Obsessed With Man Cave Design Ideas

I find myself obsessed with Man Cave design ideas looking through Pinterest. Wondering how I can transform the entire house with a Man Cave design and I feel ridiculous. If you’re unsure what it is, Wikipedia explains it all. As I read this Wiki article, the idea of a “man’s sanctuary” seemed a little dated and clichéd. But that’s because I’m not sharing my private life with female species, I’m beginning to realise this is probably a universal, invariable thing;

The moment you start to live with your wife or girlfriend, 1/2 of your possession will become “girly stuff”. You start to deal with a lot of emotions and intuitions, share reality TV shows and soaps. Start to live in a space where pink & floral exist. A man’s desire to replicate the bachelor space in the house can grow uncontrollably as more & more floral intuitions come into his life.

But We’re All Different!

Of course, I’m only talking about some of the stereotypical straight men who are already taken. We’re all different. As a gay couple, these rules are shown in the list (to the right) don’t apply to us. My husband belch and fart all the time, we’re not really interested in watching sports. Chick flicks are welcomed to visit. And bacon is a one-way ticket to coronary heart disease and diabetes, everyone should know that, be careful!

Chick-flicks…eh sorry, fag-hags.

I have worked in both an all-male environment and an all-female environment where I was the only male in the office and hated it both times. But that’s the whole diversity issue and I guess it’s natural.

Man Cave Design Ideas

So I’m only obsessed with the interior Man Cave designs, ornaments or gadgets, not the spiritual concept of it. I’d love to have an open-plan house where I could drive straight into the front kitchen/dining area. “No, that’s not a fridge, it’s an old Esso pump, found it in Route 66. Of course the food smells of engine oil…and your point is?”

Unfortunately, our house is not big enough to keep large items unless they’re functional. So my first Man Cave design idea is to start by looking at what I think is an awesome “man’s sitting room” and see if we can make ours closer. Small rooms think big to eventually turn the whole house into a massive masculine sanctuary (am I serious? No). Here it is;

Dark Wallpaint

• Dark walls make the room look small
• Blue walls make the room look cold

And I would say, what’s wrong with those? Put more clothes on, turn the heaters up and clear the clutter. Dark walls are fabulously chic and blue walls are spectacularly cool. You must try Farrow & Ball paint if you’ve never, because it’s magical. Nothing else compares to F&B – we’ve painted our sitting room Pitch Blue, and still a lot lighter than the room above. Available from Designerpaint.com.

Use A Chest As A Coffee Table

The chest like the above that I’ve found from Amazon is this one;

80cm x 43.2cm x 48.3cm, 22Kg and it’s handmade. Whatever you store in it is up to you, but we’ve put all our household paperwork – insurance & utility bill files, vehicle certificates, payslips…

Leather Sofa

This is perfect, Chesterfield Antique Ox Blood Red Genuine Leather 2 Seater, hand-crated in UK and fully assembled, 100% genuine leather with tarnished brass beading mahogany wood feet. 168cm (w) x 74cm (h) x 84cm (d). Seat height 42cm, seat depth 54cm. Also available in different colours, but this one matches great with the dark blue wall, just like the sample image.

Wooden Ladder

You want a wooden ladder what for!? Of course to hang towels and coat hangers… This solid oak leaning wooden towel ladder is measured 170cm (h) x 48cm (w) x 7cm (d).

Are we supposed to tidy up our Man Cave periodically or not? You’d be allowed to fart, scratch your arse and drink whiskey all day. When would you ever clean? Just thinking about the ladder covered by your entire washing, that would suddenly make the room look so domesticated…

Stag Head

Ok, not on the list, but a stag head will make the wall bold, 3D and super cool.

White or Black, 43cm x 43cm x 22cm made of resin. Hole at the rear for easy wall mounting.

Beer Fridge / Kegerator – Do You NEED It?

One of the ideas of Men-Only Sanctuary is to ensure that the place has limitless of alcohol resources. A beer kegerator may be every young dude’s fantasy but to us, the days of gallons & trash are long gone, you may prefer a small beer fridge instead. It would look much better, neater on the bar counter, don’t you think? Still, I would laugh if I was a wife. “You can use our kitchen fridge you know, how many cans of beer do you need between the three of you?”

Beer Fridge

I’d be obsessed with the stock level if I had one to be honest, checking the expiry dates, making sure new cans are at the back…

Left: Husky HUS-HY192 Black 46cm x 43cm x 51cm, holds 46 litres, 40 cans approx.

Middle: Husky HUS-HM39 Black with Chrome Door Frame 84.3cm x 47cm x 47cm, holds 91 litres, the door is lockable.

Right: Husky HM72 Budweiser 52.4cm x 52cm x 46.6cm, holds 50 litre

Heated Reclining Chair + Massager

Although a reclining chair takes up more space than you think, I think it’s a real luxury especially if it has a heating function.

CINEMO 9 in 1 Leather Recliner Chair This will take you the Heaven! Heated seat! 8-point massage! 2 x drink holders! Front & side storage pockets, it rocks & swivels! With an adjustable headrest, real leather. Fully reclined dimensions will be 80cm (h) x 86cm (w) x 165cm (d). This has got to be one of the essential Man Cave items!

A Bit of DIY with Edison Lightbulbs

Not much to do with a man cave but Edison lightbulbs would definitely add a chic flavour to some industrial deco that you may or may not already have.

You can actually make one yourself. You just need;

• 2 x Edison lightbulbs
• 2 x Bakelite sockets
• 2 x Iron wire bulb cages
• 5-10m of fabric woven cable
• The main socket (fused)
• Mains dimmer switch

Assembling is easy, screw a couple of hooks into the ceiling and hang the cord loose. So the image on the right is what I’ve done. The cables run from the bakelite sockets via hooks in the ceiling, through another hook in the corner, then hang down to the dimmer switch on the wall. A dimmer switch is essential as you want to adjust the lighting to see the best glowing results.

It really is easy to connect it, try it if you can.

Jack Daniel’s Bottle Soap Dispenser

This is a classic that anyone can try  – it doesn’t have to be Jack Daniel’s. Old Parr will be good too, but it has to be a short whiskey bottle. If it’s a long thin bottle you’ll knock it out on the floor. Absolut Vodka bottle would also look pretty but some say would not be “masculine” enough.

A 700ml bottle can hold quite a lot, I’ve put a clear shower gel and placed it by the bath but it was the paper label that became loose. So not to use the same bottle again & again, but great for JD lovers for sure.

Whisky Guide + Tasting Set

This is a Mature Man’s Cave item. A 224 page book “101 Whiskies To Try Before You Die” by Ian Buxton plus 10 x 30cl bottles of selected whiskies.

I’ve written a while ago to tell you that I’m a recovering alcoholic, therefore I’ve not tried these or any other alcoholic products. I’d be happy to keep the set for my guests. I’d be more than happy stuffing my face with cheesecakes and jelly beans while listening to their whisky debates – are sweets allowed in a Man’s Cave?