If you’ve seen any of my home tour posts, you know that I have a very particular design style. Most of the rooms in my house rely heavily on neutral basics with strong contrast. I accessorize with modern farmhouse décor. I like to amp up texture through the use of metals, wood, natural fibers and assorted textiles. You might be surprised, then, if you were to take a glimpse into one of my favorite rooms in the house: our upstairs bonus room. We’ve opted to turn this space into a game room/den. We call it our “nest” (more on that in a minute), and it represents quite a departure from my typical design style. The room is themed for our “home” team, the Arizona Cardinals. Come with me to have a look at this space, and gather some awesome football man cave ideas while you’re here.
Football Man Cave Ideas | Theme
When we built the house, we knew we wanted our upstairs bonus room to function as a family-friendly hangout where we could settle in for football games, play a round of foosball or just gather at the table for a board game. Our mission was definitely accomplished in this room. Given our desire to make it a game room, theming the space to honor our favorite football team seemed like a no-brainer. This room goes to show that you can take the family out of Arizona, but you can’t take the Arizona out of the family. We lovingly refer to this room as our “nest”, a name well suited for a space where we gather to watch our Arizona Cardinals.
Football Man Cave Ideas | Entertainment
One of the pieces that anchors this space is our foosball table. We invested in an American Heritage foosball table because we wanted this thing to stand the test of time. So far, so good. It’s a heavy, solid wood piece of furniture that is every bit as fun as it is pretty.
Some of the most fun times we’ve had in this house have occurred around this table. On weekends and over holiday breaks we’ve been known to hold a tournament or two. Including this foosball table in our game room was one of the best decisions we made.
Football Man Cave Ideas | Decor
Another great decision for this space? We decided to do a chalkboard wall and it turned out to be a huge win. Not only does it add great contrast to the space, but it also serves as a whimsical element that we can change out as often as we want to. I was really hesitant to paint an entire wall with black chalkboard paint, but I’m so glad I went for it.
The chalkboard wall isn’t the only thing we painted in this room. Jeff and I also worked together to create a painted piece on the opposite wall. He built a wooden pallet and I first stenciled and then painted this Arizona Cardinals logo placed over an Arizona state flag background. It was definitely not the easiest thing we’ve ever done but we’re both super happy with the way it turned out.
Football Man Cave Ideas | Furniture
The leather sofa and recliner we’re using in this space are almost fifteen years old. That’s the best kind of leather furniture, isn’t it? It’s worn with age. You can see discoloration in some spots. But the leather is soft and supple. Both the sofa and recliner are still super comfy. I opted to use team colors to accessorize. The red and gray pillows help pull everything together. And I found a coordinating houndstooth blanket that works well in this space, too.
I found the perfect media cabinet from World Market. I love that it features gray washed wood together with metal and glass cabinet doors. The piece is a perfect fit for this room.
I found a coordinating pub table, also from World Market. It, too, is made from a combination of wood and gray metal. It’s the perfect spot to play a game of Scrabble or work a puzzle. The kids also get to eat dinner on this table during our weekly family date nights.
Also from World Market, I added some boho-inspired black and white floor cushions. They’re great for extra seating but mostly the kids like to lie around on them on the floor.
The corner beside the big screen tv needed some height and color. I added a couple of tiered rustic plant stands that I picked up from Hobby Lobby. Snake plants in a couple of boho baskets add great texture and visual interest.
Football Man Cave Ideas | Accessories
And how cute is this clock? I found it on Wayfair. I chose it because it reminds me of something you’d find in a football locker room. It even lights up.
My most favorite piece in the entire room is this framed art. I used Photoshop to create the art myself. And since I custom made it, I took the liberty of personalizing it a bit. Obviously, it’s meant to resemble a game ticket. What might not be so obvious is that I chose the date of our anniversary to insert as the fake game date. Also, the seating section and seat number represent our former street address from when we lived in Arizona. Isn’t that super fun?
We had the piece custom framed at Michael’s. The gray metal frame is a perfect match for the pub table.
We added a splash of Cardinals color to our bar cart as well. Black and red paper straws together with our lucky shot glass were the perfect way to accessorize this area.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this virtual visit to our nest. Do you have a man cave or a she shed in your house?
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I love it. Football season is almost upon us!
I’ve been meaning to ask you about your foosball table actually. Chris wants to get one for the kids for Christmas to add to our game room.
It was on the pricier side but we really love the quality of it and would buy the same brand in a heartbeat. They have several different styles to choose from.
Looks great! I love the personal touch you added to the framed piece.
Where did you get the NEST letters? Love these.