4 Easy Ways to Create a Modern Rustic Teen Bedroom for Boys
We’ve finally wrapped up my son’s bedroom makeover and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I’m pretty sure my son’s impressed with it too, but well, he’s a teenager and they don’t show much excitement over anything these days except for YouTube.
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If you’re anything like me and struggle with the thought of transitioning your little boy into a more modern updated bedroom it can be hard to even nail down a design plan. That’s why I want to share with you my 4 best tips for creating a more modern rustic teen bedroom for boys.
This is what my son’s room looked like before we moved in a year and a half ago. He didn’t care much. But I felt bad for handing down his big boy bedding to our 3-year-old, leaving him with an old floral comforter for the past 18 months. To be fair though, we still haven’t even painted our own master bedroom yet.
I came up with a design plan a few months ago for this room, but quickly changed my mind on the color scheme. I have a thing for blue in my house, but desperately needed to break the cycle.
For this room makeover, we wanted to use as much existing furniture and décor as we could while updating it with a fresh modern look. The bed, headboard, second-hand dresser and bookshelf all stayed. I planned our rustic modern look around these items, and found 4 key elements that transformed this room into a rustic modern retreat.
TIP #1 to create a rustic teen boy room
Mix Old with New
The key to achieving a modern rustic look is to incorporate old or worn items with new ones. Fresh new items balance out anything that might be a bit dated or worn. Since a lot of the furniture was existing, I chose to update our son’s bedroom with all new bedding and throw pillows.
I’m a huge neutral lover and since his headboard was beige, I loved how this grey flannel duvet set and stonewashed quilt complimented it.
I also purchased a new set of side tables to go beside the bed. I would have loved to have gotten a nice set of nightstands for additional storage, but I couldn’t make it work with the budget. These tables are extremely sturdy though and the black metal with rustic wood top is the perfect finish for this modern rustic room.
TIP #2 to create a rustic teen boy room
Blend Natural Textures
Wood and leather are common materials found in many rustic designs so I knew I wanted to incorporate these into our son’s bedroom without making it feel overwhelmingly like a log cabin. I chose a few key pieces with a modern touch to add throughout our son’s décor.
This rustic wooden basketball hoop was made by a dear friend out of reclaimed barn wood, but you can find a similar option on Etsy when you shop this post at the bottom. It made the perfect accent piece for a boy who’s a huge sports fanatic.
I also had my eye on leather pillows for quite a while so I was excited to try them out in this space. I love how the leather and wood make the room feel warm and cozy against the dark grey tones in the bedding and walls.
Speaking of walls, one of the major design changes in this room was this super easy board and batten accent wall. It really added some depth and interest to the room rather than just leaving it painted dark grey. For details on the materials used and a full tutorial, check out my post on how to create a board and batten wall.
TIP #3 to create a rustic teen boy room
Mix Different Metals
Metal finishes are a great way to add an updated modern appearance to a bedroom. They also blend well with the rustic industrial style. I’m not a huge “word art” fan, but I’d been hanging on to this Galvanized initial letter for my son for the past few years. I’m so glad I did because it works well with the grey and black tones in this room. I was also able to find some matching galvanized drawer pulls for our second hand-dresser and it really updated the look.
My favorite part was adding in these DIY leather strap picture frames to display some motivational prints for my son. (What teen doesn’t need some good old fashioned motivation right?)
TIP #4 to create a rustic teen boy room
Add Modern Touches
Another trick to making a rustic bedroom feel more updated is to add modern finishes and fixtures. Matte black was the perfect finish to use in this rustic industrial room. I came across the perfect pieces in this pair of modern table lamps. They even had a hint of gold in the hardware and my heart can’t resist anything with a bit of glam.
Our wobbling ceiling fan was in desperate need of replacing and while I was shopping online I was becoming obsessed with these smaller modern ceiling fans. I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical about the amount of airflow, but these babies put out some serious air. It happens to be really stunning in person too. The Edison bulbs have a gorgeous warm glow at night and are the perfect addition to add an industrial touch to this room.
By far, my favorite modern touch to this room was taking a risk with a deep gray paint for the trim and doors. It really made the room pop and feel more custom.
I hope this post helps you get started creating an amazing bedroom retreat for your teen. Don’t forget to subscribe to my weekly newsletter to get all of my favorite design ideas and tips delivered straight to your inbox!
I love how this room turned out! It looks great! I love the dark trim and doors!
Thanks Erin! It’s perfect for a teen boy to grow into 🙂
Did you paint the other side of doors too?
Hi Julie! Yes, all of our doors are painted black on the other side.
I love this bedding and mix of pillows! Where did you get the bedding and the long accent pillow?
Thank you so much Melanie! I included photos with links at the bottom of the post so you can see exactly where I purchased it and buy your own 🙂 happy decorating!
I love this space for me! Amazing work….love how all the colors complement each other.
Thank you Jeanette! Not too shabby for a bedroom on a budget 🙂
This room looks amazing! Any boy would love to have it! And that ceiling fan is amazing, it really ties in to the theme of the room. I haven’t seen anything like it before. Awesome job Martina!
Thanks so much Sara! I searched high and low for the perfect ceiling fan within our budget. I think my teen is pretty happy with how it turned out.
I would love to know the paint color that was used for the main wall behind the bed please! I am trying to do the same style for my 14 yr old. Thanks!
Hi Wanda! The paint color for the accent wall is Peppercorn by Sherwin Williams.
Hi, I’m finally updating my 14 year old son’s bedroom this year so your post is very helpful. I just ordered the same light fixture with built-in fan and so excited about it! I love the Peppercorn accent wall as well. Can you tell me the name of the griege paint colour on the other walls?
Thank you!
Hi Kristen! You will love that fan, it’s perfect for kids that like to toss things up in the ceiling (like balls) lol it’s yet to get damaged from my son like our old fan. The other paint color I used was called Drift of Mist by Sherwin Williams. It’s an off white color that leans a little more towards grey. Happy decorating!
Thanks so much Sarah! My teen actually makes his bed now, so I think it’s safe to say he likes his new room. 🙂