Best Back to School Teen and Tween Locker Decorating Ideas

Best Back to School Teen and Tween Locker Decorating Ideas

School is one of those parts of life that is just ripe with potential. Things could either be completely wonderful, marking a new beginning in the life of any tween or teen, or it could kind of feel like a disaster. Bringing a flair of design, personalization and uniqueness with you into a new school year is pretty important for most teens. Here we are going to show you the latest ideas and tips on creating an instagram-worthy locker this year!

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Locker Decorating is definitely a thing.

When I was going to school, decorating your locker was definitely common. We had our teen heartthrob posters taped to our locker doors, but the locker game is next level these days, and even more fabulous than we could have imagined. It’s incredibly popular for tween and teen girls to go above and beyond with their locker décor, and it probably changes with the seasons (and events like games, prom or birthdays). The sense of individuality and the sheer self-expression of it – what’s not to love about cool locker stuff?? 🙂 

 

“Schools are now the latest frontier in nesting…. Peek inside, and find lockers outfitted with miniature furry carpets, motion-sensor-equipped lamps that glow when the door opens, mirrors, decorative flowers, and magnetic wallpaper in floral and leopard-print patterns.” The New York Times

 

Tweens Middle School Locker Ideas
Hannah Kane said decorating her locker helped ease her nerves about starting middle school. Photo Credit: Andrew Spear, The New York Times

 

No parent wants to see their child fret and distress over their potential future at school, but keeping up with the trends and needs of today’s teens is somewhat harrowing. With the Back to School season starting to rear its head, you need to put in the effort now to help your beloved tween find her place within the social dynamic of Middle School or High School.

And you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make your locker look chic or glam, you can find a lot of cool items that are cute and functional for a few dollars. See below for ideas

Locker Decorations for Middle School vs. High School

One scroll through Pinterest and you’ll see there is a LOT that goes into crafting the perfect  locker decoration. From the colors, to the style and patterns, to the functional utility of the objects used, the whole interior design of lockers tends to be a must-have. There is certain appeal to decorative objects that serve no purpose other than aesthetic merit, but ultimately with such a small space the decorations need to be easily utilized.

Locker décor generally reflects her hobbies and interests, personal style and general esteem. Locker décor that takes away from the sense of individuality defeats the purpose, so buying pre-made locker kits may not be what you want. A kit may be quick and easy but it kind of defeats the purpose, in my opinion.

In addition, tween girls may have a very different idea of what is cool than the teen girls, and as such, it is important to let her pick what she relates to. The tweens may gravitate more to the bright colors and patterns, while teens may have a more clean, pastel or monotone look, or focus more on what’s ahead, like dorm decor.

Locker Decor Ideas for Teens and Tweens
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Tweens may or may not have lockers just yet, so the self-expression may be more in their school supplies or stationery, which we have written a blog post on as well here.

READ: CUTE IDEAS FOR BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Locker Décor Ideas

Cool locker stuff doesn’t have to be too hard to come by, as there are a lot more stores these days catering to the needs of students. Take for example these LED string lights, folding locker shelves or these magnet pencil holders, magnet mirrors and my fave, the locker chandelier! 

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Coolness and sense of style is important to keep in mind when checking out locker decorations, but you can easily do all of it on a budget. Using removable wallpaper or LockerLookz Locker Wallpaper, or my favorite: floral contact paper, to add a pop of color to the back, door and/or shelves add texture and interest. (make sure whatever you place can be easily removed later!) You can even use the contact paper to mix and match your color scheme on the accessories like the pencil holders or frames. Try your favorite cloth fabric wrapped and hot glued underneath to a square foam board or piece of wood.

Long gone are the days of plain, boring lockers. Nowadays, we are seeing a mini version of tween and teen bedroom decor in lockers.

Peek inside, and find lockers outfitted with miniature furry carpets, motion-sensor-equipped lamps that glow when the door opens, mirrors, decorative flowers, and magnetic wallpaper in floral and leopard-print patterns.

 

Many girls are also matching their book covers to their locker colors! Awesome ideas for this are the colorful paper book covers or even use thick wrapping paper

Girls will love decorating their lockers and it really gives them a sense of identity and independence when going back to school. A unique magnet picture frame that holds images of friends, cute pop stars or family members could be cool, especially if the frame follows the whole color or design scheme she’s going for. A mirror is a lifesaver most of the time, so you shouldn’t trade functionality for aesthetic in this particular case.

Such examples are staples of the ideal locker décor:

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 Pictured: Locker Flower Magnet, Locker Dry Erase Board, Magnetic Clips,
Magnetic Locker Pencil Holder, Floral Contact Paper

Photo Sources: HGTV.com, HobbyLobby, The Container Store, seventeen.com