Bedrooms Just for Boys

A little boy with a big firefighting obsession can sleep easy in this room starring a wooden fire truck bed. The designer used solid light blue paint and coordinating wallpaper with a subtle firefighter pattern on the walls, providing a soft counterpart to the room's main color attraction: fire-engine red.

A vintage transportation theme is perfect for any little boy who loves cars and trucks, yet the sophisticated color palette and artwork possibilities are perfect for parents who don't want to redecorate two years down the road.

A custom-made alder platform bed fits snugly between bookshelves and a window and allows room for under-bed storage in this energetic boy's room. The duvet is sewn from khaki twill with topstitched decorative 2-inch stripes. Orange twill shams sport plaid-flannel flanges and initials applied with fabric paint.

Classic ticking fabric in blue and white stripes have added impact when combined with red. The sailboat theme is a natural for toddlers, yet the room can easily be updated to a more grown-up look in future years.

What to do when your preteen adores a sport? Instead of going all-out with a sports-themed room, create a grown-up space and add fun elements. Hockey stick art and a fanciful hockey wall mural have the look boys will love, but these items can be replaced easily as a boy's preferences change.

Red checks perk up the log bunk beds and appear elsewhere in the room on window treatments and cushions. A red tent offers plenty of opportunities for creative play, while the picnic table gives the boys a surface for games and crafts.

Boys will enjoy this pirate-themed room, complete with shiplike beds with their own masts and storage drawers "below deck."

Ship's hardware, yacht-themed fabric, and a built-in ship's bed provide plenty of opportunity for creative play and dreams of the sea. Red, white, and blue are the natural choices for this theme.

Start with a great color on the walls, add lots of textures in furnishings, then drop in cool materials and accessories for a room that will keep a young boy happy through his teen years. Rugby-shirt stripes and madras were the inspiration for this colorful space.

A solid-color wall is a great backdrop for a child's room. Here, a stars-and-stripes theme dominates, yet it could have easily been black racing stripes or yellow stars. Allow for a child's creativity by providing blackboards, personalized pillows, and tackboards.

Brothers share this bedroom; its crisp red, black, and white scheme is lively without seeming juvenile. Featuring an upholstered headboard with piping detail, the bed is one of a pair. Each bed includes a pull-out trundle for overnight guests.

A collection of 1940s calendar prints (of boys and dogs) from online auctions inspired the look of this boy's room. The warm, faded hues of the prints were the timeless colors used to create this rich room makeover for a young boy.

A once-dreary attic was finished into a bright space with the addition of dormers and drywall. A children's suite features handmade cypress beds and toy chests as well as upholstered headboards courtesy of Mom.

While shared spaces can be lots of fun, it is also wise to plan for privacy. This room features a divider fashioned from 2x4s, sheet metal, and panels of roofing plastic. On one side sit two vintage beds; on the other is an area for play, work, and fun.

A car theme gets a sophisticated update in this room. Black bunks, each with a book rack and wall lamp, include red blankets that relate to the room's highway wall art. In the carpeting, ribbons of roadway create fun places for play.

A favorite color -- blue -- appears in many shades and textures in this boy's room. For interest, two broad, shiny blue stripes run horizontally along the walls around the entire room. Pale blue softens the wall above while an area rug brings more blue to the floor.

The move from a crib to a bed often signals a big change in the decor of a child's room. Here, neutral walls and flooring create a background that will last for years. Bright red shows up on the bed, dresser, and accessories, while blue bedding signals a nautical theme.