Room of the Day: Sports Theme for a Game Room
When the owners of this Chevy Chase, Maryland, home told interior designer Stuart Nordin that they wanted their kids to make the decisions for a sports-themed game room, she was a little hesitant. “I had never worked with kids before,” she says. “But they really got into it, and they were very interested in the process. It turned out to be a great experience.” It made sense to have the kids involved, because the space is for them. It’s where they hang out with friends and family. It also made sense that they could work as team, given that athletics are a family tradition. “Their father played lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University,” Nordin says. “He was an all-star. The kids play lacrosse and hockey, and love the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Capitals. The whole family collects sports memorabilia, and we used it to decorate the space.” Note the “Rock the Red” message on the chalkboard.
The basement-level room is done in shades of red and blue against a neutral backdrop. The shades are taken from the colors of the kids’ favorite teams. Using this strategy, it would have been easy to make the space look like a sports bar. Nordin says the neutral colors are key to keeping the strong colors on an even keel.
The light-colored walls are also the backdrop for some prized sports memorabilia: The jersey over the mini table-tennis table is their father’s; that’s also his lacrosse stick over the media cabinet. The hockey stick is signed by a favorite player.
Since the kids use the room for many different activities (including watching television and playing board games), having seating that’s flexible is important. The beanbag chairs can easily be moved out of the way or lined up in front of the television.
Chairs: Newport Lounger, Serena & Lily; rug: Madeline Weinrib; media center: Pottery Barn; wall paint: Manchester Tan, Benjamin Moore
The ottoman has multiple uses — it can serve as extra seating or as a game table.
Nordin also had sports in mind when she selected the pillows. To her, the triangles looked like classic sports pennants.
Pillows: Studio Bon
BEFORE: Prior to the remodel, the room had remnants of the kids’ younger days. “There were a lot of toys they had outgrown,” Nordin says. “Their parents wanted them to have a room that was right for them now and later.”
To fully understand the space, you have to look at the adjacent powder room, where a custom stencil was used to cover the walls with an elegant pattern composed of crossed hockey and lacrosse sticks.
“We looked everywhere for a sports-themed wallpaper, and we couldn’t find anything that was right,” Nordin says. “We designed the pattern, and a decorative artist made a stencil and applied it to the wall.” The secret to making it tasteful? “Fine lines, scale and an artistic element,” the designer says. “It’s more soft and pretty than busy, and it’s easy to get busy with a sports theme.”
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