The Ultimate Man Cave Ideas

Outrageous ideas for dens with attitude.

Always dreamt of having a man cave, or live with someone who has?

Transform an under-used space into a dedicated hideaway.

Man room, man cave, secret den, hideout –whatever you decide to call it,these masculine spaces are perfect for escaping to, for entertaining in, and for making your friends jealous.

Read Also:Stylish Study Ideas & Dreamy Home Offices

Go traditional with wood panelling, parquet floors, stag heads, portrait paintings and a wingback armchair,reminiscent of a Pall Mall clubhouse – or go for something totally unexpected.

A pivoting wall that opens into a secret games room with table tennis, ping pong table and football tables? An underground wine cellar with secret door and spiraling staircase? A home cinema complete with popcorn machine? A library with billiard table? A cigar room? Or how about a home bar and music room with a dancefloor?Secret doors that are disguised within the panelling or disguised as a bookcase?

There’s plenty of ideas that'll keep friends entertained over the weekend without ever getting bored.

Read Also:Cool and Stylish Home Bars

Forget about walk-in wardrobes and dressing rooms, how about a walk-in wine room? Ifyou have a spare room (and a penchant for a cheeky Bordeaux), a temperature-controlled display room that makes a feature of your prised wine collection can be yours.

When it comes to decorating, we say; Go Big Or Go Home.

These ideas favour the brave.

Having a man room is probably the ultimate indulgence you can have as a grown up.

Create a masculine retreat in your home with these stylish ideas for man caves...

Read Also:This Converted Shipyard Is Straight Out Of A Bond Movie

Secret Room

Secret Room

Proving that it’s not just kids who get all the fun, a den for grown ups is tucked behind this swinging bookcase door with a glow-in-the-dark constellation wallpaper (by Ralph Lauren) above.

Secret Room

Secret Room

Proving that it’s not just kids who get all the fun, a den for grown ups is tucked behind this swinging bookcase door with a glow-in-the-dark constellation wallpaper (by Ralph Lauren) above.

Garage

Garage

This garage comes with its own games room. The ultimate man cave.

Pac Man

Pac Man

Funky pipes were added on the ceiling in a video game formation, and painted in bright colours. The video game theme is continued on the walls, where wall shelving was created to mimic the Pac Man video game. A large ‘Game Over’ sign on the wall lights up.

Home Cinema

Home Cinema

Home cinema anyone? They're surprisingly easy to create, and projectors are relatively inexpensive too. The rest is all in the details; spotlights, wood panelled walls, sink-into seating and tactile rugs. Popcorn machine optional.

Cigar Room

Cigar Room

Tiny Room? No problem. This small timber cigar room leads to a tieny tiny wine room – essentially a room within a room – and proves that you don't need to have a cavernous cave to create a stylish, private space. This small room holds many little cigar boxes inside, some of which are 300 to 400 years old. Get the look: This leather armchair is from Restoration Hardware. The antique chaise longue is from the Napoléon III period. The Persian rug is vintage and was dyed grey. The walls are made from oiled American walnut. The steel door was powder-coated in Black.

Billiard Room

Billiard Room

The ultimate in man cave design; a billiard room. Add a library and lots of art to keep it feeling a bit posh.

Secret Door

Secret Door

We love a secret, hidden door. Just think of all those National Trust properties and the way secret exits are disguised within the panelling. Pocket doors (where the door slides into a space in the wall) are ideal because they’re only there when you need them, or pivoting walls (like this one) that hook back, either painted or papered in with the other walls. Also full-height doors – your eye doesn’t read them as something separate. With these, you can reconfigure a space to suit many needs without affecting the flow of the house.

Basement Bar

Basement Bar

With a proper bar in the basement, there’s plenty to keep friends entertained over the weekend without ever getting bored. The bar was given its own name and bespoke light-up bar sign, inspired by the owner's grandmother's two favourite things; Scotch whiskey and her late husband Ted. Get the look: The bespoke bar, created by Made by Jason & Co, includes a brass bar top from The Copper And Zinc Bar Company.With a proper bar in the basement, there’s plenty to keep friends entertained over the weekend without ever getting bored. The bar was given its own name and bespoke light-up bar sign, inspired by the owner's grandmother's two favourite things; Scotch whiskey and her late husband Ted. Get the look: The bespoke bar, created by Made by Jason & Co, includes a brass bar top from The Copper And Zinc Bar Company.

Secret Wine Cellar

Secret Wine Cellar

An underground wine cellar with a secret door will be the envy of all your friends. Underground wine cellars by Spiral Cellars give you instant access to your wine collection via a top door and a – you guessed it – spiral staircase. Made from concrete and with an external diameter of 2.3 metres, they’re capable of holding up to 1900 bottles of wine. They can be installed under any ground floor room – great for kitchens but striking in a hallway too. Installation is short with little to no mess, you won’t need planning permission to have one installed, and the built-in ventilation system continuously replaces warm air with cool air. We’re sold.

