My Son’s Zelda Nursery
Be sure to change the settings to watch in HD.
This is what has been keeping me busy for the past 3 months. As soon as I found out we were having a child, I knew I wanted their room to inspire adventure, creativity, and exploration. Having a place to like that to grow up in would be amazing!
When I was a boy, the Legend of Zelda series embodied those values for me, and the beautiful cel-shaded art style from Wind Waker/Spirit Tracks seemed to be the perfect fit for a young hero’s room.
My awesome friend Wes – who did the Yoshi’s Island nursery for his daughter – made all this possible. I was able to tell him my vision for the room, and he took it out of my brain and put it on the wall… exactly as I imagined it. The amazing art that you see is his, he sketched all of it on the wall freehand! He also did the painting save for base coats, some under layers, and the clouds.
I’ll never be able to properly thank him. In total, we spent over 150 hours on the room over the course of 3 months. It feels good to be finished.
In truth, I wanted to grow up in this room. I will enjoy it as much as my son will, maybe even more. I can’t wait to rock him to sleep, telling him stories of heroes and adventure while looking at these walls.
Soon, little man. Our house and hearts are prepared for you.
click image for HD video
About Cole Bradburn
I'm a writer and doctor in lifelong pursuit of health, happiness, and adventure. I currently live in Raleigh, NC with the love of my life and our amazing boys.
Many thanks to you and Casey for putting up with me for that long! I was more than happy to do it and I am super stoked that it turned out as well as it did. I hope it provides lil’ Bradburn with much enjoyment! 😀
It was great to have an quasi-temporary roommate. How else would I have gotten to listen to all that 90’s alternative and talk about super hero movies?
He’ll love it, I just have a feeling…
what kind of paint did you all use? I ve been planning on doing a wall painting in my daughters room for a while. nice job, guys. thats a room i would also love to grow up in.
We used Behr (Home Depot) for the base layers of blue, and then used Liquitex Basics acrylic paint for everything else – http://www.liquitex.com/basicsvaluecolor/
I love this room! Wesley has excelled himself and you have come up with a really great idea!
Thank you!
Soo cool!! That is really creative!! I think that is really inspiring and exciting. Well done!!!!!
Thanks 😉 Now you know why I haven’t been writing as much as I would normally. We were in crunch time, baby could arrive any day!
Sounds like it’s time to put up the Bat Signal for some guest posts!! 🙂 (My buddy Tor Constantino is in the same boat as you with a baby on the way so he has a bunch of guest posters lined up in his absence.) So excited for you!!
This. Is. Amazing. What an amazing concept and idea. Talk about welcoming him into a world of wonder and adventure.
Thanks Todd, knew you’d like the theme 😉
Found this via Kotaku and I must say that it is really awesome. Nice job on all of the artwork. One quick question, the Hylian text on the Master Sword’s pedestal…To the best of my ability to read it – “ku se chi chi se ka te | ki he ka ke ki a he te” (クセチチセカテ|キヘカケキアヘテ). Any special meaning to that? I can’t quite make sense of it.
Wow, you are the first one to notice that! Have you seen how many of the Zelda games use a different hylian alphabet? What is painted in the pedestal is does have special importance, and it is using a Hylian alphabet correctly from one of the games.
Thanks for the kind words!
It isn’t written in Japanese I can tell u that 🙂
It’s written in the ancient Hylain from the Wind Waker game.
This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
Thank you Kevin, and you’ve seen some pretty cool things (I know, I read you Friday Funhouses).
” As soon as I found out we were having a boy I knew I wanted his room to inspire adventure, creativity, and exploration. Having a place to like that to grow up in would be amazing!”
I don’t want to be a dick or anything, but why does it matter that it’s a boy? Girls can love adventure, creativity, and exploration as well.
Yeah, I may have not worded that right. My wife and I had already decided on those three values once we found out we were pregnant (before we knew gender). If it was a girl I think I would have used a different theme to convey them instead of a train and ship.
Why not have a train and a ship? Girls can like those things too, not just castles and ponies and pretty princesses.
Well I considered a castle and a pony (Epona) for the boy 😉
I’m not saying that girls don’t like that stuff, I just would have centered the theme more around Zelda (or her pirate alter ego Tetra) rather than Link.
I love this so much! We are naming our son (due in the next few weeks) Lincoln and calling him Link – so we understand the awe & sense of adventure The Legend of Zelda inspires. At first I wondered why you picked Spirit Tracks & Wind Waker…while they are great, they are not my favorites. But I can see why they would be more geared towards a younger child. This is amazing and I know your son will just love this nursery – who can’t fall in love with TLOZ?
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, it’s awesome to know a little Link is coming into the world! Congratulations!
We did pick those titles due to the fact it would be for a younger child (and we love the ocean). I enjoyed them, but Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, and Skyward Sword are my favorites.
Wow…that’s simply awesome!
Haha, thanks Marvin. Speaking of adventures, how is yours going?
Cole…it’s going well! We’re wrapping up here in SE Asia, to head to the World Domination Summit in Portland next weekend. So happy for you and Casey!
Love it! I heard the Zelda music in my head before the video even started, great job! (you are going to go viral with Steve/Nerd Fitness promoting you:)
Haha, thanks! The music in Zelda is such an integral part to the masterpiece. Working on a playlist for baby now.
How awesome!! What a successful project that came together and a work of love! He will love it!
Thank you Pam!
Your son will be contianed by a legend 🙂 like Link, like his father, it’s great that you can keep that imagination for your child, specially for mutual happiness and love for Zelda btw, he will totally love it, and he can be proud, having such an amazing artist and father.
Well done Cole!
Thanks Fedde!
This is so awesome!! I’m totally jealous of your baby. The Wind Waker is my all-time favorite Zelda game. Zelda isn’t something that is often used for this kind of purpose so kudos to you for being original! And I definitely agree that the Zelda series is perfect for capturing the spirit of adventure and imagination that you hope to inspire in your child. I hope he loves it. I know I would!
Thanks James. We were really trying for something unique, inspiring, and fun all at the same time. It was also important that the room be bright and inviting. Like you, I would have loved to have this as a child! Thanks for stopping by to leave your thoughts.
That’s really awesome. Adventure, creativity, and exploration are the best values to instill in a child!
I agree! Thanks for stopping by and commenting
I cant believe you did this. This is probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. What a lucky little boy he is!!!!!! Can’t wait to meet him!
Thanks Nasha! We will have to get together again when we are home at Christmas.