A Stylish Take on a Sports-Themed Teen Bedroom

A tween's love of the University of Notre Dame inspires a super-sized bedroom with tons of space to hang out surrounded by his favorite college and football team.

Outfitted in shades of gold and navy, the Notre Dame-inspired room is broken into zones: one for sleeping, and another for homework and studying. Rather than relying heavily on mascots and literal nods to the college and its football team, color is the main thematic element.

One of the most efficient and effective ways to translate an idea into a design is to focus on color. Navy is a neutral, so it worked best for the walls. The intensity of the yellow-golds is better suited for accents to give the room more flexibility over the years.

To avoid an overly gimmicky design, it's wise to introduce a few elements that throw the theme off — this keeps a room from looking matchy-matchy. For additional seating, a darkly stained bench was placed at the edge of the bed. The dark brown helps break up the otherwise blue and yellow tones of the room.

When outfitting children, tween and teen rooms with furniture, it's often better to choose long-term pieces that can grow with the kids. For this workstation, a midcentury modern desk with industrial lines was paired with a classic 1960s desk chair. This retro look appeals to kids. Should they grow tired of the design later on, the pieces can be used in other spaces as well.

If the room you are updating has wall-to-wall carpet, and you don't have the budget or time to replace it, try layering an oversized area rug on top of what's already there. The textural rug here helps carry the Notre Dame color palette from the walls down onto the floor.

In this room, some stadium seating similar to the kind at the University of Notre Dame was added as a nod to the tween's favorite college and team. Anytime you're putting together a space and want it to feel more lived-in and personal, try using a mix of new and old furniture.

When executing a space inspired by a theme or idea, always be sure to include elements that are not in the same style. For example, the tween's favorite sports gear — while not intentionally meant for decorating — helps keep the bedroom personalized to his own taste which avoids the possibility of the room feeling flat.

As you put together the design for a theme-inspired room, keep the thematic elements changeable — removable wallpaper, for example — and invest in more basic staple pieces. Here, the canopy bed adds a touch of gold to the otherwise navy space, but it's not necessarily tied only to working with a Notre Dame look.