The Dorm Room Man Cave 101

Finally, you’ve made it to college! You’re totally psyched about being on your own and living in a dorm. Then, you arrive, and your room is a tiny den with sickly cinderblock walls. Not the kind of room you want to bring all your bro’s in to watch the games. Check out this guide to turning a bland room into a fantasy man cave you and your buddies can call home.

One disclaimer: Before you paint, decoupage, or otherwise change your room, find out your dorm’s rules for decorating first. I don’t think your parents would be too happy covering those costs.

The Basics

Start simple by looking at the walls. Consider changing the color. You could paint all the walls, or just some of them. You could use a single color, or go crazy with two or three. Painting the walls instantly transforms a room and gives it personality. Solid colors, or your school colors give the room a manly feel and make it easier to decorate.

Most dorms have cold, institutional-type flooring. Enhance both the look and feel of the floor with a rug that reflects your personal style. Go with a large rug to cover most of the floor, or choose several smaller rugs to place by your bed, sink, and shower. College team rugs make a nice fit and will go with the colors on the wall if you decide to paint them.

Even if your dorm room windows have blinds, make them feel more like home with window treatments. Look for window curtains from TheShadeStore.com to find the best manly colors to fit the man cave perfectly.

Decorating the Walls

Whether you’ve painted the walls or not, you can choose to populate them with something every guy will find eye-catching. A simple and classic approach involves hanging lots of posters. Most colleges have Market Wednesday where you can purchase posters of all sorts right on campus. They make a statement and offer a good conversation starter when you have visitors in your room.

If you love crafts or have a flair for artistic expression, make wall hangings. Using nails, string, and wood, you can create string art. Repurpose old beer cases to attract more of a guy’s interest. You could also hang your sports equipment on the wall for storage and decoration.

Fun Furniture

Seating is one of the most important aspects of a man cave. If you’re going to have a bunch of your friends over hanging out, there needs to be enough room for them all to fit. Consider giant bean bags. They don’t take up a lot of room, and many people can fit on them at once. Not to mention the flair factor. You (or your mom, let’s be real) can even make them yourself with the college team fabric.

Need more storage space? Turn old crates into bookshelves. You may need to paint or stain them to give them a nice vintage look. You can also stack old painted suitcases on top of each other to create a small tower for a nightstand. Top them with a mirror so you have an even surface to place small items.

Pick a Theme

Go with a theme you love. Since this is your college dorm room, it will probably be the football or basketball team. A hobby or leisure activity, travel, or anything else that makes you feel good would be appropriate also. Reflect the theme in your wall hangings, bedding, and other decor.

Remember that just a few changes will take a man cave dorm room from bland to bro. All of your buddies will be hanging out watching sports in no time.