on June 04, 2026
There is a version of the sports room that belongs in a different era — pennants on the wall, a team scarf draped over a chair, a collection of trophies arranged without particular thought. And there is another version entirely: a room where the sport is present but considered, where the objects have been chosen rather than accumulated.
The second version is achievable in any room of the house. It requires only a clearer idea of what you're doing and why.
Tennis as Aesthetic
Tennis has a visual language that translates well into interiors. The court surfaces — clay red, Wimbledon green, the hard-court blues of New York and Melbourne — are distinctive and palette-specific. The equipment has strong graphic form. The sport's history is rich with imagery worth displaying.
A room that draws on this visual language without reproducing it literally — without plastered logos, mass-produced prints, or branded merchandise — is a room that reflects genuine engagement with the sport rather than passive fandom.
The Framed Racket as Hero Piece
In any tennis-inflected room, a wall-mounted display frame is the natural centrepiece. A racket in a court-specific frame — clay, grass, hard court, or aqua blue — is both a functional display and a design object. ONE MAAY's Grand Slam frames are built for exactly this: the racket as something worth looking at, the frame as the setting that makes it so.
Position it as you would any significant piece of wall art — at eye level, centred on the wall or deliberately placed relative to other elements, with space around it. The racket doesn't need company to make an impact.
Colour and Material Palette
The court surfaces offer a ready palette. Clay red is warm, earthy, and pairs naturally with timber, leather, and neutral linens. Wimbledon green is refined and cool — it reads well in a room that's already leaning toward the traditional. Hard-court blue is the most contemporary of the four, working well in a modern interior with clean lines and limited colour.
You don't need to theme a room around a single court surface. But choosing a frame whose background colour works with the room's existing palette is a detail worth getting right.
The Home Office
A home office built around the sport should feel like a space where serious people work — not a shrine to a hobby. The reference to tennis should be present but understated.
A single framed racket on the wall behind or beside the desk is usually enough. Books, objects, and art that relate to the sport without being aggressively about it fill out the room. The key is restraint: one strong piece rather than many competing ones.
The Dedicated Sports Room
A sports room or home gym is where the rules relax. The context already declares the room's purpose, so more direct references to the sport are appropriate.
A wall of Grand Slam frames — all four court surfaces — works here with a clarity it might not achieve in a living room. Add framed photography, a signed ball in an acrylic case, a club membership plaque. The key is still curation: enough space between objects for each one to read clearly, and consistent framing finish throughout.
The Living Room
The living room demands the most from any display. It's the room guests see first and look at most. Tennis decor in a living room only works if it's treated as interior design rather than sports memorabilia.
That means: the framed racket hangs where a painting would hang, in a frame that has the same considered quality as the other things on the wall. It's not in a corner. It's not competing with unrelated items. It's placed because it belongs there, and it reads that way.
Lighting
A picture light or directed ceiling spot above a framed racket changes how the piece reads. It moves it from display to exhibit — deliberately, visibly illuminated. Battery-powered picture lights have improved significantly and are a practical option where hardwired lighting isn't possible.
The difference between a well-lit framed piece and an unlit one is substantial. It's worth the small additional effort.
Browse ONE MAAY's tennis display frames and start building your space.
