Their son was about to turn 13 years old and he had been using the same bedroom furniture since he was born. It was time for a room remodel but it had to be special, not just any room remodel. Their son has been an avid Portal fan since the introduction of the award-winning game in 2007. Over the years, the boy had acquired many toys, shirts ,and accessories that represent his love of the game Portal. If you’re not familiar with this 2008 Game Of The Year winner, then let me give you a quick outline. Portal was first introduced in 2007 as a puzzle solving game. You have to use your creativity and puzzle solving skills to make it through levels by using portals. You can place portals on any flat surface to move you through different walls and platforms. You can place these portals almost anywhere using your portal gun. The game had a huge success leading to a part 2. It won Game Of The Year in 2008 and received rave reviews around the world. When it came time to remodel their son’s room, they knew they had to give him a Portal themed room and that it needed to be worthy of the games biggest fans standards.
It all started with the demolition. This was a very emotional part of the process because this furniture was built by grandpa and dad almost 15 years ago. It was emotional because there was no way to repurpose the furniture and it also meant that his little boy was now a teenager. That being said, no 13-year-old boy wants a room designed and decorated for a little kid so this was a welcome change.
The bedroom was previously a dark blue. They were going to change the color to a light gray paint. The dark blue would definitely show through so a thick coat of primer was needed to start.
The rooms in the game are very futuristic looking, much like you would imagine a futuristic space station to look. He grabbed a bunch of images online and began his design by taping off a grid for the “panels” that cover the walls in the game. This was a little difficult with textured walls but the small seepage actually added to the look.
After the panel grid was painted, the lights for the door triggers needed to be painted. This had to be done by hand and there are 255 of them in the bedroom. Talk about tedious!
They had some furniture but it needed a matching paint job. The surface was previously very glossy and the paint department told them that a primer/paint all in one would do the trick. They found that after 3 coats, a lot of chipped paint and touch up that it would be worth the time to sand, use a good primer and then paint. Moral of the story don’t always listen to the guy behind the counter.
The heavy stuff was wrapped up and now he was excited to get started on the fun stuff! He took a screenshot of the different designs over the doors and entrances in the game. He then traced them and applied the lines to the closet and the bedroom doors. These were then painted freehand.
One of the coolest features of the bedroom is the lighting. The fan was replaced with a three bulb fixture. Each bulb is a smart LED lamp that can be controlled with a smart phone. The LED lights can change color individually or as a group. This provides the perfect atmosphere for Portal’s Aperture Laboratories.
The next part was a difficult illusion to achieve. He wanted to create some portals for his son but being that it’s only 2019 and real ones won’t come around in the near future, he had to create his own. He purchased some oval mirrors and some rope light. With a little ingenuity and creativity he created some super realistic looking portals.
The pièce de résistance! The portals turned out way better than expected.
Disclaimer:
“Warning: Portals are just an illusion. Any head injuries sustained while attempting to dive through illusory portals should be reported to testing personnel immediately.”
In the game, your entry portal is blue and your exit portal is orange. Using two different rope lights, the effect was pulled off flawlessly.
With the lights in the room off, the illusion that the portals create is pretty awesome looking.
He found some awesome Portal themed book ends online that just had to be used.
They even created a “companion cube” that helps you through certain areas of the game.
This is a turret as featured in the game. It houses two machine guns and can make for a very bad day. It sure makes for an awesome wall decal though!
A futuristic handmade sleeping pod fits perfectly in this DIY Portal themed bedroom.
He followed the details of the game perfectly. His son is going to be incredibly impressed.
This kid is never going to get his homework done. He will be solving missions for the next few years I’m guessing.
Wearing a Portal t-shirt, you can tell this kid is a fan. The look on his face is priceless and says it all. I think he’s happy with his newly decorated bedroom.
Video game fan or not, this DIY Portal themed bedroom is seriously awesome. I didn’t expect the results to turn out as good as they did. With a few accessories purchased on ThinkGeek.com, this Portal themed room is perfect. I’m sure this young gamer is more than thrilled with his new digs. I know I would be at that age, hell I would be at my age now. Good job Mom and Dad! You guys gave your kid something he will remember for the rest of his life and enjoy for years to come. At least until the girlfriends start coming over.