Sports Theme Bedroom: Boy's Locker Room

If your child is a sports fan, a locker room sports theme bedroom is the perfect spot for post-game relaxation. You can create this theme for very little money.

Have a budding sports star on your hands? Turn his bedroom into a locker room, and he'll have the perfect spot for some post-game relaxation.

Bedding
Every sports enthusiast has a favorite team, and your son is likely no exception. Use that as a jumping-off point for the room. Purchase a solid-colored comforter in one of his team's colors, then cut his favorite player's numbers out of contrasting fabric and stitch the numbers onto the comforter. Not handy with needle and thread? Take the comforter to a monogram shop and have the numbers embroidered.

Here's a fun project to get your child involved with the creative process:

Jersey Throw Pillows
What you'll need:

• Old sports T-shirts
• A sewing machine
• Thread
• Needle
• Scissors
• Pins
• Old throw pillows or pillow forms

Directions:

1. Gather up several old sports T-shirts from your son's closet or a thrift store. Numbered jerseys work great.
    
2. Lay the first T-shirt out on your work surface and place the pillow on top of it.
    
3. Cut the fabric so that it's an inch bigger than the pillow all the way around.
    
4. Flip the fabric so that the good sides are facing in, and pin them together.
    
5. Use a sewing machine to stitch around the edges, leaving a few inches open on one side.
    
6. Turn the fabric right side out and stuff the pillow inside.
    
7. Stitch up the opening with needle and thread, and your first pillow is complete.
    
8. Repeat with your remaining pillows.

Walls
Keep the walls simple by painting them light blue or another calming color. Then add a special touch by painting a basketball goal on one of the walls. If you attach a real hoop to the goal and place a laundry hamper underneath it, you may even be able to get your child to pick up his dirty laundry.

Window Treatment
Creating a themed window treatment for a boy's locker room couldn't be easier. Just pick up several team pennants, all for one team or for a variety of teams, and attach them above the window with push pins.

Solid-colored curtains can also be added to the treatment, if more privacy is desired.

Furniture
Give the existing dresser a quick makeover with sports-themed knobs (balls, gloves, bats, etc.), or pick up some decoupage supplies and go for a complete makeover.

Decoupage Dresser
What you'll need:

• Decoupage medium
• A paint brush
• Paint
• Sports cutouts (balls, players, etc.)

Directions:

1. Paint the dresser in his favorite team's colors and allow it to dry.
    
2. Cut out pictures of sports-related items. Use wrapping paper for pictures of sports equipment or magazines for pictures of his favorite team and players.
    
3. Apply a coat of decoupage medium to the back of the first cutout and affix it to the dresser.
    
4. Apply another coat of decoupage medium to the front of the cutout.
    
5. Repeat with all of the remaining images.
    
6. Once dry, apply another coat of decoupage.
    
7. Allow everything to dry again, then apply a third and final coat.

Floor
Football, baseball, basketball-pick your little guy's favorite sport and create a rug that highlights his interests.

Sisal Sports Rug
What you'll need:

• A plain sisal rug
• Acrylic paint
• A paintbrush
• A large sports-themed stencil (baseball, basketball, football, etc.)
• Cardboard

Directions:

1. Lay the rug out on your work surface with a piece of cardboard underneath.
    
2. Center your stencil on the rug and carefully fill in the voids with paint.
    
3. Allow the rug to dry and find a special spot for it in the room.

To add a custom touch, use letter stencils to paint your son's name on the rug.

Seating
Benches are a locker room must, but purchased new they can be a bit pricey. The solution? Search for bargain-priced benches on eBay or post a request on Craigslist and see if you get lucky.

Ceiling Fan
Have a ceiling fan in the room? It deserves the sports treatment too.

Team Spirit Ceiling Fan
What You'll Need:

1. 2 colors of acrylic paint (team colors)
2. Paintbrush
3. Screwdriver

Directions:

1. Unscrew the fan blades from the ceiling fan and lay them out on newspaper.
    
2. Paint two of the blades one color, and paint the other two blades the other color. You only need to do the side that faces down.
    
3. Let them dry and touch up as needed.
    
4. Reattach the fan blades, alternating between the two colors, and you've got the perfect ceiling fan for your little sports fan.

Art
Personalize the room by framing pictures of your son playing ball and any team photos that he has. Hang them in a neat line all the way around the room. Purchase extra frames, and you can add new photos each year.

Storage
No locker room would be complete without the lockers. Scour secondhand stores and Web sites for used lockers, or pick up a new set from a big-box retailer. The locker room theme has gained popularity in recent years, and several manufacturers now make locker room furniture for use in kid's rooms.