JOIN USWhy is it that interior decorators and homemakers alike ignore the man’s habitat? The man’s office is generally the last one to be decorated in the home. Rather than plan on how to decorate, most people just throw in everything to do with men — all of the masculine things one can imagine, paying no heed to where each item goes or the end result.
What is the outcome? Either you end up with a room that is so lacking in designing finesse that no woman would like to enter it; or female influences take over and the result is a guy’s room which is in effect a woman’s room with harder colours.
A 29-year-old Canadian designer, Damon Snider, has started a company to cater to home design for men. His jobs range from designing dens to bachelor apartments and homes. His goal is to create a gentleman’s den from a man’s cave. With a little imagination, a masculine space can be made ‘women friendly’. Damon refers to his clients as a type D male, the ‘D’ referring to dude or design. He defines the meaning of such a man as “someone who adopts ‘cutting edge creativity’, style, and refined masculinity.” Thus, the effect you should strive for is to reflect the man’s characteristics. For example, if a young bachelor wants to showcase his home for a visit by his girlfriend or fiancée the room should not be stark or overly masculine since this conveys the impression that he is cold and not ready to commit.
A design idea you could implement, for example, is mimicking industrial design. This can be softened for the woman in your life by throwing in bright colours and textures. Cool aluminium furniture with bright blue micro fibre upholstery creates a very masculine look without offending a woman’s sensibilities. To find that unique look, try uber modern furniture or art that stands out. At the end of the day, what everyone wants is a comfortable room with a modern look that one can be proud of. This is not so hard to achieve. Remember you are not living in a cave, and are rather working in a den.