Man caves are known for being great party dens and cozy home theaters but, if you’re looking to make the most out of yours, it’s best to turn it into something that you’ll be able to use every day as well, like a home office.
Having your own space where you can focus on work can help boost your productivity.
With freelancers and digital nomads everywhere normalizing the work-from-home set-up, having a place in your home where you can get away from all the ruckus and just divert all your attention to work can be really helpful.
Check out these ten ways to turn your room into a useful man cave office.
#1: Choose an appropriate wall color to paint your walls
The color of your walls can affect many things, including the overall vibe of the room, your mood, and your energy.
If you’re torn between painting your wall that bright, vibrant color to make it lively for parties and something really neutral and subtle, just know that you can always do both.
Go ahead and paint those walls your bright and vibrant color of choice but keep the walls in the area where you intend to set up your office a cool and calm color.
Wondering what colors would work great for these parts of your man cave? Check out this post for some great ideas
#2: Make your man cave office walls decorative and functional with an acrylic wall calendar
Guys aren’t big on decorating, but if you decide that you’re going to do it anyway, then make the most out of it and make your decoration functional, too.
Looking for a way to make your walls look less boring? Why not make your wall calendar? It’s a great DIY project that’s easy to do and sure to help you stay on top of your deadlines and other work-related commitments.
You can watch the full video here or follow these simple steps.
What you’ll need:
- Clear acrylic plexiglass sheet – feel free to choose whatever size you want your calendar to be.
- Wall stand-offs – these will be used to attach the plexiglass sheet to the wall later.
- Dry erase marker and eraser – you’ll be needing these to plot your schedule and write stuff down your wall calendar.
- Vinyl tape – you’ll be using this to create the grids on your wall calendar.
How to Make Your Own Wall Calendar
- Drill a hole on all four corners of your plexiglass sheet for the wall stand-offs.
- Plot your grid, making sure you have enough space for 7 columns and 5 rows like any old calendar.
- Customize your calendar by writing down the current month, dates, and whatever other details you want to include.
- Drill the wall stand-offs down to your wall.
- Hang up your acrylic wall calendar.
- Cap off your wall stand-offs to lock the calendar in place and you’re done!
Of course, if you’re not the type to DIY, you can always buy a ready-to-install acrylic wall calendar for your man cave office here.
#3: Create a well-lit atmosphere
Mood lighting and dim lights are great for chilling during the weekends in your man cave but, when you’re using your space as an office, you’ll want it to be as bright and as luminous as can be.
Ideally, you’ll want to have some natural light coming in to your man cave office to keep your awake and productive during the day.
However, with most man caves being located in basements and garages, it’s impossible to get natural light so artificial light from lamps and other lighting fixtures will have to do.
We have some really good ideas for man cave lighting here.
#4: Use flexible furniture
No, we’re not asking you to get super stretchy pieces of furniture to use in your man cave office. Instead, we’re suggesting that it would be practical and ideal to furnish your man cave office with pieces that can be used for working, chilling, and entertaining.
For example, a bar counter and stool set may seem like the perfect addition to a man cave that you intend on turning into a home bar, but the same bar counter and stool combo can be used as your workspace, too.
You can even entertain a couple of guests using the same set if you’re the type who likes to serve drinks and snacks. Check out this compact table and stool combo that’s great for chilling, entertaining, and working.
Already have a bar counter built into your man cave? Check out this post for the best man cave stools.
#5: Pimp your rig
You know you need a computer to get some work done so why not go with a high-end rig while you’re at it?
You might think you don’t need a high-spec machine for a bit of browsing, emailing, and maybe some actual computing but once you experience speed while doing these day-to-day tasks, you’re never going to want to come back to your mediocre computer setup.
You don’t have to be a gamer dude to have a cool computer set-up.
Whether it’s simply adding bias lighting to the back of your computer screen, or actually building an RGB rig for gaming and work, having a nice computer setup in your man cave office is one of the best ways to boost motivation and productivity.
#6: Get a standing desk for better health and better productivity
If you spend a lot of time sitting on your desk while working on your computer, your health might already be suffering. Research has shown that sitting all day or sitting for long periods of time can result in several health risks and issues.
Thankfully, the solution to keeping yourself from sitting too much is easy: stand up every once in a while. Although, remember that is easier said than done.
Instead of playing Russian Roulette with your brain and seeing whether you can remember to get up and stretch every once in a while when you’re cooped up in your man cave office, why not get a standing desk converter instead?
A contraption like this can help save you from too much sitting plus it can help boost productivity, too.
#7: Make it a fun space
Sure, the goal is to make a space that’s conducive for working and getting things done but, you know what they say: “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
Aside from focusing on building an environment that fosters productivity and creativity, be sure to add in some elements of fun to your man cave office as well.
If you like pool, adding a pool table where you can play for a bit while you take a break from work would be a really good idea. Love working out? A treadmill or an elliptical to free up your mind and release some endorphins to get rid of stress would be brilliant.
Think about what you like doing best when work gets a bit much and try to put that in your man cave office. It could be a sweet home theater setup, some indoor sports, or even your hobby of choice.
#8: And make it a comfortable space
Aside from making your man cave office a fun space, it’s important to make it comfortable too. No one wants to work in an uncomfortable environment and no one thrives when working while feeling strained so comfort is a must.
You can start by making sure that you have comfortable seating options. Aside from a good office chair, having a comfy couch is also a great idea.
Check out our top picks for the best man cave couches here. Good cooling and heating is something to put on your checklist, too. Nothing makes a room more comfy than having it at the right temperature.
Remember that comfort, like many things, is personal and subjective. Getting a professional to design and decorate your man cave office for you may sound like a good idea, but only you can truly make your space comfortable according to your preference and your standards.
#9: Keep clutter at bay with modular storage units
Clutter decreases productivity. Make sure your home office remains clutter-free by having a designated space and area for everything.
Unfortunately, not all man caves have built-in storage, especially those set in garages or basements. If your space lacks cabinets and a dedicated space for storage, modular storage units can help.
What’s great about modular storage units is that you can configure and customize them however you want.
You can choose to have them installed on your walls or you can arrange them like you would a normal shelf. They can be used for storing files and other important stuff, as well as for displaying trinkets and memorabilia that can help add a bit of personality to the room.
#10: Separate your work area from the rest of your man cave
Keeping things separate is a great way to ensure that you achieve balance between work and play.
Just because your man cave also serves as your office doesn’t mean you should just set your laptop up wherever you want in your man cave and start working (though you could, no one’s stopping you here).
Having a dedicated space as your workplace can help you get more things done in a shorter span of time. You might be wondering how you can dedicate a part of your man cave as your office.
Does this mean you’ll have to put up a wall and close off the room? Not necessarily. Instead, you can use a room divider like this one that easily keeps your office from the rest of your man cave.
While there are lots of other room divider designs out there, this one stood out the most to us because of its sleek, simple, and straightforward design.
You can even use it as a screen for when you want to watch movies using your projector! Talk about hitting two birds with one stone, right?
Final Thoughts
Remember to build your man cave office according to your taste and your personal preference.
There’s nothing wrong with following the latest man cave trends as long as you know you’ll be enjoying them and they won’t be suppressing your style.
A man cave office doesn’t have to be so serious. Strike the perfect balance between fun and functional to make the most out of your space.