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Q: How can parents decorate their 12-year-old daughter’s bedroom in a way that incorporates her preferences but also allows for easy updates as she ages?

A: When you are planning a baby’s bedroom, you get to choose everything from the wall colors to the furnishings. As your child outgrows the crib and is around the age where he or she is beginning school, you still make most of the design decisions with as much or as little input from your child as you are willing to consider. In the preteen or tween years, it is time to let your child’s preferences become more of the focus in your design decisions.

Tween spaces are transitional and should be considered a work in progress. What will be interesting today will definitely be out of vogue tomorrow, so keep this in mind and don’t get too extravagant when decorating.

At this age, kids have a mind of their own — especially girls. My daughter, Peyton, is 12. As she has matured, so has her taste. With the popularity of HGTV room makeover shows, she has had an opportunity to see what is out there and make educated decisions. A Justin Bieber or other teen idol theme would not interest her. Her taste is far more sophisticated.

I recommend getting your daughter involved in the selection process of picking out the paint colors, rearranging the furniture, selecting the fabrics, bedding and carpeting. If she is creative and careful, you can take it a step further and have her assist in painting the walls, hanging window treatments and arranging her art, drawings and photos.

Create designated task-oriented spaces for studying, relaxing (or “chillaxin” as my daughter would say), sleeping and storage. The game plan is to make the spaces flow, but be practical and fun. It’s important to incorporate the “stuff” that allows tweens to express their personality and allows you to keep up with what is important to them.

Depending on your rules and preferences, incorporate ample space for technical gadgets like a DVD player, television, iPod docking station and a computer. Incorporate meaningful personal photos, posters, trophies, drawings and artwork galleries. These are all important elements in creating the perfect space where your child can feel comfortable and relax.

A few things to keep in mind:

• With most schoolwork being done on a computer these days, make sure that you have a proper workspace so that your student can spread out and properly study.

• Consider a comfy chair and ottoman or bean bags to add a touch of color and enable your preteen to relax while studying.

• Invest in efficient storage and organizational elements. Customize the closets to accommodate clothes and accessories and you might be able to remove a bulky dresser that occupies valuable floor space. Use the walls for storage and decoration to clear up even more floor space.

When developing a plan for the room, begin by selecting the bedding material. I recommend opting for stock bedding. There are so many fun options available in the retail market today that can be used to add a fun splash of color. These selections can usually be laundered, making maintenance easy. By selecting the bedding first, you can then pick the perfect fabric to complement the ready-made bedding for custom window treatments. Window treatments offer style and function.

Resist the urge go with anything too bland or too extreme when deciding on your colors. Avoid going too neutral and creating a vanilla palette, and steer clear of options like neon, which is too bold to last long-term. Find a wall color that you as a homeowner can live with and your child can enjoy. You can incorporate splashes of color with your bedding, upholstery and window treatment fabric.

Jessica Dauray is owner of EOS Interiors. Have questions for a Design Wise column? Contact Dauray at jess@elementsofstyleinc.com.