Americans love their sports teams, and no time of year is more sports-focused than October: the World Series, football in full swing, hockey season beginning and, in nonstrike years at least, basketball only weeks away.
In homes across the country, that often translates to watching sports on TV in a family room or living room, sometimes decorated to celebrate a favorite team.
Hardcore fans can go all out: In just a few moments of online shopping, you can find anything from Ohio State Buckeyes draperies and Dallas Mavericks lamps to an $800 Pittsburgh Steelers sofa.
Fun, yes, but potentially tacky. Is it possible to decorate with a sports team in mind and still keep a room looking stylish?
Of course, says interior designer Betsy Burnham of Burnham Design, in Los Angeles. “But you want to stay on the right side of crazy.”
She and two other interior designers — Robert Novogratz, co-star of the HGTV series “Home by Novogratz,” and Brian Patrick Flynn, founder of decordemon.com — offer advice on doing sports-themed decorating right.
Go vintage: All three designers suggest emphasizing vintage items. “Think classic,” Burnham says. “Vintage felt pennants. Tweeds, corduroy. It’s that preppy, old-school style, not new shiny stuff. It’s the stuff from your team’s history.”
Novogratz agrees. Go for deliberate kitsch, he says, like an old football helmet lamp made in the ’60s or ’70s. Also consider the memorabilia, toys or cards available today, and then hunt for vintage versions online.
Choose colors carefully: Flynn suggest going with a palette that complements your favorite team’s colors. During the sports season, the homeowner can bring in accent pieces — from pillows and throw blankets to serving dishes and glassware — in team colors without clashing with the room.
Burnham takes a different approach: Decorate your TV room with just one of the team’s colors to “give a nod” to the team without going overboard.
And to keep from over-saturating the room with color, Novogratz suggests decorating the walls with black-and-white photographs of classic moments in team history.
Find sporty details: For a subtle sports-themed touch, Flynn likes to use upholstery with the thick stitching you find on a football or the zigzag stitching on the seams of a baseball.
Another great detail: Flynn suggests using iron-on varsity letters (available at craft stores or online) to decorate pillows or blankets. That lends a hint of athletic style without being heavy-handed.
Team-related paraphernalia can make a family room look more like a stadium gift shop.
Burnham suggests displaying only a few favorites, rotating your collection a few times a year. Or put an entire group of items together in a single cabinet.
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