I've got two teenage boys! I painted their rooms a couple of years ago and they each picked out their bedspreads and what they wanted on their walls.

My younger son spends practically no time at all in his room, which is why it's so neat:

My older son has his computer in his room and spends most of his time there; he's a neat freak. Picture was taken when he (and his computer) were at college.

Well, we just bought bunk beds and decorated my 11-yo's room, so I hope he doesn't want to change it soon! It may be too "little kid" for you DS though. My DS picked out the baseball ceiling fan and wallpaper border, Horizon blue-gray paint and blue carpet color 3 yrs ago while we were building - we just got the wallpaper up 6 months ago! He assured me that he would keep the ceiling fan for a while, but I can see that as the first thing to go (and the bench that the movers scraped - I'll have to spray paint it, b/c he won't part with it). He *loves* the Red Sox...

Oops, sorry, that was the only pic I had (trying to show paint color with pine for someone).

My son was into skateboarding when we decorated this room, so I just let him cover the walls in vinyl skateboarding banners.

We did a similar thing in his current room. This is right after we moved in. There's no way I'd show you what the room looks like now :)

Laurie

When my 12 year old turned 11 he decided he no longer wanted the dinosaur themed room he had. He made all the decisions; paint, comforter, pillows, window treatments, etc. We still have one thing yet to do, he wants dark brown paint, matching the dark brown in the bed, painted in thin (2") lines outlining his posters. His room is used for our guest room when we have company. On the wall to the right as you walk in are his dresser and desk with trophy shelves above. Needing a larger bed for company took up some of his floor space, so we did up his closet with shelving for additional storage.

{{!gwi}}

The rooms pictured above look about right to me - good basics personalized by the kid himself.

When my youngest son was a teen, one of his friend's got stuck with a bedroom his mom redecorated for him. To the mom's eye, it was handsome, grown-up and masculine; to the son's eye, it was awful. It was just too 'done' with framed art instead of posters, etc. Boys can be very particular about what they want.

It's definitely about letting the kids do it themselves. My sons hockey posters are hung out of whack by a bit; one is higher than the other. I am bothered by it, he hung them himself so I leave it alone. I admit to wanting to fix the off balance every time I look in his room. He has a calendar hung on the wall by one window, you can see just the corners of it in the picture. I think it is the oddest placement for a calendar; his reasoning? He can lay in bed and see it just perfectly; it works for him.

He is my oldest and a neat freak for the most part; makes his bed every morning before school, clothes in his dirty laundry bin, on the shelves, in drawers with only a few items on his chair. Now, my daughter on the other hand, makes Sueb20's son's room look like it is spotless; I don't think I'd every post a pic of her bedroom without cleaning it for a few days first.

okay, sueb20 inspired me to at least show you his current window treatment. Last week it was a pyramid and it looks like he's going for more of the contemporary look with the straight lines this week.

Laurie

Oh, Laurie, I love that Dr Pepper can tower. What an artist of good taste he is.

A few years ago, my son wanted to paint his room orange. Eventually, we decided not to do all the room in such a bright. Instead he painted strips of color in each corner and along the edges of the walls. The door trim is orange (yeah, I think that'll be hard to paint over, but so what?)

He choose a deep burnt red-orange comforter and matching window curtain. His own photos from his travels are framed on the walls.

His bathroom (also the guest bath) is painted a deep blue with a bright orange shower curtain, rugs, and towels. (thank you, Ikea.) A couple of touches of lime green complete a very funky bath.

He's nineteen, doing his freshman and sophmore years here locally. I figure I get to re-do the bathroom in another year or so. I'd show you photos, but his room makes the mildly messy one above look pristine at the moment. It's beyond a disaster area.

Let your son have lots of say in what goes into the room. I kinda wish now that we had let Nate paint everything orange. The teen years really do go by fast. Have fun with them.

DS1 is 13. He is a huge Jets fan. We redid his room when he was 9. It formally was a planes, trains, and automobiles room that he had outgrown. We expect that this decor will last until he's out of the house.

His bed was made out of MDF. The long bottom drawer is a trundle bed for sleepover guests. There are football shaped foot holes for climbing into bed(he was a tiny 9yr old.) The scoreboard is a magnet board. I know Patriots fans are laughing at the score, but DS wanted it to be a blowout. The metal bins should have been sanded and primed, because you can see that the paint just flaked off. On my todo list for sometime soon.

