If you feel like you’ve had less time to yourself these days, you may need a retreat. You love your kids and spouse, but everyone needs a space where they can collect their thoughts. This principle never holds more true than in challenging times, and, currently, no one is a stranger to the stress of the COVID-19 crisis.
If you are ready to decorate your man cave, heed these seven tips. The result will be a room where you can enjoy a few hours of relaxation whenever you please:
1. Adjust Your Temperature
If you have limited space in your home, you may need to situate your man cave in the garage or the basement. While these areas do provide room once you clean out unnecessary clutter, they can get frigid in winter and sweltering in summer. Those hardly offer ideal conditions for spending pleasant hours.
Consider how you can heat and cool your space. If you opt for the garage, for example, you might use a space heater to keep the area cozy. Always follow proper safety rules by turning off the device when unattended. If summer temperatures tend to soar where you live, you can find portable air conditioners and swamp coolers to help you stay out of the heat.
2. Hang Your Pictures Properly
You may want to hang your life-sized autographed poster of Lebron James in your space when decorating your man cave. However, you need the right tools to do so. Large wall hangings need the right supportive cord to keep them from falling and shattering. Gather your materials before planning your layout.
You can use blue painter’s tape and a level to help you align your pictures. Place the tape along your level lines so you can see where to put the nails. This action prevents you from covering your walls with unsightly holes once you start hammering away.
3. Pick the Right Theme
Do you want a pool table? A big-screen TV? A wall of novels? Your man cave is your space, and you want to unify the overall theme when decorating it. It doesn’t matter if you go for a sophisticated den-like feel or a more rugged sports-themed room.
Having a singular design pulls the look of your space together and can make even a collection of foosball tables look more elegant. Get creative with your layout and incorporate your favorite colors, textures and patterns.
4. Add Some Cozy Furnishings
The last time you sat on a folding metal chair at a meeting, how long did it take before your back started screaming at you? Chances are, not too long. You want to enjoy spending time in your man cave, so opt for quality furnishings, like a leather couch. Make sure to provide adequate tables for your friends to set their drinks and snacks.
You can locate decent items from secondhand shops but proceed with caution. You won’t enjoy napping on a couch that smells like a neighbor’s stale beer. Always inspect yard-sale and thrift shop items for bedbugs to avoid infestation.
5. Select the Perfect Lighting
Despite the moniker “man cave,” you don’t want your personal hollow to feel like a tomb. When selecting lighting, consider replacing humming overhead fluorescent bars with softer tones that don’t trigger migraines in susceptible individuals.
If you can use natural light by uncovering windows or replacing your garage door with one that includes security bars, do so.
6. Remember Your Flooring
Garage and basement floors can leave you with icy piggy toes. Plus, you might have unsightly oil stains. Take the time to prime and epoxy concrete floors before you add area rugs.
This process repairs and prevents cracks and presents a more pleasing aesthetic overall. Then, keep your toes snug and warm by adding a sports-themed rug or other coverings in select areas.
7. Add Some Personalization
Finally, when you complete the heavy lifting, add the personal touches that mean so much to you. Include some pictures of your family or the camping trip you took with your dog. Improve your indoor air quality by including a houseplant or two.
Your man cave is the ideal location to display the model car collection your child helps you to add to each holiday season. So, don’t be afraid to customize it to your heart’s content.
When Decorating Your Man Cave, Make It Your Retreat
Your man cave is your retreat from the world. When it comes to decorating your space, make it an original and cozy haven with these tips.
Dylan Bartlett is a men’s lifestyle blogger from the City of Brotherly Love. He runs the site Just a Regular Guide, looking at other topics related to health and wellness, relationships, the outdoors and DIY. You can follow him on Twitter @a_regular_guide to get frequent updates on his work.
