5 Dynamic Additions To Your Man Cave

It’s your own personal retreat in your garage or basement, a place where you and the guys can watch a game or talk with a beer in hand. You’ve got the big “must-haves” covered: the large screen TV or projector, the bar, the recliner. Now you just need those little extra touches to make your man cave your own space.

Whether you shop for yourself or you want to give friends and family ideas for an upcoming birthday, aim to complete your personal space with a few things that will make spending time in your room both more fun and more convenient.

Sports Memorabilia

What do you do in your man cave? If “watch sports” is one of your answers, turn the room into a reflection of your passion for the game.  Wherever there’s room on your wall or an empty shelf, add something to remind you of your favorite sports team. You might:

• Celebrate your favorite team with a sports wall clock
• Frame your favorite player’s jersey
• Display an autographed ball
• Hang a poster of your favorite player

Acquire memorabilia with a basic bold design of the team, or display a permanent record of the memorable year when your team won the championship game with an item specifically commemorating the team’s win. Show off your super fan status with sports décor throughout the room.

A Mini Fridge

You can’t really unwind without cool refreshments and hearty snacks. But walking back and forth between your man cave and the kitchen can prove a hassle, especially if your retreat has been relegated to the garage or basement. Include a mini fridge in the room and stock it with man cave snacks and drinks, and make it off-limits for anyone not hanging out with you in the room.

A Hammock

Close your eyes and imagine floating on air. A cool breeze tickles your face, and the scent of fresh mown grass or the woods invades your nostrils. To many men, taking a nap on a hammock in the shade of trees is the epitome of unwinding. However, it’s not practical if you don’t live beach-side — and if you do, it’s often too hot to spend much time outdoors anyway.

Put a hammock in your man cave. There are kinds with stands that don’t require trees, or you can hang the hammock from hooks on walls or ceilings. Watch TV from your hammock, browse a tablet, read a book or just take a nap. Since the hammock is in your cave, you get first dibs on it, even if you have kids who want to play on it.

An Homage to Your Childhood

Devote at least one corner of your man cave to your inner child. Display action figures or collectables on a shelf to celebrate your favorite comics, movies and TV shows. Place a bucket of LEGO bricks on a table for you (and maybe your kids) to play with. Change the corner into a retro Atari or Nintendo corner, complete with an old game system plugged into a standard definition TV or even into your HDTV. Decorate with vintage video game posters and decals and relive the games of your childhood. If you do have kids, the toys will keep them occupied and out of your hair while you watch the game.

A Roomba

Whether or not you and your significant other have a fairly equal division of labor around the rest of the house, it probably goes without saying it’s up to you to keep your space tidy. Your loved ones won’t be happy if they keep the rest of the house clean and your man cave has crumbs all over the floor. To avoid arguing with your significant other about keeping the room clean while at the same time skipping the effort of vacuuming, let a Roomba or other self-controlled cleaning system roam free so the room cleans itself.

The Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch reports that 54% of men have a man cave in their homes, and as many as 32% of men would prefer to spend an evening in their man cave than on a date with their spouse or significant other. Clearly, people find it important to have their own space, so why stop at the TV and the couch? Outfit the room with a few extra details so it becomes a celebration of what you love, and how much you love to unwind.