How to decorate a sports-themed room

No matter what types of athletics take center stage in your home and family, these ideas for decorating a kid's room will give your sports-centric child a happy haven of a bedroom that represents their most beloved activities.

Decorate with paint and borders

One of the easiest way to infuse your child's room with a sports feel is by painting the walls with the colors that represent their favorite teams, like purple and yellow for Minnesota Vikings football, blue and white for the Penn State Nittany Lions, or simple brown and orange for kids who love basketball.

To assist with the painting, adhere a paper border (or even a border made of team pennants) at chair-rail height or where the ceiling meets the wall for a quick, easy, inexpensive way to show team spirit, says DeAnna Radaj, lifestyle design consultant and owner of Bante Design LLC. "You can paint the darker of the colors below the border and the lighter color above," Radaj suggests. Also consider painting the ceiling for an unexpected twist, or do an accent wall in the "brighter" of the team colors with the other three walls sporting the lighter shade.

For the truly die-hard sports fan and ambitious decorator, Radaj says, "Use a stencil or 3D projector and trace out the silhouette of a player on a wall and then paint it, effectively creating a mural. This is a little more time-intensive, but the effect is awesome!"

Highlight your jock's accomplishments

If your child is an athlete themselves and not just the fan of a team or sport, "Use shelving to display collectibles, trophies, and other paraphernalia—it's the perfect way to decorate the room," says Radaj. Bonus: This kind of vertical "storage" will help keep your kid's room organized, allow them to enjoy their achievements, and the displays can be changed out easily whenever hobbies or aesthetics shift.

Dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders, oh my!

Girls are athletes, too, especially dancers, gymnasts, and cheerleaders. To give these super-strong ladies all the support they need to pursue their chosen endeavors, install rubber flooring in the bedroom. "It's a great sound absorber, easy on the feet, helps keep the room at a nice temperature, is easy to maintain, and is good for practicing and rehearsing moves," says Radaj.

Decorating accents for a sports room

If you're looking for little ways to represent basketball, tennis, baseball, soccer, snowboarding, or beyond, decorate your kid's room with some easily interchangeable accents. "Pillows or area rugs in the shape of the sport—a football pillow, a race car rug—or team logo/mascot is a great way to decorate," says Radaj. "Hardware in the shape of the beloved sport for drawer or desk pulls is also an easy and quick update."

Storage for a kid's sports room

With sports comes lots of gear, and your child's room will need to be equipped with places to store everything. Again, use vertical space and place plenty of hooks around the room to hang up jerseys, cleats, or equipment, says Radaj. She also suggests multi-use ottomans, which make great seating solutions for a kid's room and hide things in a pinch. Or consider a steel, multi-hued dresser for a unique touch—nothing says "athlete" like a locker… hopefully this one will remain free of the locker room scent!

More decorating tips and trends

• Trends and decoration ideas for boys' rooms
• Trends and decoration ideas for girls' rooms
• Transition your playroom from toddler to teen