Decorating Ideas for a Man's Birthday

When planning a birthday party for a cherished man in your life, feature his passions, create a game-filled venue or provide an evening of class and elegance. Keep decorations simple and masculine. Choose a decorating theme tailored to please the birthday guest of honor--he will remember the experience for years to come. Does this Spark an idea?

The Football Fan

Use decorations that depict his favorite sport or hobby.

Get guests into the spirit before they even enter your home. Lay a carpet runner of artificial grass, spray painted with yard line markers, on the front walkway or in the hall leading to your front door. Inside, make a goalpost frame on your wall with construction paper or other materials. Cut an inexpensive football in half lengthwise and mount one of the halves on the wall to look as if the ball has been kicked over the goalpost. Place a table against the wall within the goalpost to display food and gifts.

Make a football-themed centerpiece by adding his favorite team's flag or pom-poms in team colors to a large floral arrangement, also in team colors. As an additional focal point, place a football-themed birthday cake on a second table surrounded by plates in team colors and football-shaped candles on plain glass holders. Light the candles when it is time to serve the cake.

Gaming Arcade

Bring in foosball as both a party decoration and activity.

Use a game theme for an avid arcade fan's birthday bash. Rent a vintage PAC-MAN, foosball and pinball machine to use as room centerpieces as well as party activities. Place the games in different areas of a large room or individually in smaller rooms; decorate the area around each game to match the game's theme. Present food chosen to echo the game's design as decorations. For example, display appetizers on a round yellow platter near the PAC-MAN game. Serve silver-wrapped candy balls from tall clear glass vases near the pinball machine. Feature shish kebob served on rectangular trays in the foosball area.

Formal Affair

Choose masculine colors to blend into formal decorations.

Honor a classy guy with a formal affair. Keep the party decorations simple and classic. Decorate dining and buffet tables to hold all party fare. Prepare floral arrangements for both tables using metal, pewter or wooden vessels to serve as centerpieces. Search for an unusual vessel, such as an antique wooden window box, heirloom family decanter or pewter serving bowl, all of which work well as bases for floral decor. Select richly colored flowers in masculine shades of orange, brown, royal blue and burgundy. Take a modern decorating approach by displaying food on clear acrylic platters arranged on tablecloths that highlight the color of the floral arrangements. Stage the platters to sit at a variety of heights. Add pillar candles in clear cylinder-shaped glass candle holders that are tall enough to completely house the candle and flame. Oversize lead crystal or glass cylinders work well for this project. Position candles between platters on the table for a dramatic lighting effect.