How to create the best study space for your teenager

How to use wardrobe doors in a home office

As spring turns into summer, it really is time to get your home looking spick and span. It feels as if we have just If you are a parent of teenagers taking GCSEs or A-levels this year, summer is a time when you are all eagerly – and no doubt anxiously – awaiting results. And we hope that they are good for your son or daughter.

But as we all know, results are only the beginning. They can pave the way to 6th form college or university, or perhaps a vocational course or apprenticeship where your son or daughter can gain work experience as well as continuing to study.

In all these cases, if your son or daughter will be studying from home, it’s important that they have a good place to do that. And the same applies if you have a child currently studying for their GCSEs. Ideally they need somewhere dedicated, where they can get on with their studies without distraction and where they are able to organise all their materials and know that they will not be moved by someone else. 

In this article we are going to share a few ideas on how to create the perfect study space for your teenager. The most likely scenario is that part of their bedroom is used as a study space, so we are going to look at five ways that you can do that successfully.

Create a separate study zone within the bedroom

If at all possible, see if you can split your son or daughter’s room into zones to keep the study area slightly separate from the rest of the bedroom. This helps to create demarcation between their working area and their relaxing and sleeping area. 

Even if you do not have a lot of space in the room, it may still be possible to earmark one wall as the study area, as shown in the image below.

Face the desk away from the bed if possible

An advantage of using a wall as the study area is that your son or daughter’s desk will face away from their bed. Even if the bed is close by, this will ensure that they don’t see it every time they look up and start getting the urge to relax! 

If wall space is limited, the study wall could be multi-functional with other items such as a TV and bookshelves, as in the image below.

Use as much concealed storage as possible

It’s a good idea to provide as much concealed storage space as possible so that your son or daughter can put everything away once they have finished studying and switch off for a while. It also helps them to organise their stuff better so that they are able to find things more easily. Here are three ideas for concealed storage that may help:

• Wardrobes and shelves

Use all or part of a fitted wardrobe to squirrel things away. Remember that wardrobes can be fitted with shelves as well as hanging space, and also that they can also be custom made to use every inch of space. Then once the wardrobe doors are closed, the room will immediately revert to looking more like a bedroom again rather than a study room.

• Drawer organisers

Most teenagers have the tendency to throw everything haphazardly into drawers, so help them to get better organised by getting one or more drawer organisers. This way, supplies can be sorted into different trays so that everything has a place.

DIY Homefit can help here, for example with the stylish beech cutlery tray shown below:

• Temporary storage solutions

It can also be a good idea to use a temporary storage solution when creating your teenager’s study space, to help you get a realistic idea of what they do and don’t need. Using either a few plastic boxes or a rolling storage cart can help you to get things organised temporarily and then ensure that more permanent storage is made available for everything as needed.

Curate open storage to look good

As well as concealed storage, you are likely to need some open storage for your teenager as well. Aim to install as many shelves as you are able : you may even want to consider floor-to-ceiling shelving to maximise storage space. But help your son or daughter to curate this shelving so that it looks good. For example:

• Sort books into themes and/or showcase them in an arty way;
• Mix educational materials with other treasured items such as pictures, knick-knacks and toys to add interest and fun;
• Add a few finishing touches such as LED lights, fairy lights or artificial trailing plants.

Use their favourite colours and styles

It’s important to involve your son or daughter as much as possible in planning the details of their study space. The more they like it, and feel that it’s truly theirs, the more likely they are to use it. So give them pretty much free rein on how to decorate their new area. Mix and match colours and styles, such as in the image below, to stamp their personality on their new study space.

We hope that this article has given you some ideas about how to create the best study space for your teenager.For more ideas, take a browse through our gallery of home office ideas to find the best way of making the most of your available space.

For more home inspiration, do check back here with us soon at DIY Homefit.