Blue and Red Boy's Bedroom

A spare bedroom is remodeled into a 6-year-old boy's bedroom packed with action figures, playful colors and clever storage.

By: Brian Patrick Flynn

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Photo By: Brian Patrick Flynn

Before: Dark and Dismal

Prior to the makeover of this 6-year-old boy's bedroom, the space lacked architectural interest, color and proper lighting.

After: Packed With Childhood Charm

Jason Moore worked with a designer to turn son Dylan's Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fla., bedroom into a sleep, play and study space packed with heirlooms from Jason's own 1980s childhood.

Playful Color Scheme

Set on using a classic American color scheme, Jason and wife Christina opted for navy and white on Dylan's walls, and fire-engine red for the interiors of the closet.

Grab-and-Go Storage

Although the main space of Dylan's bedroom is dedicated to displaying his favorite toys and heirlooms from his dad and grandfather, the closet is fully organized. Bins hold items too big to fit into the dresser or too seldom used to remain out at all times.

Vertical Organization

In order to maximize Dylan's closet, Jason and Christina added organizers, including a hanging canvas shelf system, to house stuffed animals and sports gear.

Pendant Lighting

The messiest task involved with the design of Dylan's bedroom was adding electrical to the plaster ceiling. Once the junction box was installed and all dust was removed, Jason had his contractor install a fabric-covered pendant that adds diffused light to the space, making it more functional for Dylan at night.

Multipurpose Loft Bed

Focused on using every inch of space in Dylan's bedroom, dad Jason added a loft bed along the entry wall. The space above is used for sleeping while the area below is for studying, reading or lounging.

Star Wars Collection

Dylan is as much of a Star Wars fan today as Jason was in the early 1980s. To pay tribute to something they both love equally, a photographer took professional images of Jason's old Star Wars figures against a gray backdrop, printed them in black-and-white, placed them in red glossy frames and hung them as an installation.

Roaming Gnome

Tucked below Dylan's loft bed is a molded resin gnome occasional table. The table's surface space gives extra room for snacks, books and toys, while its molded-resin finish ensures that a wet paper towel is all that's needed to clean up spills.

Recycled T-Shirt

Instead of keeping his old 1980s graphic T-shirts of things like the Smurfs and the Muppets gathering dust in boxes or bins, they were made into throw pillows. Now Dylan is surrounded with many of the things his dad loved as a kid.

Home Is Where the Art Is

The biggest splurge in Dylan’s room is an original art piece by Aaron Foster, a Colorado-based artist who creates one-of-a-kind sculptures from recycled vintage license plates. By investing in something Jason and Christina love as much as Dylan does, they've ensured the artwork will be enjoyed now and for years to come. As the home's decor evolves over the years, the art can be moved to other areas of the house for the entire family to enjoy.

Lined in Style

When choosing proper storage pieces, Jason opted for an oversized nine-drawer dresser to house Dylan’s clothes as well as his most frequently used games and books. The yellow-and-white lining of the drawers adds an element of surprise to the interiors.

Red-and-White Hardware

Focused on saving money wherever possible in order to splurge on things like art, lighting and custom window coverings, Jason opted for a ready-made pine dresser he bought for $279 and assembled himself. To give the piece a more designer-grade look, he added glossy resin knobs to the drawer fronts that sport two of the room's accent colors, white and red.

Bobblehead Display

A friend of Jason's brought Dylan an entire collection of superhero bobbleheads during a recent visit. To keep them on display and within arm's reach, Jason had glossy white and red modern shelves installed.

Clever Floor Planning

When space planning Dylan's room, dad Jason and mom Christina placed the loft bed along the entry wall so they are able to peek in and turn off the lights at night once Dylan has fallen asleep.

Homework Station

As Dylan grows up he's likely to spend more time in his room on weekday afternoons doing homework. Determined to spend money wisely, Jason and Christina bucked the trend of buying a kid-sized desk and chair. Instead they chose a classic, modern molded plastic chair and a red-lacquered Parsons desk that Dylan will appreciate as much during his tween and teen years as he does now at age six.

Boyish Deer Head

For classic, masculine flair, Jason added a bit of taxidermy to Dylan's room, albeit an animal-friendly one. This buck head is made of reclaimed sticks and branches.

Transformer Flair

As the saying goes, "Everything old is new again." At a friend's request, Jason had a photograph taken of a 1980s Transformer figure he had as a kid, printed it, then framed it as a work of art to place near Dylan's homework area.

Gingham Window Treatments

Jason and Christina decided to splurge on custom window treatments since the harsh UV rays of the Florida sun drastically heat up Dylan's room in the afternoon. The windows are dressed up in a designer-caliber fashion by Roman shades fabricated with thermal lining, which also keep the room temperature-controlled throughout the day.

Personalized Puzzle

Seeking to personalize Dylan's room as much as possible, Jason and Christina had a piece of his school artwork turned into a puzzle by scanning it and uploading it to Puzzle You, where it was printed out as a fully functional jigsaw puzzle.

Spider-Man Art

With Spider-Man currently serving as Dylan's favorite superhero, Jason was quick to ensure the comic book icon's inclusion in the room's decor. A photograph of Dylan's toys in front of a white backdrop was professionally printed on glossy art paper. Jason opted for a ready-made, big-box-store frame to keep the overall price in check with the rest of the budget.