Creating Your Ideal Man Cave

No matter how much you love your partner or your family, sometimes you just need some alone time. A man cave is a place where you can have some time to yourself to pursue hobbies or simply relax.

Every man is different, so no man cave should be like the next. One man’s idea of a perfect personal space may be wildly different from another’s. Here are our tips for creating your man cave. Of course, you don’t have to implement all of them. Pick what works for you.

Find a Room

A man cave needs to be in its own room. If you have an extra bedroom in the house, that’s ideal. The basement, attic, or garage can work as well.

You want it to be comfortable, so unless you have ideal weather year-round, make sure the room has what it needs to create a comfortable environment. It should at least have air conditioning, but you may want a heater, a humidifier, or a dehumidifier, too, especially if you’re not set up in a standard room in your house or apartment.

Pick a Theme

Next, pick a theme for the room. Perhaps you’ll choose your favorite sport, a movie series you love, or Dungeons and Dragons.

Of course, you may want to go with a simpler look, especially if putting up a bunch of posters reminds you a bit too much of your room as a teen. Metallic colors and browns are masculine and will provide a nice look. Think wood and leather.

Think About Your Level of Privacy

How autonomous do you want to be in your man cave? Are you okay going to the kitchen for a snack and using the bathroom down the hall, or would you rather have one as part of your sanctuary? It will cost a lot more to add a bathroom, and it will include adding a wall and plumbing, but it is an option. You may also want to simply add some plumbing and a fridge, especially if you want to add a full bar.

The Game Table

A centerpiece for many man caves is a game table. It may for pool, foosball, ping pong, or something else. You could host a game night every week or so for your family and pals. You could also put in a simple table where you can read and write.

The Screen

There are some great options these days for a screen on which to watch television or movies, or to play games. On one wall, put up a big screen TV. Alternately, you can add a pull-down screen and purchase a projector.

Whether you enjoy watching sports, popular movies, documentaries, or educational videos such as Ted Talks or the Masterclass series, you can do so in peace in your man cave. Of course, you can also have friends or family members watch or play games with you.

The Sound System

There are a lot of great sound systems out there to go with your screen setup. We recommend going with surround sound, either 5.1 or 7.1. Manufacturers will give tips on how to set up your system in your man cave for the best sound experience.

Arcade Games

If you’re seriously into retro games, then you might enjoy having one or two old full-size arcade games in a corner of your man cave. There’s a certain enjoyable nostalgia to having an actual arcade game. Get the right sort of machine and you can even play a multitude of games on it.

Shelving

Maybe what you really want from your man cave to be is a place where you can relax and read. In other words, you want a personal library. In that case, you’ll need several bookcases, good light to read by, and a reclining chair or two. Organize your books first by subject, then by author, just like you’d find at a library or a bookstore, to make it easy to find what you want to read.

If reading isn’t your thing, you can use shelves to put up trophies, action figures, family photos, or anything else you want to display.

Seating

Your game table may have a few kitchen chairs around it, depending on the type of table, and you may want to use these when you watch TV or movies as well. Opt to put more relaxing seats, like reclining chairs and couches, close to the walls to ensure there’s lots of free space in the middle of the room.

There’s more you could add as well, of course, depending on your interests, so use our suggestions, and your own ideas, and create the perfect man cave for you.