You’re a man with needs. Your wife or girlfriend has taken over the decoration for the entire house, but you’re looking for a space of your own. Something that holds all of the things you love, that seem to have no place in the rest of the house.
Maybe you’re a bachelor and the whole place is yours, but you’re not really sure where to get started.
We’re here to help you with how to decorate a man cave. We want to get you started in the right direction.
A personal room for men can be a lot of things, but it should showcase your passions, your interests. Whether it’s sports, fishing, hunting, the arts, comic books, photography, or if you’re looking for a place to turn into that sports bar at home, make the room reflect the important part of you. Before you run out to make your first purchase, there’s one thing we must recommend first….
Know What You Want
Want to know how to decorate a man cave that you really like? Well, every masterpiece must start with a well laid out plan. You deserve a masterpiece for your special space. If you already have a specific idea for your project, you can move on. If not, start thinking about where it is you want to feel at home.
Brainstorm. Get online and have a look around. Find some things that inspire you. Check out websites like Pinterest, mancavegoodies.com, hammacherschlemmer.com to get your brains moving. The DIY Network is one of my favorite channels and websites to snoop around on for great ideas.
Make a list. Take a piece of paper and write down everything that comes to mind when you picture the man cave of your dreams. You don’t need to know exactly what items or what colors you’re going to pick. But get your brain in a thinking mode. Get creative. This is your hideout. Your hangout.
Man Cave Decorating Ideas
Here are a few cool ideas to get you started:
- Design your man cave in the image of the bar of your dreams.
- Dedicate a space devoted to your favorite sports team.
- Create a movie theater room, along with its own arcade and concession area.
- Civil War buff? Are you a Sherlockian? Model your room after a specific era in history.
- Stay away from flowers! Unless you grow orchids like the old detective Nero Wolfe.
Budgeting
This is a no brainer. Know your finances and your time. It’s important to figure out where you stand before you start spending and what time you have available. This will help with your planning. This will help you narrow your brainstorming, focusing on things within a specific price range and help prevent you from getting carried away with things that are too expensive. Take it from me, projects always wind up costing more than you plan because something comes up. We’ve just finished redoing the kitchen (old house) and there was always something needed more doing than we thought.
Before you make any purchase for your man cave, break your budget down to cover different components of the project, like games and electronics, posters and art, furniture, remodeling, and for some, a budget for hiring contractors to help with the parts of your project that you can’t accomplish yourself. And check the calendar to see when you can realistically devote enough time to the project. Is it weekend work? Are you going to hire people? Are you taking vacation time to get it done?
Decide what is most important to you.
Remember: You don’t have to buy everything at once. Have a long range plan if you can’t do everything at once. Break a project like this into chunks over time. Plan it out so you can do part and sit back and enjoy your work without having it look like a construction zone for years.
Do part this year. Do some next year. Make sure each step is satisfying rather than bothering you that something special is missing or that you have projects undone. But having a budget to guide you through the timing of each phase is crucial. Know where you’re heading and how each piece fits into the grand scheme.
Research
Give yourself enough time to research every aspect of your project. Learn about all of the products you’re interested in, compare cost, learning about the people who make the products, and understanding the fine print associated with return policies.
Think realistically about the skills needed to accomplish your goals. If you need something outside of your expertise, look for tutorials and forums teaching these skills, or look for someone giving lessons. Look for contractors who provide the skill when you can’t do it yourself. Some things are better left to the professionals, especially when dealing with electrical work.
Have Fun
You have to enjoy yourself. This project is all about celebrating you and creating a space where you don’t have to be anyone but yourself. This is your space. This is for your wants, dreams, and passions, so don’t lose sight of joy.
If the project is creating problems, step back from it, and attempt to remember why you started this in the first place. This was meant to improve your life, not disrupt it.
Personally, I really love the physical labor parts of these types of projects. I love the destruction and reconstruction work, the painting and varnishing, tearing out walls, using nail guns and putting things back together. But I really dislike the shopping part of it all if it doesn’t have to do with electronics. I have to remind myself to enjoy it. Relax a little bit. Having a plan, having a budget and knowing exactly what we want before we shop, helps us enjoy everything a whole lot more.