It's My Room and I'll Paint It If I Want To...


For a new look, let your teen have at it with a can of paint (or two).

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A teen room gets a hip makeover with shades of blue called Dude and Popular.
Inexpensive and dramatic. Two words that describe paint—and the cost and impact required in most teen room makeovers. And best of all, you can always paint again next year when new inspiration (or maturity) strikes.

Here, paint and color expert Aimee Desrosiers of California Paints shares three ideas for using paint to add punch to a teen’s room:

  1. For a big-whammy effect without redoing the entire room, paint a bold band of color using a laser level and painter’s tape. Run bands horizontally around the entire room, vertically on a wall or on both the wall and ceiling.

  2. Give juvenile furniture a little attitude adjustment with a cool paint job. Paint handles and knobs a different color for contrast. Paint makers now provide small sample jars of paints, which are perfect for this kind of detail work. More on painting furniture>>

  3. When a wild color scheme is out of the question, perhaps because of a squeamish parent or because the teen’s room can be seen from other rooms in the house, why not paint three walls with a tame color, reserving the wall that houses the room’s door for creative expression? The end result: Teens have the color they want without intruding on adult decor.
Resources
paint products, information
California Paints
Website: www.californiapaints.com
For information on historical paint colors, see the California Paints guide to color.