Blending Sports and Sophistication
How to Blend Sports with Sophisticated Decor in the Home
Jul 6, 2007
Men and sports are like fish and water. They go together like peas and carrots and just love to have their sports memorabilia hanging high and proud. Then again sometimes it’s the wife as well! Whether it’s the Georgia Bulldogs, New England Patriots or Philadelphia Flyers, the posters, flags and autographed items apparently need to be displayed all the time. However, if the couple wants to have a sophisticated looking home as well this can be quite a conflict of decorating style. But never fear; there is a way to mesh sports items with a sophisticated home.
Sports memorabilia and a “grown-up” house can co-exist. The first thing that needs to be done is purge through the collection that has been built up. What can be put away in a safe place, what can be put up on a wall or shelf, what can be tossed, or what can be donated?
Once the purging is done it’s time to see what’s left that can be displayed. The posters and pictures can be framed to make them classier and the balls, pucks, bats, etc can be encased. Many sports or memorabilia stores sell clear plastic cases which encase the particular item and will not only protect the item but make it look more organized and put together.
The next step is deciding where to put the sports stuff. If there is a study or a spare/game room then that would be the perfect place. However the items should not just be placed anywhere or it will look like a hodgepodge of stuff and defeat the purpose of framing. Group like sports together, put all autographed stuff on a few floating shelves, black and white pictures on two walls and colored posters on others.
If a room like that is not available then sporadically place items around the house. For example, a framed black and white baseball picture might look nice over the sofa in the living room or in a guest bedroom.
If the memorabilia is going in the study paint the color of the walls something sophisticated. Maybe a charcoal color or a dark toffee. When the sports stuff goes on top of the color the pictures will hang on a nice base color. The framed pictures and show cases will look great up against a strong color.
If people want to show their pride but don’t want a lot of stuff on the walls there are small ways to incorporate it into the household. Maybe a throw blanket with the mascot on it, a mouse pad for the computer, a snow globe knick knack that plays the fight song, etc.
If there is someone around who is artsy then the following will work great or might even be fun for a summer project. Take a coffee table, something that’s already around or buy one from a thrift store or discount shop. Once it’s sanded and painted someone can paint the mascot or sports emblem. Paint the table to look like a football field or basketball court, paint a baseball diamond on it, or just a baseball. Put this in the guest room or study/office.
There are ways to show dedication to a team without the house looking like a college dorm or bachelor pad!
