Teenage Boys Prefer Neutral Colors and Designs
Neutrals don’t have to be boring, uninspiring or droll. In a boy’s room, neutrals can be a wide-open canvas upon which personality develops. In a teenage boy’s room, neutrals can be an adventure set into motion.
The Color Palette
Boys by their very nature rock warm or run cold. Either way, they opt for a clear nature palette that lets their wholesome natural identity shine through if parents allow them the opportunity. Give them a color choice that lives in their world.
- Warm Neutrals Rock: Beige, brown, yellow, rust and orange are colors of the earth. This palette allows boys to reign over the dirt and the fire, bringing warmth and brilliance to their surroundings. By including orange and yellow in the warm neutrals, a designer can turn up the heat.
- Cool Clear Neutrals: Blues, grays, greens and ivories fade to rich charcoal colors in the depths of the oceans, rivers, and lakes. The cooler colors allow depth and meaning to flow into the world of boys. By introducing watercolors into the room a designer cools the temperature and allows the adventure to take root.
The Style Invigorates
Boys often have interests that set off a specific style for their room design. Whether their interests are rocket science or birding on a rooftop, the basis of their room will reflect their interests. Dressing a room decorated in blues and greens with lariats and lassos, black boots and leather chaps, brings the style home. Any color can live anywhere with the adventure of true design for the boy. It’s all in the way it comes together.
Consider for a moment, the above cowboy style with plaid blue and green comforters, pine rail beds, heavy pine dressers, and sky blue walls. A lush forest green chair with pale blue pillows and plaid throw that incorporates accents of beige and orange with the blues fill up a corner with a cozy place to read. Boys love to read if they have a special place to read and to keep their own books.
Bringing Personality Home
When boys bring their own personality into a room, they care for the room more. By giving boys a place to store their belongings, display areas, and action space, they learn to care for their clothing and keep everything put away. The cowboy look described above emphasized a country style with cool colors, warmed up with a tan, beige and orange accents.
Not every boy is going to like the cowboy style. Some prefer a high-rise with crisp city views. Those city accents might come by way of geometric prints, black and white photos framed in black with stronger block colors on the walls and trendy black iron furniture. Either style works. Both are defined by masculine and easy to work with, in the sense that boys love weighty hard line furniture that holds its shape and feels “tough”.
Mixing Up the Pallet
By including a combination of neutrals in a room, a little fire, and a little water, the room comes to life. Mostly water neutrals stage a perfect backdrop for hot accents and clean-lined fresh looks. Mostly fire colors set up a warm backdrop for a fresh cool splash. Remember to incorporate study areas, dressing areas and play areas into a boy’s room to maintain tidiness and organization. Boys need plenty of storage and display space for their belongings.