Man caves are a great addition to your home. But you can be proud of this project by coming up with your own set-up.
A do-it-yourself man cave bar that screams your personality and utilizes your creativity is a good idea.
Let me help you breakdown everything you need in a man cave bar and let me list some tips you can use to decorate your home bar.
I’m sure you’ll find at least a few useful tips you can incorporate and turn your basement into a man cave you’ve been dreaming of.
1. Textured Wall
To help you get started, one of the easiest ways to make a bold statement in your man cave bar is by adding texture to some of the walls.
A unique tip to add this detail to your bar is by adding stone or wood. If you go to your local home improvement store, you’ll find all sorts of options.
Who knows, you might find more decorations in the store or an online shop to add in your man cave bar.
There are many styles, colors, and material types for the stone textures. There’s no reason why you can’t use those pieces inside your man cave bar.
A textured wall with earth tones can really make your man cave bar feel more rustic and manly.
2. Floating Shelves
When it comes to a man cave bar, you really want to personalize the place as much as you can. To do this, you can display collectible items on the shelves of your bar.
You can also make sure that your collectible items are safely stored in your home bar. Also, what is a bar without some snacks?
A useful tip is to stack some of your favorite snacks in your bar that is enough for you and your friends. Sure, you could just buy a bookshelf and stash all of these items in a specific part in your man cave bar.
But a cooler plan is by putting them on floating shelves. You can make sure that your snacks or anything you want to display in your man cave will be more organized.
You can build floating shelves that can be hung all around the man cave bar. You can also spread out your collectibles to have an exciting bar.
It will also save floor space as these shelves are hung somewhere in the bar. For some who turned their basement into their man cave bar, there might be limited space, and this can be a space-saving hack.
Not everyone is blessed to have a man cave bar with generous space, so if your bar space is small, a wall-mounted shelf would fit in right.
3. World Map
If you’re looking for cheap man cave bar decorating tips, consider putting in a world map. A vintage map is even better. If you travel a lot, this is the right decoration for your man cave bar.
You can even pin spots on the map of locations you have visited or pin the places you want to visit next. This can turn the map into a conversation piece for when guests come over to your man cave bar.
4. Fishing Rod Picture Hanger
Fact check: Most men like to fish. If you like to fish, have you thought about hanging a few custom-made fishing rods in your home bar?
Or better yet, you can build a vintage flywheel rod on the wall and then hanging a few short pieces of a fishing line using a rod’s line with picture frames attached to them.
You can get help from DIY instructions online, or you can buy a pre-made one for your bar. This is a unique display of photos in your man cave bar rather than just stacking them to the wall.
Another great idea is using pictures of some of your favorite fishing trips, biggest catches, and more.
5. Bar
If you enjoy beer, mixed drinks, or wine, then hopefully this bar as a decoration is already at the top of your list. Perhaps, it may even be the main reason why you want to create a man cave bar in the first place.
A bar is a great addition to build a focal point in a man cave. Not all bars have to take an enormous amount of space, and a small bar is already a great addition.
Many cheaper options are only a couple feet wide and offer plenty enough room to store your bar tools and drinkware.
Another tip to remember is to pick a themed bar that suits your likes and interests. You may find yourself using some of these themes:
- arcade-themed bar
- gun-inspired themed bar
- football-themed bar
- casino themed bar
Whichever theme you pick, you must be open to something you like. So you won’t end up spending too much, use materials you already have at home.
A tip to get creative with a home bar is by using bar stools. You can find all sorts of fancy designs or customize your own using existing stools or other recyclable materials in your house.
Just ensure to have enough bar stools to accommodate many of your friends. Either way, you’ll have a prime entertainment spot and a cozy bar for when your guests come over.
6. Beverage Refrigerator
Regardless if you add a bar to your man cave or not, one thing you must have is a beverage refrigerator. No home bar is complete without a fully stocked fridge of ice-cold drinks.
Who wouldn’t want to sit back and relax with a refreshing beverage? These days, you can buy the exact size cooler you need for your space without spending a lot of money.
Affordable beverage cooler options are made to store 62 cans up to 150 cans range. A drink cooler like this is a much better-needed decoration in a man cave than using a large, oversized fridge sitting in the corner.
To find out what’s suitable for your home bar, check out my reviews of the best beverage coolers to compare the top products.
7. Front Car Grill
If you’re handy with a metal saw, you may want to consider going to a junkyard and finding an old classic car that still has the front grill intact.
Cutting the grill off from the rest of the vehicle will allow you to use it as cheap man cave decor.
You can hang it on a wall or incorporate it under the countertop of a full-length bar, turning the grill into a centerpiece in your bar space.
If you’re lucky enough, you can find the front grill of the dream car you always wanted and hang it somewhere in your bar. So you’ll always get reminded to reach your goals to attain that dream car.
8. Whiskey Bottle Lamps
Did you know that you can turn old liquor bottles into table lamps? I’ve seen many DIY bars that have this detailed design.
It’s true, and I found out it’s not very hard to build as well. Just find an empty whiskey bottle, clean it, and use it as a lampstand. See?
No tools and not many materials are needed. You can place it on your bar top or a side table. If you’re a more advanced DIYer, you can build a light fixture you can hang on a bar top.
9. Arcade Games
Almost all men love to reminisce about when he was younger by playing video games, and classic arcade games are the best. You can often find cheap arcade game cabinets online.
There are available tutorials out there for building your own if you feel inclined to do so. This is a perfect addition if you have decided on an arcade-themed bar to be built.
If this man cave decorating tip is one that gets you excited, you may also want to consider getting a pinball table for the room.
That way, you can have an assortment of games to challenge your buddies as well.
10. Electric Fireplace Heater
Don’t have a real fireplace in your home bar? Don’t worry, and there are fireplace heaters that will fit your budget. You can now buy an electric fireplace heater that looks pretty realistic.
Some fireplace heaters also have 3D flames that change colors. Not only is this a simple way to make your room cozier, but it also helps cut down on your heating bill too.
If you use your basement or garage as your man cave, it may not have insulation, so you’ll most likely need a fireplace heater during the cold days. [1]
If this sounds interesting to you, check out my cheap electric fireplace heaters guide.
11. Football Field Carpet
Do you love football? How about installing a green carpet that is marked like a football field? Now, this sounds like an ultimate good idea for your bar.
If your man cave room has a long space, you could even have the end zone land at the wall, which has your big screen TV. This adds to the laid back vibe when watching football games with your pals.
You can also use football as a theme for your DIY bar. You can also place football collectibles on your bar shelves as a decoration. If you have signed a collectible, you can place it in a frame and hang it.
If it’s too big to fit in a conventional frame, you can have it custom-made. For example, you have a limited edition signed football jersey of your favorite football player.
Of course, you can’t readily buy a frame that fits it. Since it’s one of your most prized possessions, you want to protect it. A good plan is to have a custom frame built for the jersey.
Look, this may sound out of the budget, but going a little over the budget for a prized possession is worth it.
Bottom Line:
As you can see, decorating your man cave doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort to get good results. You can convert an extra room in your house or build your basement into one.
By just thinking outside of the box and choosing cheap ways to decorate the space, you can have a location that truly represents who you are as a person and is inviting to your friends.
If you’re looking for even more inspiration or just want to find some cool gear for your new room, read on my post of modern home gadget reviews.
I’ve tested and rated lots of things for the home, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what you’ll find.
