Be The Envy Of Your Buddies With These Man Cave Themes
There's many positive aspects to having a man cave.
It can be a space where you can indulge in your favourite hobby or pastime.
No matter how happy your relationship may be, it's still important to have alone time.
A man cave can also be a sanctuary for taking a break from everything to gather your thoughts.
A man cave is also fantastic for having your buddies over for a few cold ones & a good old chin wag.
If you've been contemplating creating a man cave but wasn't sure what look to go for, here's 10 themes that will give you inspiration.
Creating a man cave can be a lot of fun!
Finding cool furniture, ornaments & nick-knacks, it can be quite satisfying searching garage sales & second-hand shops.
Related Article:
1. Automotive & Garage Theme
A very popular look for a bloke’s hideout is the automotive or garage theme.
This can be achieved using car seats instead of chairs & the old bench seats are perfect for creating a sofa.
Use a workbench for a bar or tool rack cabinets instead of normal drawers, you can really let your imagination go crazy as to re-purposing automotive items for other uses.
When it comes to car themed wall art there’s no shortage.
Signs are an obvious choice as they work really well.
There’s genuine vintage & collectable service station & oil signs made from metal or porcelain, these can be expensive though ( I know, I’ve watched many an episode of American Pickers! )
But metal, wood & plastic signs are a plenty & can be had for a few dollars.
As well as signs, wall clocks come in automotive themes, such as being encased in a tyre or steering wheel, the clock face can be like a speedometer or other dashboard gauges.
You can even get wallpaper & wall decals with various automotive theme designs.
But if you want to go the DIY wall art route, car parts make excellent wall décor.
We’ve all seen half a car sticking out of a wall at certain pubs or venues.
But if you don’t have the space to go that far, just the grill by itself or a bumper can look cool.
Car doors, number plates, hubcaps & steering wheels are all great ideas for decorating the wall space.
So if this is the look you want to go with, put the pedal to the metal & start hunting for old care parts to repurpose.
2. Pub Theme
A pub theme is a nice vibe to create if you want something more cosy.
Collecting the right furniture isn’t too difficult, plush armchairs, couches & bar stools are fairly easy to find.
But if you can get your hands on them, old wooden beer kegs & wine barrels make fantastic tables.
Some people even have actual bars with real beer on tap!
If you have the space, a pool table is a must!
Pub style wall art is also plentiful.
You can find English or just general bar style décor.
Neon signs are widely used in home bars & man caves, also framed pictures & prints with appropriate subject matter work a treat.
The good old metal sign comes in a plethora of bar subjects, from toilet signs to actual beer brands.
Don't forget a dartboard of course!
You can make your own pub style wall art with drink coasters ( I have a collection of these ), harder to find now, but you can get creative with wine corks too.
And the good old blackboard, or chalk board as it’s sometimes called, is excellent for keeping pool scores & daily specials.
Cheers to the pub theme!
3. Sports Bar
Same same but different is a sports theme man cave.
This can take the shape of a sports bar or a shrine to sports memorabilia.
Going for a sports bar look, obviously you’ll need a bar with a big telly above it!
Similar the pub theme, but using a different style of furniture, you can create that bar feel & even keep the pool table.
Neon signs come into their own in this environment, be it beer brands, shapes of beer glasses or bottles, betting related or anything to do with sports.
Same goes for the metal signs & any other image.
Some free or cheap ideas are hanging caps or helmets on the wall, hockey sticks, cricket bats or any other sporting item you can think of.
If your cave is leaning more toward a place to display memorabilia, be it your own trophies or awards, or signed jerseys & other collectables of sporting celebrities, keep the theme consistent to the sport.
That could mean a garage theme could work well if you’re into car racing, the pub theme would suit cricket, a tiki theme ( we’re getting to that one ) is perfect for a surfer… you get the idea.
4. Tiki Bar
Aloha .. a tiki, beach or tropical theme is always fun & great to alleviate the dreariness of those long winter nights, as well as being a terrific way to keep the party rolling when you get home from the beach.
Technically, Tiki derives from the South Pacific, but you can mix it with any tropical or Asian décor & it will look beachy.
The tropical vibe isn’t too difficult furniture wise, especially here in Australia as Balinese & Asian goods are readily available.
Depending where you live in the world, you may be able to obtain a premade Tiki style bar.
Thatching above the bar & lanterns strung about the place are an instant way to inject a tropical mood.
Using bamboo to create screens or panels, as well as a few coconut shells scattered about, will further produce a summer vibe!
The kinds of wall art available in this theme are carved wooden masks, also wood carvings in general & they can be really colourful too.
There’s many different prints at your disposal as well as metal wall hangings.
Of course, if you have an old surfboard lying about, that’s definitely got to go on the wall!
Leaning more toward the beach theme are things like thongs ( or flip flops depending which country you’re in ) & other beach wear, driftwood & even a lifebuoy if you can get hold of
one.
Like the idea of this theme? Rad dude, surf’s up!
5. Nautical Theme
Some of the same décor for the beach vibe can be used to create a nautical theme.
Converting an old boat into a bar is super cool & sets the mood straight away.
Throw in a ships steering wheel or helm & it’s an instant winner.
Getting hold of an engine order telegraph would be the icing on the cake!
There’s loads of nautical themed prints available, but some DIY art you can use is an anchor, rowing paddles as well as portholes which are great for picture frames or clocks.
Fishermen's nets can be draped around or hung from the ceiling & other related fishing items.
Of course it wouldn’t be complete without a taxidermied fish.