DS1 hung the posters, etc. on the wall. I'd prefer them straighter, but it's his room. 8 gazillion lax sticks mostly pulled apart.

Messy desk area. Need to do something about the crazy wire situation.

Bifold closet doors painted out to look like lockers.

His room usually has an unmade bed and clothes all over the floor. I thought I had taken a pic before straightening up his room, but it must not have taken because I couldn't find it on the memory card.

Wow - thanks everyone, These rooms inspire me, all very nice but still cool for a teen boy.

I think we have the same decorator as sueb20 - dirty socks in every corner! That looks pretty neat to me. Lax supermom - what is it with the cords? We have that in all my kids rooms no matter what.

I love all the bright colors, before we paint we need to use a few tubs of spackle he has so many push pin holes from posters. Anyone have any ideas to minimize that? I don't mind the posters it is the holes that are a problem. Any ideas to have a place to hang stuff without the holes?

I think I'll let him pick the color for sure, it is blue now. I think he'd love orange.

Below was my (then teen) sons room before our move almost 4 years ago. I agree that boys should be allowed to decorate their rooms by themselves. Not much in my sons room went together after he applied his hand! lol He/we had a little bit of a sailing theme, Americana, fiesta, traditional, antique, modern and a collection of red Texaco trucks and planes, in addition to ship models However, he was fairly neat.

He left that room and house to go off to college. When he returned for summer break that year, we were in a new house and his room was decorated by me, using a mix of old (his things to give comfort) and some new "sprucing-up" to give a more grown-up look and also to be used as a third guestroom. :)

I have posted his new room before, but am still working on it, so I'll post more photos sometime in the near future. ;)

OK, you showed me yours I'll show you mine ;-) - here it is just as he left it this AM. We left the grid out of the one window (took screen out too) so he could use telescope. The other is out and corners taped b/c I was putting poly on it since he sleeps with door closed we get lots of condensation.

Red Sox and Patriots hats, Red Sox poster from 2004 (I paid a couple of bucks at the post office - I think my mom spent $30 to get it framed for his 7th bday in 2005).

He uses both beds - slept in the upper one for a little while, now prefers the lower but uses the upper to read (get away from DD). I don't know why he has to pull the blanket down - and it's such a pain to make. Guess it's about time to wash the sheets again (uppers dusty and lowers used) so I'll make him crawl up there and do it.

Note the hamper with one pair of socks and the rest of the dirty clothes on the floor, PJs on the bed.

His robe hanging neatly on a baseball bat peg board from GW (the bench and the other bat were from Salvation Army b4 we moved). This was the only place/orientation the longer bat would fit in the room.

My son is thirteen.

I keep his door closed.

Nuff said. :)

I agree that a teenager needs to have a major say in designing his own room. I saw what my four brothers did to their rooms growing up and was prepared. When my DS was a teen, his bedroom furniture was plain and very durable to hold up to years of teenage flops. It had a very plain, simple, easily-washable comforter, as he almost never took his shoes off when sprawling on it . . . and, his idea of making his bed was a far cry from what you see in decorating mags (LOL)! I bought big, washable, slip-covered floor pillows for lounging; a sturdy coffee table to hold his school books because he NEVER seemed to use his desk for anything but holding more "junk". Lamps that were sturdy and pretty unbreakable. Posters and whatever thumb-tacked to every wall~ and the ceiling. And dirty clothes almost constantly on the floor.
Do I have any pics of it? Ha ha . . . I wouldn't have taken a pic of it when it was straightened up . . . which wasn't often! BUT, I did make his keep it clean. It was his sanctuary and retreat; he loved it and was happy to invite his friends there, so that's what really mattered to me most.
Lynn

I've been enjoying reading the responses. The picture of one sock in the hamper made me laugh out loud! Here is my DS's room right after it was painted and still neat! Now the posters are hung and I found 3 nice pictures of guitars I hung above the bed. (He plays guitar). He wanted the red, so he got it! RL Hunting Coat Red.

Love that red, khaki and black! Reminds me of my daughters dorm room (apartment) in college. We used the tri-colored plaid pillows with her black & white Toile, black side tables and red/black lamps. Walls were khaki.

I would -- but I can't.
I'm scared to go in there...

Ditto what sweeby said.

