In Alabama, where I live, sports — especially college soccer — are king. Nearly every conversation eventually turns to the way (insert team here) appears at spring training, or how they will fare in the upcoming season, or the way they blew it at the big game last weekend. Therefore it goes without saying that folks here aren’t shy about putting their fandom on screen in your home, inside and outside.
From mailboxes to door wreaths and bookcase bric-a-brac to media rooms, team colors, logos, mascots and mementos feature prominently in my local decor. However, as faithful as I am to my alma mater, I don’t think I could bring myself to put my lover equipment out for public viewing. Rather, I’d take a subtler approach: team-appropriate colour combinations that don’t sacrifice style for spirit. It’s fine to take a few liberties with the palette you won’t get a stern letter from the alumni affairs office should you stray somewhat from the official college hues.
Take a look at the distances below for ideas on the best way best to pull off this particular tactic. I couldn’t feature every faculty team from the U.S. on the market, of course, so to narrow down it, I went together with the top 10 as chosen by ESPN in its annual Power Rankings. In case you have a chic space decorated in the colors of your own favorite group, post a photograph in the Opinions section — we would love to see it!
Rikki Snyder
1. University of Southern California Trojans: Cardinal and Gold
Warm, cheerful and lively, gold and red create natural decorating partners. In this cozy area, red tones from the carpet, pillows and other accents help ground those gorgeous, luminous yellow walls.
Tom Meaney Architect, AIA
With vivid reddish wicker furnishings along with a gold and red checkerboard floor, this terrace sizzles in the sun.
Throwing a football party? Think beyond helmet-shaped chip bowls and group pennants. Rather, cloak the table with sophisticated linens and fresh blossoms from the colors of the big event.
Amber Flooring
2. Louisiana State University Tigers: Purple and Gold
Purple and yellow tones lie opposite each other on the colour wheel, so these two colors create a gorgeous contrast in tandem. A plum-colored wall along with a muted gold column spark this tranquil space.
FOCAL POINT STYLING
Stylish lamps with golden yellow foundations and sheer, muted purple shades deliver a more subtle message in your fandom compared to a giant foam finger.
Momoko Morton
Powerful and punchy, this kitchen is just fun. Repeating the island hue on the bottom of the purple cabinetry can help to connect the 2 components and prevents the kitchen from feeling choppy.
Peg Berens Interior Design LLC
3. Alabama Crimson Tide: Crimson and White
Crimson kitchen cabinets — any daring cabinets, for that matter — are a big commitment. However, if you are a diehard lover or simply in love with the way this rich, hot color enhances a kitchen, then they can create significant drama. A healthy dose of white at the furniture can help to cut their strong impact.
Crimson Design Group
Svelte crimson bar stools add a classy note to a neutral area.
These bright, happy crib sheets create a refreshing change of pace from nursery pastels. (Bonus spirit points such as the elephant theme.)
Vanessa De Vargas
4. Oklahoma Sooners: Crimson and Cream
Here is our second crimson contender, this time enriched even further by warm cream. A reddish birdcage-style light fixture provides just the right focal point to a very simple space.
Visual echoes are among the keys to color victory, and red accents layer together beautifully in this living room vignette.
Timeless Architecture
Willing to take your spirit outside? Forget the giant mascot flag mounted from the front porch; rather, dab your team colors across your entire residence. Of course, this is easy if you’re lucky enough to have colors that work naturally together on an exterior — it is a little trickier with, say, orange and purple (sorry, Clemson fans).
Caitlin Creer Interior Design
5. Oregon Ducks: Green and Yellow
The Ducks are known almost as much for their parade of eye-popping uniforms because of their fireworks on the field. Luckily, you can combine these two colors at a far more sophisticated way. Emerald greens along with a yellow that goes one particular shade beyond lemon give this space a vibrant and fresh yet mannerly atmosphere.
Leslie Lundgren Design
Green velvet is an appealingly unexpected selection with this particular pair of bérgères. Combined with the electrical yellow wall, it modernizes a decidedly traditional room.
Rikki Snyder
This room is about the greens — that the yellowish art on the wall is merely a supporting player. Nevertheless it somehow brings the entire scheme.
decordemon
6. Georgia Bulldogs: Red and Black
Red and black is among the most striking, classic colour combinations on the spectrum, and I’m not just saying that since I’m a University of Georgia alum. A tight red and black palette joins together the disparate elements in this endearingly funky dining room, and whitened lightens the whole package up.
Fougeron Architecture FAIA
When you really take a look at this area, it is basically neutral — the red and black are restricted only to a little slice of the space. Nevertheless their intensity makes the plot read as red and black.
decordemon
As befits this glamorous Hollywood Regency area, a voluptuous red mirror steals the show amid a sea of black.
Cecilia Staniec
7. Florida State Seminoles: Garnet and Gold
These two colors may not be the first you would think of pairing indoors, but they really complement each other very well and create a warm, gentle impact. Quite subtle gold walls in this bedroom form a quiet backdrop for the garnet accent wall, which helps to cozy up the space.
Erika Bierman Photography
Garnet draperies provide this bedroom an amazing feel. Dark curtains can feel oppressive at a material such as velvet or corduroy, so maintaining them sheer helps to enhance their own intensity.
Kendall Wilkinson Design
Otherwise to the palette, this living room would feel ultratraditional and comfortable. Brighter shades of golden and deep red give it a sassy, fresh spin.
Darci Goodman Design
8. Michigan Wolverines: Maize and Blue
It’s tough to go wrong with blue and yellow in any form. The happy color combo, and the Roman shade and the bow-tied seat cushions, give this dining area a French country-meets-coastal vibe.
1 bright element frequently is all you need to balance a dark area. This striking yellow chaise rises to the challenge admirably.
Grace Home Design
Zany zigzags, a mod oil seat, an asymmetrical coffee table … could this chamber be any more entertaining? Mod furniture and accents help to earn a classic colour palette feel fresh all over again.
Carolyn Miller Interiors
9. West Virginia Mountaineers: Gold and Blue
Here is a brighter, more luxurious spin on the blue and yellow pairing. Rich royal blue seats and walls are alive when paired with gold-tone lighting and artwork.
Tracy Murdock Allied ASID
Modern golden armchairs and a tufted blue ottoman make an oasis of colour in this transitional bedroom.
Susan E. Brown Interior Design
Color junkies will be over this brilliant bathroom. Blue countertops, golden yellow walls and intricate tilework give it a Mediterranean flair.
Rachel Reider Interiors
10. South Carolina Gamecocks: Garnet and Black
Whereas garnet and golden feel as a layer of fall leaves, garnet and black may be a bit edgier. The rusty orange seat pillow adds yet another dimension that keeps the scheme from feeling flat.
John Lum Architecture, Inc.. AIA
A textured garnet island foundation and black countertops anchor this romantic kitchen.
SEE MATERIALS INC..
I can not decide what creates the most drama in this bathroom: the deep reddish vanity, the stunning black accents, the wall tile detailing or the asymmetrical placement of the sink and mirror. It’s a stunner all the way around.