Music room

Music room

Fancy yourself a bit of a musician? Dedicate your space to it. This basement music studio pictured displays the owner's guitar collection. The space comes with its own dance floor, which descends to reveal a Bond-like swimming pool. Get the look: Bespoke seating area (also a pull-out bed), Yoo Studio.

Gadgets and Gizmos

Gadgets and Gizmos

Open fire? Check. Oversize portrait? Check. Speakers concealed in the ceiling? Check. A TV that retracts into the floor? Check. This space has it all. Get the look: The painting above the fireplace is by Ronald Lee Anderson from 1960.The concrete poodles are antiques from the Fifties. The vintage Fifties telephone was a New York flea-market find. The Excite speakers in the ceiling are from Crestron. These are custom-made steel-framed glazing windows from Crittall Windows. The TV is concealed in floor using a lift from Inca. This is polished concrete flooring with a light grey matte finish.

Macabre

Macabre

Fancy the macabre? This striking chandelier is made of 31 suspended taxidermy pigeons, each with a light bulb stuffed in its beak. This light hangs from a room with a 12 foot high ceiling, so it needed something dramatic. Get the look: The 31 Pigeons chandelier is by Alex Randall.

Home Gym

Home Gym

Planning on spending a lot of time in your man room? Make it count. Your other half won't be able to say no to the idea of a man cave if you promise to use it for keeping fit. This stylish home gym by Michaelis Boyd Architects includes traditionally masculine design details. This fitness man-cave features panelled walls painted in a lime/chalk paint with a soft matte effect, a restored fireplace and vintage-inspired fitness equipment.

Wood Panelling

Wood Panelling

Alexander Waterworth achieved a snug, masculine feel in this den by enveloping the space in dark wood panelling.

Rooftop Bar

Rooftop Bar

Transform an unused rooftop or loft space into an actual rooftop bar, complete with beer kegs, pendant lights and cool bar stools.

Statement Art

Statement Art

The medicine cabinet in the background is an original Damien Hirst piece from his 'The Sleep Of Reason' series.

Wine Room

Wine Room

A temperature-controlled display room that makes a feature of your prised wine collection? Yes please.

Peaking Window

Peaking Window

If you're going to go as far as installing a wine room, then we also love the idea of giving your wine room a window that offers an enticing teaser of what’s inside.

Nightclub

Nightclub

The table in this dining room comes apart into several smaller cocktail tables. It was designed to be transformed into a night club – complete with DJ equipment, lighting and sound system.

Table Football

Table Football

Entertain friends with table football table, among other games. They are surprisingly inexpensive to buy. Get the look: For a similar vintage football table, £2,995 from RS Barcelona at The Conran Shop. The copper pendant lamps are by Tom Dixon. The smaller hanging lamps were designed by home owner.

Table Tennis

Table Tennis

This games room comes with a ping-pong table. Get the look: The You & Me Ping-Pong table is from The Conran Shop. The floor light was inherited. Find a similar light at Holloways of Ludlow. The prints are from a calendar made up of various illustrators’ work, produced by designer Glenn Garriock.

Mezzanine

Mezzanine

No space for a man room? Then how about building a mezzanine balcony in a double-height room? This balcony has been transformed into a masculine space complete with table football, library and cinema-style movie projector. Get the look: The built-in shelving, created by Manning Bespoke, is made of oak veneer backed by bronze mirrors. The Bath sofa and footstool are from Graham and Green. The Anemone Cocoa rug is by Marni at The Rug Company. Jon Loveday of Loveday Construction made the bespoke pendant light. The T-tables in Crystal are by Patricia Urquiola for Kartell. The wood flooring is from Parquet Flooring.

Mad Men

Mad Men

Don't have space for a home office AND a man cave? Then make your office something truly beautiful, with its own bar and artwork collection. This Mad Men style office was designed by designer Peter Mikic.

Book display

Book display

For a modern approach to displaying your book collection, opt for the timeless Booken bookcase by LEMA.

Exposed Brickwork

Exposed Brickwork

Give your man room an industrial feel with exposed brickwork. Here, Tom Dixon pendants make a striking display. Get the look: The Met sofa and chair are from Cassina. This is the B1 speaker from Vivid Audio. The table is bespoke. The side table is the DLM (Don’t Leave Me) model by Hay. The cushions and throw are from Heal’s.

Go Gothic

Go Gothic

Dare to go a little gothic with a (faux) skull. Get the look: The oversized standing lamp is by Foscarini. The chair is by James UK. The photograph is by Two Faces. The steer head was custom made in Sweden.

Lotte Brouwer

Lotte is the Digital Editor for Livingetc, and has been with the website since its launch. She has a background in online journalism and writing for SEO, with previous editor roles at Good Living, Good Housekeeping, Country & Townhouse, and BBC Good Food among others, as well as her own successful interiors blog. When she's not busy writing or tracking analytics, she's doing up houses, two of which have features in interior design magazines. She's just finished doing up her house in Wimbledon, and is eyeing up Bath for her next project.