Are you getting ready to turn a space in your home into a trophy room? If so, it’s important to do things right so you can fully enjoy your in-home retreat and remember great hunting trips and other outings. When done the right way, a trophy room can bring your accomplishments to life and provide you with a fun way to show off your passion for hunting and the outdoors.
Here are a few hunting trophy room ideas and tips that will help you create a room you can be proud of.
Map It Out First
If you want your hunting trophy room to turn out right, it’s important to map it out on paper first. Failing to complete this important step could result in an unplanned design that might not be to your expectations.
When mapping out custom trophy rooms, try to draw everything to scale. Take an inventory of all your antlers, mounts, and other related items that you want to display. Next, figure out where you want each item to appear in the space. Some may look best mounted directly on the walls, while others may require decorative shelves, boxes, or other methods for display. Once you have everything on paper, you’ll have an easier time recreating exactly what you want.
Minimize Natural Light
Natural light is great for most areas in a home, but it’s not ideal for trophy rooms. UV rays from the sun can fade trophy colors and damage animal hair. If the room has a lot of windows, you can still minimize UV rays by installing heavy, dark-colored drapes. Make up for the lack of natural light by incorporating plenty of artificial light.
Create a Cozy Atmosphere
It’s easy to make the mistake of creating a trophy room that looks cold and unwelcoming. To avoid the appearance of a formal museum, make sure to create a cozy, warm atmosphere. You can do this by using warm, neutral colors instead of stark whites or concrete grays. You should also consider adding comfortable furniture that sends the message to your guests to relax and enjoy the space.
Maintain the Ideal Humidity
When it comes to avoiding damage to your trophy items, monitoring the humidity is essential. One of the best trophy room ideas is to install a humidity controlling thermostat. Try to keep humidity between 40% and 50% to avoid damage on your mounted displays.
Avoid Over-Cluttering the Space
If you’re an avid hunter and have dozens of pieces you want to display, it can be hard to fit them all in one room. Instead of cramping your trophies in an area that’s too small for them, consider using your trophy room to display only your most impressive pieces. You can later scatter the remaining pieces throughout your home.
When you over-clutter a trophy room, you can create the appearance and feeling of chaos. That’s probably the last impression you want to make. Creating a sparse but more impressive display can make the room much more eye-catching and pleasant.
Be Organized
The most attractive trophy rooms are also generally the most well-organized. To create a feeling of order and intention, consider placing similar trophies together.
For example, you might reserve one wall for a single type of animal, or you might arrange your mounts together by size or color.
There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do this. Take some time to figure out what arrangement you think will look most attractive and orderly in the space you have.
Use Lighting Strategically
If all your lighting comes from the ceiling, your mounts will cast long, dark shadows on the walls. To keep this from happening and make sure all your trophies are displayed in the best possible light, place your lighting fixtures strategically around the room. Ideally, the light should come from various directions to minimize unwanted shadows and create the right ambiance.
Bring Your Hunting Trophy Room Ideas to Life
For more ideas about how to create the ideal hunting trophy room or remodel any other room in your home, check out Everhart Construction’s gallery of home projects. You’ll get inspiration for everything from room additions to custom home remodels. You can also contact us through our online form to claim a no-obligation bid for your upcoming project.
