so they can do their homework and chat with friends, according to Duneier.

Lastly, make sure there is a place where the teen can showcase personal items, such as trophies, photos, concert ticket stubs and artwork, Balis says. “These things are very important to teens and should have a place of honor.”