A space for their
imagination
| Funky designs, big wallposters, clothes strewn all over... rooms for
teenagers have them all |
TEEN TERRITORY: Let the youth have their way in their room
A balcony is a must and so is a big bathtub. Climbers
trailing along the railings will complete the look. Normal lighting is boring. I
would like my room to be bathed in a blue glow. Of course this is only my dream
bedroom. In reality, my room was decorated by an interior decorator and has a
more sombre look.
Three walls are painted light purple and the fourth is a
darker shade. A study table is positioned in one corner, a spacious wardrobe
occupies another and an elaborately engraved rosewood bed takes centre stage
with an accompanying night table. A plush, patterned carpet makes my room very
cosy. So exclaimed Ritika, a student of Bishop Cotton's.
Imagination, independence and individuality are all
synonymous with teenagers. Only those of Generation Y have the guts to paint
their room an eye-popping yellow or hot pink; who can afford to spend long hours
adding patches, beads and sequins to their upholstery; and who would experiment
with lighting to such an extent that on walking into their room one would see
star-shaped patterns on the walls or perhaps be bathed in colourful light.
"Pink, pink and more pink.....that's how my room looks.
Stuffed toys all over my bed, a huge dressing table with all my makeup on it and
dim lighting are what make my room an expression of my inner self. I am an
artist and what my friends love the most about my room is the graffiti that
covers my walls," says Sylvia, an 18 year old.
Creativity seems to be on the rise and the design bug has
bitten a major portion of the youth. Teenagers see decorating their personal
space, a cozy place to read, listen to music or gossip with their friends, as a
way of truly expressing themselves.
Magazines, TV shows and newspapers have caught on to this and
have modified their approach to include their new-found teenage market. One
important factor that has contributed towards this movement is that family
incomes and pocket money in turn have increased greatly.
Teenagers now have a spending capacity large enough to
accommodate all their funky designing strategies.
They also have a knack for making use of pieces of cloth,
shells or pictures of their favourite stars to enhance their creative output.
`Hit by a
tsunami'
According to Mrs. Khan, "I liked it better when Anita,
my daughter, was a child. Her room was always so neat but now her room looks
like it was hit by a tsunami! In spite of repeated warnings, Shahrukh Khan
posters still find their way onto the walls and music can always be heard at a
deafening volume at any time of the day."
"My gym equipment takes up most of the place in my room.
My computer is my most valuable possession and my clothes are generally
scattered all over the bed. Thus, multi-purpose pieces of furniture are very
handy.
Beds that can be converted in the morning into trendy sofas,
bean bags that do not take up too much space and desks that can be dismantled
after use minimise the clutter in my room," says Ashwin from Christ
College.
Boys have simple tastes and generally stick to posters of
sportspersons, movie stars, musicians, bikes and cars while girls use anything
and everything as part of their innovative decorative efforts with a careful eye
for detail. Girls prefer lighter shades while boys would balk at a pink or
purple room.
Electronic gadgets and gymming equipment are generally found
in boys' rooms, dressing tables and full-length mirrors in girls' rooms and
musical instruments in both.
They both agree that the help of interior decorators can be
taken to decorate private spaces like bedrooms and bathrooms as long as the
final touches come from them.
DIVYA GOJER & PRIYA MENON
Courtesy: Property Plus, The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com/pp/2007/03/10/stories/2007031000720200.htm