The timing of this is perfect. I am smack dab in the middle of repainting my 12 year old son's room. We are using 2 colors, his choice, of a bright dark blue and a light blue. Oldest son, almost 17 has black walls, his choice. It looked great after we did it. We left white walls around his closet and bedroom door and friends have done graffiti all over it with colored sharpie markers. I wish I could go in there, but I can't. It looks awful now, so messy. And my blood pressure rises whenever I see it. You'll have to use your imaginations.

These are all great pics to see! I have a four year old; he loves his room now (asks complete strangers if they want to come and "see his room"). He wanted planes, cars, motorcycles, helicopters. It's fascinating to see what the future holds! I wonder what he'll want?

In DS's defense, it was a *pair* of socks :-)

LOL on the socks! A pair,good for him! I notice the opening on the hamper is just big enough to manage two socks! Haha!

Actually the whole top is open (I think you just see the handle hanging down), about 2ft x 2ft so I don't know why the clothes are on the floor (sigh)...

joanie - Please, oh please get up your courage and take a picture of your son's room with the black wall. My son wanted black walls in our last house and I nixed that idea. We'll be moving again soon and I have a feeling the black wall will come up again. You actually have me considering it. I hadn't thought about doing just one wall that way. I also love the idea of the graffiti, but I don't trust what his friends would write :)

Laurie

kmcg85- Love your son's room. Do you happen to remember the brand of his bed/nightstand? Thanks.

Ah amatuers; Here is my sons room, actually relatively clean (its laundry day). The couch was a bartering chip involving his report card (you now have to climb over the couch to get in the closet.) The decorating is all his, including the running shoes in front of the tv. You would require a scratch and sniff monitor to get the full affect. And yes that is a stuffed fish on the bookshelf. Door closed is my policy, and funny thing is this 17 year old has no problem with that.

I found this thread interesting and funny. I don't have a DS but I have a precious grandson. He freaked the other day because (HORRORS) I didn't take my shoes off before walking into his room! I'm guessing this "neat freak" phase won't last long???

the valance is gone. bedding is getting ready to change. and the walls are going an acid green here in the next month or so.

they have a different tv in there now. that was my grandpa's :)

momto4boys - Is that chalkboard paint or just regular black paint?

Laurie

it's chalkboard. they wanted a black wall. me..not so much :)
they love it. when their friends come, they leave them funny notes. there are phone numbers written all across it.

I am enjoying this thread too! Boys! lol

Rutty

Gilmoregal, The bed is the Hampton from JCP.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bed

We went beach theme, although this was a few years ago. He's 15 now, and there are clothes all over the floor and the bed is definitely not made. And the foosball table is gone. He hasn't asked to redecorate yet, so I guess this is somewhat lasting.

Seg - Your son and mine appear to have the same bed. Cute room!

As long as there is plenty of room for posters on the wall,laundry on the floor and empty plates on the desk-- it's all good!
Oh and music and a door that closes.

I am loving this photos!! My DS is 10 & I have struggled about decorating his room.

This is life shown in these photos - so different from the all put together rooms of PB teen. I can't even pick one "theme" for his room b/c he has many interests and they change often.

Smiles:)

I love these photos and stories! DS is 30 now and on his own. Hang in there all-they will become neater when they have their own places-lol! I have yet to remove all his car photos (has had BMW 2002s since he was 16) even though the room is now another guest room-and we can keep the door open-ha. Sometimes, I actually miss the mess.

I thought I was alone in the messy son bed-room wars.
So glad to hear that they get more tidy with age.

This post is perfect as we are redecorating from this
gawd-awful G.I Joe theme to something new______
Right now my DS is thinking Skateboard, Snowboard, World
Traveler, Basketball... so many ideas to think about.
Here are some he has been looking at.

I love this look. It will be a perfect guest room
when he goes off to college one day. Dare to dream : )

Well, I thought after having my sons clean their rooms today that they wouldn't look too bad in a picture but they are still way too messy to photograph, much less post here. I'd be too embarrassed!

kmcg85 - Thank you! Have you been happy with the durability? My DS is 18 and heads off to college next year so won't be using his room at home quite as often :( But - we want furniture that will still be around when he and his future wife/family visit us someday...

My oldest DS is only 5...I hate to think what his room will look like when he's a teenager ;-)

My DS is 18 and off at college! It seems to be holding up well. Also got mine on clearance...2 years ago!