The preteen years are when girls start to define their sense of style and establish some independence. This is like a time when she’ll want to re-do her bedroom, taking it from little girl décor to something more hip and expressive of her personality. While you will definitely want her input and incorporate a few of her preferences, keep in mind that her tastes will probably change dramatically over the next few years so limit over-the-top style to inexpensive items that can be easily changed as her tastes change.

Furniture choices

While your preteen may love that really cool turquoise armoire found online, she may hate it in a couple of years. Steer her toward furniture that will last a long time and go for standard pieces like a twin or full size bed, wardrobe or dresser and desk. Other essentials include a desk and adjustable height-chair and desk lamp. A bookshelf and dressing table with a vanity mirror are must have’s for many preteen girls and if you have space in the room and the budget, choose pieces that are not overly stylized. Choose basic pieces in natural wood or white and let her add funky touches with smaller pieces like night stands or a side chair.

Keep in mind that you can create an eclectic look by purchasing various pieces of furniture from a resale shop or garage sale and paint them in a unifying shade of off-white. White furniture has the advantage of working with any wall color and it will pop against brighter hues. Smaller pieces and bookshelves can be painted in her favorite color and repainted down the road when her favorite changes from purple to whatever. Used furniture is an excellent choice for any budget because it lets you create a personalized acquired look, but be sure to go with a new mattress and box spring.

Let your preteen pick out accessories

This is the area where your preteen can get totally involved by choosing colors and patterns that she loves in throw pillows, bedding, lamps and shades, candle wall sconces and wall art. To keep things from getting out of hand though, it’s a good idea to set a budget for all accessories then let her pick out and shop around for what she wants. Not only will she get to choose the theme and style for her room, she’ll learn a valuable lesson about budgeting and comparison shopping. Discount stores have great colorful bedding and accents that will appeal to a preteen, from bold polka dots to mix n’match solids and patterns, modern geometrics and shabby chic florals.

Posters are inexpensive options for wall art and they can be matched up with equally affordable frames at a craft or discount store. Best of all, when her tastes change, it’s easy to replace old posters with new ones. Decorate in a way that builds your preteen sense of confidence as well; use wall shelves to display trophies, certificates of achievement and other items that reflect her interests and aspirations.

Easy to maintain style

Preteen and teen girls tend to accumulate a lot of ‘stuff’, from clothes and jewelry, to scrapbooks, trinkets and books. Open shelving is an excellent way to make it easy to stay organized; baskets and plastic or canvas boxes can be used to sort and tuck away small items. Closet organizers, clothes hamper and back of door shoe rack can also help.

Make it easy for your preteen to make her bed every day by choosing a comforter that’s large enough to cover the sides of the bed so she doesn’t have to tuck in the sides of sheets and blankets every day. If she really loves her room, she’ll be more interested in keeping it neat for herself and visiting friends.