Team Spirit! ...In your home.

Forget the foam fingers, bright signs, and tacky team decor. Whether its you or your spouse that wants to adorn the house in team spirit, you can do it tastefully and while still upholding a respectable style by following these simple tips.

This room screams team in all the wrong ways.
Lets try to avoid this, shall we?

1. Be inspired by the colors rather than restrict yourself to them. Use small doses as accents against a more neutral palette. Or use one of the team's colors as your backdrop, but don't necessarily stick to their other color as you accent. Some team colors just don't translate well to home decor... sorry. But I promise your point will still come across.

2. Incorporate subtle accents into your existing space that represent either a team color, player, coach, or an ode to stadium. A throw blanket (or two) that represents one (or the second) color of the team can be easily worked into a room without throwing off any working color scheme. A framed photo of the coach, player, ticket, or stadium can be an accent on your bookshelf. A game ball, token from a game, or even a bobble head could work as a bookend. Coasters, picture frames, dish towels, or a single pillow can all be subtle nods to your favorite team. The idea is to use them thoughtfully and sparingly to keep the tribute subtle. Too many of these objects or too blatant of a display will make your room look like shrine.

These Crate & Barrel throws are a great
way to bring in your team's colors.  

This vintage ice bucket from To Hell in a Handbag Shop on Etsy
is a fun and subtle way to show your love of golf.

3. Adorn your walls with a images and objects of your team to create a gallery wall. This is a great way to contain the love by concentrating a large quantity of memorabilia into a controlled space. A gallery wall can be as small or as large as you want and can showcase your own photographs, others art or photos, game-day tickets, players cards, and great vintage items.

You can use both images and items to create a great gallery wall. 

Gallery walls work well in any place!

4. Simplify things... sometimes the mascot (or even a silhouette of it), the block letters of a name, or a team motto can make a bold impact. These are usually super easy to do yourself by printing out and framing or stenciling onto a plain pillow or blanket.

Go Bulldogs!
Silhouette pillow from ElsaBeta Shop on Etsy 

Letter Pillows from Jonathan Adler can easily be
 customized to represent your team's initials and color. 

So go ahead and invite your team into your home without compromising your home's style. And keep these additional tips in mind when shopping for and incorporating team spirit into your decor...

Vintage items are a great way to show your love for the team because people tend to "respect" vintage items over newer items. This work for you because they won't automatically pin you as a die-hard fan... and a tacky one at that. There are tons of vintage posters, postcards, souvenirs, or even vintage "how to play the game" books that you can use in your home (use them as a whole on your bookshelf or take out and frame individual pages). Check out local garage sales, antique shops, and online shops like Ebay and Etsy.

This great print from a 1940's dictionary would be an
awesome addition to a boxing fan's collection.
More sports available from Folie Dujour Shop on Etsy

Vintage John Elway Comic Book from Leftys Leftovers Shop on Etsy

Photographs are something else that people respond really well to, especially ones done in black and white. An old photo of you and your pop at the game or a new one of you and your buddies. Artistic shots of your stadium, a local bar that goes hand-in-hand with your game day tradition, or generic game or stadium shots can be a fantastic complement to team-specific shots. Look through your own photos and ask your friends, Etsy and other online sites are great for finding artistic photos.

Jessica Morgan's photo of Dodger Stadium

Photo of Busch Stadium by Gemini Complex on Etsy

This image of stadium seats could be a great "generic" image to
round out your own gallery wall or collection.
By HHHillaryyy on Etsy

Frame your items to make it look more thought out. Rather than tacking up a team photo to your wall or flag (al a my husband... and hanging these things crooked I must add) frame it, hang it straight, and add to it (thats right I said 'add to it') to make it into a gallery wall.

This collection of team pennants could have looked like a huge mess,
but grouped together and framed make a great impact on a space.

To sum it all up... Use your pieces thoughtfully and sparingly to create a tasteful tribute to your team, and let the colors inspire you rather than dictate you. Remember, you can still represent the team while also representing stylish interiors.

Go team!

Ellenor