Now that you’re all grown up, you might no longer feel the need to build treehouses with “No Girls Allowed” signs on the door. But that doesn’t mean you don’t still need a woman-free zone for quality dude time. That sacred all-testosterone zone from boyhood still exists, but now it’s safe to call it a man cave. Here are four essentials that no manly sanctum should be without.
An Absurdly Gigantic TV
Sensibly sized TVs are for suckers. In a man cave, more is more. Depending on your wall space and your budget, you can display your man card with pride by choosing the largest HD TV you can get your hands on. Often, the TV serves as the focal point of a man cave and creates the perfect environment for hosting Monday Night Football and Super Bowl watching parties. Assuming you allow others to enter your cave, the family will also now have a well-equipped spot to watch movies.
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The Hottest Lights
Because wives and girlfriends are forbidden from critiquing your cave’s décor, nothing looks tacky or mismatched in a man den. Cool lighting — by your definition, not hers — can go a long way toward making a unisex room into a bastion of virility. Going with a beach theme? Think about some decorative palm tree lights from Christmas Lights Etc. If you look around, you can also find guy-approved light fixtures like lamps with toy gun remotes and lights made out of pony kegs.
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A Beer-Packed Fridge
Having to miss the game in order to run to the kitchen fridge for a cold one just won’t do. You need your beverages nearby so you can enjoy maximum laziness. If you’re really into beer and have some money to spend, consider installing a walk-in cooler in your cave. You can store all your favorite brews, along with kegs if you have the space. For smaller man caves, think about a quirky mini fridge. For example, if you have a music motif throughout the room, get a mini fridge that looks like a Marshall amplifier on the outside.
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A Pool Table
For those desperate times when there are no games on TV and SportsCenter doesn’t come on for another three hours, you and your buddies need another diversion. A pool table is the quintessential centerpiece of a man cave. Besides just looking cool, a pool table provides you and the guys with endless hours of entertainment and opportunities for trash-talking.
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Don’t have enough space for a pool table? No worries. A foosball table, mini basketball hoop, vintage arcade game, or even a nice card table for poker nights will also do nicely.
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When you think about it, a man cave is the grown-up version of a killer fort. A good fort will never lose its dude appeal. Now that you have a job and a house, you can elevate the art of building a men-only space to new heights with these must-have items.