So you're a sports fanatic seeking to decorate your home or office with conversation pieces or maybe you just want a vintage sports theme for a specific room like your man cave or bedroom. Purchasing antiques can get expensive and require space to display them. Consider filling your space with vintage sports photography. Artwork is something that can hang on your walls so it doesn't take up too much space. It’s also a great way to surround yourself with conversation starters without going broke. There are a few tricks and things to consider when choosing vintage sports posters.

Choose a color!

One big thing to consider is the color. What will fit best in your decor, black and white, sepia toned or color sports photos. The color theme you choose can depend on the color of your walls, furniture and other accessories in the room. If the room is full of color it may be a good idea to use black and white or sepia to tone the colors down. Using color sports photography in a room full of color can become overwhelming. The sepia tones and photographs that lack rich colors is what tends to give the photograph a more vintage feel. When you find the right color for your room, the finish for the print is your next big step. If a frame compliments your piece best, you'll want to use a frame that has more of a vintage feel rather than a modern frame. Some mat colors that may pair well with retro sports photos include egg shell, buff and serene cream.

The Sport or the Name?

Before you automatically select photography that includes famous athletes or stadiums, browse pictures that feature the unexpected or show humankind’s love of the sport. Good examples are photos like Free Golf and Retrieving the Ball. Each one presents everyday people engaged in the sport of golf. We carry prints in various types of categories like football, racing cars, hockey, tennis, lacrosse and more. So take time to find the beautiful golf course or the motivational soccer poster rather than automatically searching for famous sports players and stadiums.

If you do feel compelled to spotlight famous athletes or locations, there are tons of sports places and people to choose from in our categories. One of our best illustrations in that regard may be found in the photo titled, Lou Gehrig – With Bats. It's almost a 3-D look the way that the baseball bats are positioned, it gives the illusion that they are literally coming out of frame. This piece and pieces like it would look great printed on a seamless piece of canvas or a two-toned, ebony and gold bastion frame.

The Last Game

The last best thing to consider is the last game. If you have a favorite athlete, finding photographs from their last game is not only great decor but a great conversation starter as well. A good example would be to pair photos like Lou Gehrig – Farewell #2 or Babe Ruth - Farewell.

Finish it Off

Artwork is not complete with out a frame, laminate or canvas finish. If a canvas best suites your desired piece, choose a painted sides color that matches something in the frame. For black and white photos, black painted sides is always an amazing finish. If you're choosing a frame finish, choose a vintage styled frame. You can also choose a frame that matches the furniture in the room it will decorate. If you have a mahogany colored bed frame and the chosen piece is going in that bedroom, try choosing one of our mahogany frames if they match the piece as well.

All of our frame and canvas finishes come with 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

With Oktoberfest kickoff closing in, we wanted to talk about decorating home bars and entertaining areas with animal art, specifically. It’s a great, subtle way to convey the feel of Old World Germany traditions year round. Of course one of the animals that should be at the center of the decorating scheme is the dachshund.

Dachshunds have been a part of German culture for centuries, and according to the American Kennel Club, their roots go back to the 1600's. At the time, many German huntsmen used the dogs to capture foxes, badgers, rabbits and feral pigs. In later years, they were entered into dachshund races during October celebrations and other competitive events, which continue around the world to this day.

On top of that, there are companies that manufacture dachshund themed wine, beer and bar supplies. Among them are Dachshund Riesling, III Dachshunds Beer and Maitland-Smith. The dog themed bar supplies include brass wine holders, shot glasses, steins, highball glasses, bottle openers, coasters and more. Thus, incorporating wiener dog themed animal art into a home bar or Oktoberfest décor scheme makes sense.

There are two pieces of animal art that must be mentioned when talking about Oktoberfest and home bar decor. One is Stephen Fowler’s Dachshund Wine print and the other is Ryan Fowler’s Dachshund Brewing Co. print. They both resemble vintage advertising signs and prominently feature the dog's image. Because they do have the appearance of commercial art, they could be paired with artist Brian Rubenacker's Dachshund Wieners.

 For a more whimsical look, there is also Tracy Flickinger’s Hot Dog. It features a cartoon image of a female dachshund enjoying a cocktail while dressed in a pink feather boa. Additional decorating options include actual photos of wiener dogs and work by artists like Dean Russo and Serena Bowman. A combination of these prints will make the perfect décor for Oktoberfest as well as everyday décor for your home bar.

Including vintage advertisements in your decor is a sure way to add a splash of style to your surroundings. Take a little time to consider how you would most enjoy using these bits of art.

Reasons for popular appeal

People find vintage advertisements appealing for many different reasons. Some like them because they feature favorite products, or items remembered from years gone by. Others are interested in the artist, and others in the poster's design considerations. They enjoy the bold graphics and colors. Many people find the sense of familiarity and solidness that comes from mixing some old things into daily surroundings to be comforting in this a fast-paced digital age. Still others enjoy building a collection of these images around a particular theme or manufacturer - many vintage products have multiple prints available because often a newadvertisement was produced for each edition of a newspaper or magazine. This fact makes older ads a lot of fun to use in groups. 

Possible applications 

Vintage advertisements add a light touch to any area of the home. Just look for products which would be used in that area. It is easy to see how to integrate food products into the kitchen or dining areas; TV, snack and soft drink ads in the family room; grooming supplies in a bathroom; and tool or car advertising in the garage or work shop. Many businesses find themselves well-suited to decorating with vintage advertising: almost any restaurant, sales outlet, or manufacturer can easily choose posters appropriate to either the materials they use or what they produce. This catches the customer's interest and adds a sense of both stability and fun to the premises.

 Selecting your favorite prints

Decorating with vintage artwork can be done however you like. You may choose to simply select prints that appeal to you and make you happy and group them randomly, or work them into a display with vintage packages, toys, or decorations. Many people like to choose a particular artist or style and make a grouping of works around that theme. You may want to choose prints based on your own interests, a certain time period, or special memories from your family history. 

 No matter how you choose to start a collection of vintage advertisements, feel free to contact us for help in finding what you want in the sizes you need. 

Interior decorators are hailing the comeback of vintage art in homes—if it ever went away. A print, poster or painting that has retained its appeal over the years is a safe bet when adding visual flair to a room. Professionals offer these suggestions for successfully incorporating the vintage into your favorite rooms:

A grouping is superior to a single item. But a hodge-podge is distracting; aim for a unified look, either by style, subject matter, era, or tonal quality.

It doesn’t have to be genuinely old to be vintage. Reproductions serve the valuable function of keeping superior designs alive and in circulation. Also, reproductions greatly increase the choices available to create a pleasing display without breaking the budget. In this respect, it’s interesting to note how many bestselling reproductions were originally advertisements.

Don’t overlook artifacts as wall art. Old tools, keys, locks, windows, and cooking utensils have all been successfully re-purposed as art. The key is scale—giving large objects lots of room—and context: put rusty objects such as outdoor tools in casual rooms or porches. Furthermore, don’t try to clean them up too much! If you wanted to display new-looking tools, they’re available at the hardware store.

Meaningful artifacts are even better. Great-aunt Susie’s lace doilies don’t have to be heirloom quality to look superb mounted and framed. And anything that makes the past personal to us is to be treasured.

Use shadow boxes to display bulky or fragile items. This is especially useful in rooms that require frequent dusting.

Finally, don’t hesitate to display your personal collection of memorabilia. That’s what your living space is all about!

Let Fulcrum Gallery help you find just what you’re looking for. Contact us with your questions today.