The bedroom decorating trend is rising among teenage girls

Suki McMaster, a designer who owns a shop in South Melbourne Market, attributes this change in part to COVID-19.

She says people are spending more time at home post lockdowns, choosing to decorate their space with bright colors and different textures to spice things up.

Looking around Ly’s bedroom, it’s clear that this new teen aesthetic is sophisticated and possesses a mature sense of style that would make a professional designer proud.

Ly says she seeks out neutral, non-clashing colors like cream and beige, and likes to experiment with different shapes and textures that create a layered and calming effect.

Teenage girls often have little influence outside of their bedroom, says Dr. Jessica Ford of the University of Newcastle Gender Research Network. Designing their room is a way to explore their creative freedom in a space they can control.

Loading

Where girls once sought “inspo” from magazines like Fashion or a handful of teen TV shows, Ford says teens are now being influenced by global trends and an endless variety of curated styles on social media.

“Today’s teenagers are just as good at being inspired Riverdale like they’re from the Dark Academie and Harry Styles Pinterest boards,” says Ford. “Tumblr, TikTok, and Pinterest diversified the aesthetic inspiration from magazines, pop stars, and TV shows that shaped the bedrooms of previous generations of teenagers.”

Thanks to chains like Typo, Kmart and Target, interior design has become accessible to more people, Ford adds, including young girls who may not have the money to burn themselves with nonessentials.

Meryn Serong, Meryn Serong, division merchandise manager at Kmart, says the chain has increasingly noticed teenage girls buying items that add personality to their spaces, likely as an antidote to the emotional turmoil unleashed by the pandemic.

“Over the past few seasons, we’ve seen customers gravitate toward products that bring them joy and take them away from the realities of the world,” she said.

“The rise of personal expression is leading customers to embrace happier designs, with colour…unique textures and nostalgic shapes and angles as key components of the feel-good factor.”

The Morning Edition Newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Login here.