With many summer hunting seasons in effect, now is a good time to consider your trophy room design. Hunting trophies are often dispersed through homes or reserved for a “man cave” or den. If you have the space to set aside for a trophy room, it is a sight to behold that allows you to share and relive all your hunting adventures. Here are some elements to consider as you put together your ultimate trophy room design.
Game size
Whether you hunt mainly large game or enjoy wing shooting will determine your trophy room possibilities and layout. If you want to display several bull elk, there will be different requirements than if you hunt mainly pheasants. The same is true if you have a menagerie of hunting trophies with no clear theme. Whether you require floor or wall space for your trophies will determine the rest of the room.
Other purposes for the room
Does your trophy room contain a pool table or bar? Or is it simply a lounging area where people can enjoy the views? Purposes determine space and a game room will need adjustments for movement more than a lounge or library setup. If you are thinking of more of a walk-through space where people can wander and admire your quarry, you may not require much furniture at all. Consider purposes and then you can find a good design.
Any furniture preferences
Furniture is not just about how it may be used. You may own items with a log cabin or woodsy theme that simply do not match anything else within your home. These may add something to your trophy room and if you insist on keeping them, you will have to consider their placement and layout, too. Having items like that is a good way to pull together all the trophies into a theme, which helps bring rooms together.
Coming to your final design
The most common approach is to place trophies on the walls and outskirts of the room and the furniture or games in the middle of it. However, this can be challenging if you have furniture that will take up wall space, like bookshelves or a bar. In these layouts you can be a bit more creative and disperse trophies, especially ones that require floor space, throughout other sections of the room. A full-mount of an elk, for example, can make a great centerpiece if he needs floor space.
Try to not group too many trophies in one space. It makes them appear cluttered and it will be difficult for you or anyone else to see them all at once. If you have a lamp in one corner, consider adding a fish mount on the wall or a pheasant on a side table nearby. For many trophies and small spaces, consider putting some in storage and rotating them out.
Your trophy room can be anywhere from a hallway to one small bedroom or even a great room in the center of your home. There is no reason why trophy room design in Cody, WY cannot be unique and personal to you. Check out these tips for good layout, and the next time your hunting trip ends impressively, contact Nature’s Design Taxidermy to preserve that moment.