So are you ready to set sail for the nautical theme?
6. Aviation Theme
Your man cave will really take off with an aeronautical theme!
Probably one of the hardest & most expensive man caves looks to do really well due to needing aircraft parts.
Tables can be crafted out of wing sections as well as seats, which can also be actual aircraft seats.
Finding aircraft themed wall art isn’t a problem, as there’s plenty of prints with old & modern subject matter.
Clocks & wall decals are popular too.
If you can get a hold of a propeller, that’s a real centrepiece on the wall.
Also hanging old flying goggles & other paraphernalia on the walls will set the mood.
If you choose to take your man cave on this flight path you can let you imagination fly!
7. Music Theme
Like jamming out with your mates?
Maybe a music themed man cave is for you.
Even if you don’t play, but you just love music, your man cave doesn’t need to look like a recording studio.
This is a relatively easy & cheaper décor to run with.
If you’re going to have a jukebox or a vintage record player, they may be expensive items, but the furniture itself doesn’t have to be anything special if you’re just going for a general music vibe.
There’s a few genres of music & each will have it’s own look.
There's the 50’s rock & roll look, heavy metal, 60’s & 70’s hippy vibe & a country music theme would incorporate cowhide furniture & hay bales!
There's unique furniture made from guitars & other instruments & I’ve even seen a table top made to look like a cassette ( remember those? )
But for all these genres there’s wall art to fit.
As well as canvas & general prints of famous musicians, they can be of a musical theme, like notation for example.
Other things that work are the obvious guitar or two on the wall, but old vinyl records can be pretty cool, especially if they’re somewhat obscure.
Drum cymbals are good on a wall & of course there’s always a clock for any theme or era.
Did I mention disco?
A mirror-ball & some flashing coloured lights are the foundation, you can get inspiration from Saturday Night Fever.. why did I mention disco? This IS a man cave right?
Don’t forget the neon signs, you can recreate a sleazy jazz club or the Hard Rock Café.
You can impart a more serious feel by using subtle colours & black and white framed photographs of musicians as portraits or concert shots.
8. Movie Theme
The Hollywood theme isn’t restricted to the home theatre, or if you don’t have a theatre room in your house, your man cave can easily be converted.
The most expensive outlay will be the projector and screen.
They really vary in price from a few hundred bucks to over a thousand dollars, it depends on quality, whether they’re 3D or just 2D.
Screens are the same, they can be well over a thousand dollars.
If you decide to put the actual theatre seating in, it’s not cheap either, running into a couple of grand!
But you don’t need to take out a second mortgage to accomplish a really good movie themed man cave.
A large screen television & comfy couches & chairs are more than enough.
Having dimmable wall lighting works well to give an authentic cinema experience & a decent sound system.
Whereas a cinema look probably doesn’t need any wall art, creating a movie or Hollywood vibe will.
This can range from movie posters & mounted or framed pictures of famous Hollywood icons.
But you don’t necessarily need these, if this is the theme you want for your man cave there’s an amazing array of movie theatre wall art from popcorn signs, large movie tickets, clapper boards, rolls of film & other signage.
Ready to roll? … aaand ... action!
9. Industrial Theme
An industrial theme is a good manly vibe to go for.
This can take a modern look or a more grungy feel.
It can get pricey if you’re getting custom furniture made, but if you’re a DIY kinda guy, there’s plenty of inspirational ideas for creating your own furniture.
Other items can be found cheaply, or even up-cycled and re-purposed, this can be a really hands on & creative theme to undertake.
The bare bones of your man cave won’t necessarily require too much work, bare brick can be left as is, chipped plaster & exposed wood will all help create that industrial vibe.
If you want a sleeker & more modern feel, metal art prints are stunning, fine art photographs of architecture look great as well as industrial style wall clocks & metal wall sculptures.
It still creates an industrial feel, but graffiti styled wall art will portray that urban vibe.
Banksy’s probably the more familiar graffiti artist, but this style can be found as prints & even wallpaper, which works great if you want to have a whole wall covered.
Other types of wall art are sculptures made with machine parts, but you can also make your own out of odds & sods you may have lying around.
Going to the local tip shop can be a treasure trove where you’ll find stuff to re-purpose, or a drive around the neighbourhood when there’s a verge collection.
Let your manly DIY skills loose with this theme!
10. Rustic Theme
Last but very popular is the rustic themed man cave.
Similar to the industrial look, this can be a real do it yourself approach, finding items at garage sales, tip shops & verge collections.
Also the two styles compliment each other, so industrial style factory cast-offs & chunky hardware can be used in the rustic theme.
Rustic tends to lean toward the use of wood, you’ll notice a lot of cafes & hipster bars are rustically inclined.
Pallets can be made into just about anything, galvanised pipes from the hardware store are great for making table frames & the like.
I’ve actually made a clothes hanger with a shoe shelf at the bottom & a shelf on top out of these pipes & an old pallet.
Rustic style images can be of a variety of subjects like old barns, cars & tractors & then add a chunky frame as well.
But rustic wall art can be wooden signs, metal signs, clocks & wall hangings.
Again you can let your imagination run & make your own rustic wall art.
Fancy trying your hand at a rustic theme? No beard required!
Final Thoughts
I really hope you enjoyed exploring these 10 man cave themes, I had fun putting them together to be honest.
The great thing about man caves is, you can go all out & invest in some amazing items, or you can take the DIY approach.
They can be a really creative endeavour.
Please feel free to share this article with your mates ( although you don't want them outdoing you! )
Comentarios