A school locker is more than just a place for your child to keep his or her books — it is also one little spot of personal space during a busy day of school. We rounded up some creative and functional ideas for girls and boys to make that school locker truly Instagram worthy.
Back when I was in middle school and high school, decorating your locker meant taping up a few pictures of Poison or Bon Jovi. (Yes, I liked hair bands. Don’t judge.) Today, you can create a locker that is decorated nicer than my first apartment, with chandeliers, fuzzy rugs and wallpaper.
Ready to help your teen create an Instagram-worthy locker that is screaming for a #LockerEnvy hashtag?
Prep the space with a little elbow grease
Before you begin to spice up the locker, start with a fresh slate by cleaning all the “ick” from last year’s occupant. Grab some Clorox wipes and wipe down the entire locker including the bottom and top shelves and the outside. If there are any spots with sticky residue from stickers or tape, use a cotton ball moistened with rubbing alcohol to get that off.
Next, find out the school rules for locker decoration. All the ideas we are suggesting are easily removable and won’t leave any permanent marks, however some schools have certain rules for how far you can go with decorating.
Must-have locker organizing accessories
Remember those kids who open their locker and stuff always falls out? Don’t let your teen be that kid. There are a few items you need to help keep all that school gear neat and organized in the locker.
Locker shelves are a must-have because they provide an added layer to stack books and notebooks. This Gear-Up Locker Shelf (PB Teen, $12) is the perfect size and comes in fun colors including the pictured teal, magenta pink or black. For a budget-friendly option, you can pick up a pack of six Stackable Metal Locker Shelves for $30 (about $5 each) on Amazon.com, which is perfect if you have multiple kids needing shelves.
A magnetic locker pocket with a dry erase board is a must-have to jot down reminders and keep little objects organized and this Locker Dry Erase Pocket (PB Teen, $13) is a great option.
If you are the DIY type and you have a roll of duct tape, you can make a really cool and budget-friendly duct tape locker pocket. Duct tape has gone way beyond the boring silver and you can find an entire selection of cool prints and colors. Watch the below tutorial with your tween or teen and have fun creating a colorful duct tape pocket locker.
Photo credit: Sassy Style Redesign Blog
Speaking of DIY, Sassy Style Redesign Blog features adorable locker accessories that are a cinch to make. She used Washi Tape and a $2 mirror from Wal-Mart to create this cute locker mirror by simply taping around the border and gluing magnets to the back. She also took flower erasers and glued magnets to the back to make these cute and colorful magnets.
Photo credit: Sassy Style Redesign Blog
Keeping extra pens and pencils handy is a must and this pencil holder keeps them easily in reach. She created this colorful pencil holder by using Washi Tape and a plastic cup. Check out her blog for additional instructions, but she simply taped around the cup until all of the spaces were filled. She also glued three magnets to the cup so it could stick inside the locker.
Create #LockerEnvy
You guys… they have locker curtains. For real. The Teal Dottie Pom Pom Locker Curtains (PB Teen, $10) would be the perfect finishing touch for your teen’s locker. It has a magnetic strip along the top so you simply stick it along the top of your locker. If you are the crafty sort, you could also easily make this.
If you are getting curtains for the locker, you might as well go all out and pick up the Teal Dottie Locker Rug (PB Teen, $10). In addition to being cute, it also keeps books from slipping out of the locker.
If you don’t want the curtains, then perhaps the Glam Rock chandelier (Amazon.com, $16) is right up your teen’s alley. It features strong magnets that hold it to the top of the locker, while the motion sensor function turns it on when the locker is opened.
Wallpaper the locker. Seriously.
It may sound crazy, but wallpaper gives your teen’s locker that extra wow factor. The picture above shows Black and White Damask Locker Wallpaper (Amazon.com, $18), which features precut pieces and magnets to hold the wallpaper in place so it doesn’t damage locker surfaces. You can wallpaper the entire locker or just an accent wall.
You can make your own locker wallpaper for about $12 using the easy-to-follow tutorial below.
Must-have DIY magnets
Photo credit: The Gunny Sack blog
Finish off the perfect locker look with some colorful magnets to hold papers and pictures in place. You can purchase some cool magnets or you can make your own. The Gunny Sack blog shared these adorable magnets she made using Mod Podge Podgeable Shapes and Tracing Templates. She also glued magnetic strips and colorful paper to clothespins.
Photo credit: The Gunny Sack blog
Last, but certainly not least, keep the locker smelling fresh by hanging car air fresheners on the hooks in your locker.
I think your teen’s locker is ready for its close-up.
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