How to Make a Teenager's Room Look Bigger

Flooring

Carpet is the least sensible choice for a teen's room because it stains easily. Instead, lay a laminate floor. Patterns choices include distressed and wide-planked designs and are available in a variety of light colors. Hardwood and tile are also practical and come in lighter colors that coordinate with the walls. Use area rugs in your design to absorb noise.

Beds

Teenagers like to have friends sleep over, but an additional bed in the room takes up space. Opt for a trundle bed to supply the additional sleeping space without taking up room. A full-sized mattress with an open headboard and no footboard serves the purpose, as well. If two single beds are being used, place each against a wall with a square table separating the heads. Don’t use headboards, as they take up space. This opens up the central area.

Color

A small room becomes smaller when dark paint is used on the walls. Choose a color that’s light, such as pale yellow or peach for a girl’s room and light grey or latte for a boy. If a feature wall is planned, go a few shades darker than the original hue, but choose the smallest wall for this darker color. Paint the ceiling and trim white to give the space an open feeling, or paint the entire room -- floors, walls and ceiling -- the same light color to expand the room.

Textiles

Use bedding that picks up the color scheme of the room but is simple in its design. The busier the print, the more it fills a small room. Avoid excessive pillows on the bed, and keep the stuffed animals to a minimum. Use Roman shades blinds, or louvers with sheer fabric inserts for window coverings and hang them inside the window frame to widen the expanse of the room.

Multi-Purposing Furniture

Use a desk that can double as a vanity. Hang a bookcase above the desk or on the wall, or extend shelving along the walls for books and mementos. Place a bookcase atop a dresser to save more space. If possible, put a dresser in the closet. By utilizing wall space instead of floor space, the room opens up considerably.

Lighting

Use natural light to expand a small room by removing heavy draperies from the windows and allowing the sun to stream in. Add fill light in the corners and on the desk and a ceiling light on a dimmer switch to accommodate lighting needs day and night.

Accessories

Hang a long horizontal mirror to open up the room; use colorful hooks underneath the mirror for casual hanging. Add a cork board to give the teen space for displaying pictures in an orderly fashion -- the more cluttered the walls, the smaller the room appears.