Blinkdecor : Eye On Design :

Beyond Myspace? and Facebook? lay your teen's tangible private space in his or her room. It's a place where parents (and siblings) need to tread lightly, especially when it comes to offering decorating advice. It is likely that your daughter has moved beyond the preppy pink & green phase and the sweet floral wallpaper you lovingly choose together. Hopefully, she does not want an entire room decorated in the Goth style. Similarly, no longer do the boy's rugby stripe area rug and navy gingham sheets complement his Les Paul guitar and his X Box 360. Blinkdecor has amassed our visions of cool, mod, inexpensive, and teen-approved decorating resources as well as some hip images for inspiration.

To tame your teen, without quelling a budding design enthusiast, ask them to define a color scheme or a particular style. Show them blinkdecor's shop by style icons that define each look to arrive at their aesthetic. Many teens will say they want to decorate their room but really not have the time or attention to detail required to complete the job. Thus, knowing their ultimate vision may eliminate future battles.

One suggestion is to start with a piece of art. Many online sources offer lithographs or photographs at reasonable prices for the fickle decorator. Rockmade.com has these amazing photographs mounted on plexiglass that look like something out of Willy Wonka. A paint by numbers stretch canvas wall hanging may be great to involve a creative teen. Weegohome.com offers kits that include everything you need to design your very own stylish art. Another way to jazz up wall space is with a mirror. The Self-Portrait Mirror, priced at $46, from elsewares.com creates laser-cut acrylic mirrors with cool designs such as the skull or songbird. The large round Recycled Magazine Mirror from urbanoutfitters.com has a great retro feel and could fit into a wide range of styles.

Urbanoutfitters.com and anthropology.com are great sites for an inexpensive Indie look. Both online sources offer chandeliers that can truly be the focal point of a room. Urban Outfitters offers a fantastic patchwork chair reminiscent of the iconic womb chair, available for only $200. Other sites for accessories and the latest trends are etsy.com and pixelgirlshop.com. What teen wouldn't want a skull and crossbones shower curtain and matching bath towels?

Sprouthome.com predominantly offers gardening supplies and accessories, but also has many tasteful chandeliers and lighting products such as the chic powder coated steel White Pendant Lamp for $165. Weego Home is another great source for the more refined teen. They have a really cool white lacquer storage unit for books, photos and a nook perfect for a cd or dvd collection. For hip design and great prices, check out what bludot.com has to offer. The Paperclip desk done in birch and chrome is $499 and has an elevated shelf to give more space after the computer.

To find reasonable, yet modern fabric choices for duvets, dust ruffles, or window treatments, visit contemporarycloth.com. Likewise, Popcows.com and angelaadams.com both offer inexpensive and contemporary solutions to carpeting. Their area rugs can offer an anchor to a room and are a little more sophisticated then the traditional children's rug offerings.

The last bit of advice is to let your teen guide you. Offer suggestions and direction but let the room be a product of their own self expression. The good news is that with so many great online sources, you need not spend hours of in-store time but can simply surf the web together!