Children are known for their vivid imaginations. They are constantly inventing imaginary friends and coming up with elaborate, fabricated tales - and that's perfectly healthy. In fact, parents are often told to encourage their kids' imagination and creativity. After all, if we can't be dreamers when we're kids, when can we be?
And doting dad Derick Winsett went above and beyond to spark his five-year-old son Maverick's imagination by building him a Star Wars-themed bedroom. The 30-year-old from Oklahoma City made his Star Wars-loving son's dreams come true by building a Millennium Falcon bed all so he could sleep in a galaxy far, far away.
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
Maverick is a huge fan of The Last Jedi, and Winsett knew it would put a big smile on his little face. Winsett also felt that it would give his son more of a push to sleep in his own bedroom.
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
"My wife, Kendra, had wanted to create a theme for Maverick's room and I thought Star Wars would be a fun project," he explained. "I took my son to watch The Last Jedi and he fell in love with Star Wars. He is sleeping in his own bed for the first time now."
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
"Two nights in a row he has raced to go to his own bed. One down, one to go; guess I need to start on my daughter’s bedroom."
And luckily for us, he took a series of photos showing off his painstaking efforts and they are absolutely phenomenal.
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
Hanging from the ceiling is a sleeping pod in the style of a Millennium Falcon - a fictional starship in the Star Wars franchise. The sleeping pod doesn't just look incredible on the outside (scroll down to see it constructed to fruition), it also has everything any Star Wars fan could ever need on in the inside.
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
Indeed, the pod - constructed five feet from the floor - contains a double bed, television, NERF guns, and lightsabers. In terms of its interior, it is about four feet tall, 10 feet long and five feet wide. Included in the pod are colour-changing lights and a fan in case it gets too stuffy.
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
For practicality reasons - and having taken the size of the bedroom into consideration - Winsett decided to construct just one part of the starship. It was then bolted to the ceiling joists and positioned next to a space-themed mural created by Erik Hollander Designs and installed by Silsby Media.
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
Since the mural takes up a substantial part of the wall, it gives the impression that the "spaceship" is emerging from the wall and ready to take off.
"My son had many reactions throughout the build," Winsett added. "The funniest reaction being when I painted the bed from a clean grey to a weathered finish."
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
"He didn't like it all and said it looked like poop. Kids' reactions are priceless; however, in the end, he loved the finished product."
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
"My wife and I wanted to create an atmosphere that would spark our kids' imaginations and creativity. In addition, we wanted a design that would maximise his area for activities."
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
"The best reactions are on the internet. The number of people who are my age and older that want the bed in their room is hilarious, but I can relate."
Credit: Derick Winsett / Mediadrumworld.com
Clearly, there are plenty of Star Wars fans who would love to have a bedroom just like this one. Maverick is one lucky kid!