Teen Boy Bedroom Design: Inspiration For a Rustic Industrial Retreat

Read on for inspiration on designing the perfect rustic industrial bedroom for a teen boy

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My teenager is officially heading back to school as an 8^th grader. That is way too close to high school and I am not mentally prepared for that phase in our life just yet.

But whether I like it or not, my little guy is growing up so I decided it was time for his bedroom to grow up along with him. Because, as patient as he’s been with getting settled into our new home, I’m not sure he’ll forgive me if his friends come over to hang out on his floral covered bed.

I feel like I need to explain that situation. When we moved early last year we were laser-focused on getting the two nurseries set up for the toddlers.

I ended up borrowing my oldest son’s bedding for the younger son and never got around to replacing it until now. So he was left with an old spare floral comforter, sunny yellow walls, and truthfully, he could’ve cared less.

But I have felt so bad for neglecting his room this long and wanted to do something super special for him to welcome in the new school year along with his teen years.

Inspiration for a rustic industrial retreat

As most of my projects start off, this one kicked into high gear on a random shopping trip.

Raise your hand if you can never, ever find what you’re looking for when you shop for something specific in mind. Now keep it up high if you always seem to spend a fortune when you aren’t even looking for anything specific!

Yeah, I see you.

I spotted the perfect inexpensive pair of industrial task lights at TJ Maxx. Lighting can be pricy, and at only $20 a piece, I couldn’t say no to the price. Plus they had these awesome built-in USB ports for easy charging access. The perfect accessory for any tech-savvy teen.

So off I went, without any real thought as to what I’d do next to plan out my son’s bedroom.

For the longest time, I knew I wanted his room to have a relaxed, rustic, industrial theme with maybe a hint of an urban feel to it. His room needs to age right along with him throughout high school and potentially beyond.

When I think of this theme, the first thing I picture for his room is a look that features a worn and lived-in feel with masculine patterns like bold plaids or stripes, and textures like metal, leather and rustic wood.

Planning

I took inventory of what was working well for my son’s current bedroom and what it was missing. I try my best to work with what I already have on hand whenever possible. Sometimes that means moving things in from other rooms or just repurposing existing furniture.

 He already has the basics

• Full-size bed and headboard
• Small bookshelf
• Dresser (with updated industrial drawer pulls)

While I would love to upgrade his dresser to a larger one for more storage, it just isn’t in the budget for this project, but I still plan to keep my eye out for the perfect piece.

Items needed for a rustic industrial bedroom

• All new bedding (sheets, covers, bed skirt, pillows) – I used to have a habit of buying those inexpensive bed-in- a-bag sets for my kids’ rooms and decided that wasn’t an option this time. Mostly because they just don’t wear well and end up being pretty low quality.
• Set of Nightstands – so he can stop setting his nightly glass of milk on the floor only to be spilled.
• Ceiling fan – to replace the unsafe wobbling one he currently has
• Window treatments – I plan to DIY these using my window cornice tutorial I posted a few months ago.
• Paint and decor

Shopping

I have what I’ll affectionately refer to as champagne taste on a beer budget when it comes to home improvement projects. I seem to always gravitate towards the higher end furnishings and get a nice dose of reality when I see the price tag. I guess you could say I have good taste right?

So when I started searching for products for my son’s bedroom I was immediately falling in love with the Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn looks, but my wallet was not. I decided to use these looks as inspiration for the room knowing that I would have to make some concessions somewhere for the budget.

The key to achieving a high-end look on a low budget is to mix a few high-quality pieces with some less expensive and even refurbished items to balance out the room. It’s a nice compromise between feeling like a room was replicated out of a magazine or put together with all second-hand items.

items that are inspiring a rustic industrial design for the room

Make a statement

The one thing that I think is going to make the biggest impact in this room is a really cool statement wall complete with dark paint and trim. I haven’t fully made up my mind on the pattern for the wall yet, but I’m most likely going to use the same materials from my trim tutorial a few weeks ago.

I have a slight obsession with using trim on my walls lately. It’s really because I just love to play with the nail gun and I pretty much fight my husband for it during any project.

It’s so easy to use and makes me feel like a master carpenter even when I’m really more like the worst apprentice. (Hubby says I don’t listen or follow directions – I just like to be efficient).

Update! I’ve finally wrapped up this bedroom and you can find all the details in the full reveal here.

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