Ah, the proverbial man cave. It’s part myth and part dream. Is it really true that other men have a man cave? Do they have space in the house where they rule? Their mothers, wives, girlfriends, and children are not allowed in this room? Except for the rule of not bringing other girls over, a man cave of PlayStation, Xbox, basketball, poker, and beer really exists?
The man cave is not a myth. Marriage counselors and experts, in fact, agree that couples should have a room of their own that will represent their different personalities. Men who love automotive, for example, can use the man cave to tinker with their cars and motorcycles. Even more so, those who love to travel before this pandemic or before getting married and having kids can turn a portion of their house into a travel-themed man cave.
Is it that hard to convert the basement or garage into a man cave? You may want to pick the garage as your space because the basement is larger, so your wife will have more use of it for storing old furniture and appliance. She may even want to turn it into her own lady’s lair. Let her have the bigger space as she probably deserves it more. You know she does.
Prep the Garage
Before you turn this space into your very own man cave, check out what needs to be fixed and replaced there. One of the many things that homeowners usually neglect is the state of the garage door. Make sure to have the door fixed or have a new garage door installed before renovating the rest of the garage. You don’t want to move new stuff in the garage when you aren’t sure that they are safe at night. Getting a new garage door ensures the safety of the whole house.
You should also throw away or donate the stuff that you don’t need. Clean whatever space is left so you can see what you’re going to work with. Once the garage is clean and prepped, that’s when you can start turning it into your travel-themed man cave.
Paint a Mural
Okay, so you may not have the artistic talent to paint a mural on the wall, but how about buying a stickable mural or paying someone to do it? There are a lot of great artists out there who can create a travel-themed mural for you. It can be an abstract painting or a painting of a particular city that is close to your heart. How about a mural of all the places that are on your travel bucket list? Have you heard the law of attraction? Basically, you need to surround yourself with the things that you want to attract. In your case, it’s the countries you want to visit.
Showcase the Travel Souvenirs
Invest in a showcase cabinet where you can display the various trinkets and memorabilia you collected over the years of traveling. This can be anything from ref magnets to snowballs to key chains to shot glasses to postcards. If you still have your old boarding passes, you can frame those and hang them on the wall. The point is to surround yourself with things that will remind you of your travels. You have this stuff hidden somewhere in those boxes in your room. Remember those postcards you got from Bali? This is their time to shine.
Print Travel Photos
Your travel photos don’t need to have you in them. If you like taking photos of landscapes and architecture, that’s good, too. You can print these photos and have them framed. They can then occupy a wall of your garage. It can have a theme. For example, all the photos should have the same color tone—black and white or sepia or a yellow tint. Or the photos can have the same object in them such as automobiles or skyscrapers or nature. The theme will create a cohesive look to the whole man cave.
Admittedly, it’s not easy to turn a garage into your man cave, especially one with a particular theme. Won’t you feel a certain fulfillment, though, when you see what you’ve accomplished with the renovation? Whether you went all out or just had some minor repairs and fixes in your garage, what’s important is you carved a space in your home for your interests and hobbies. In that sense alone, you’re already the envy of your fellow husbands/dads. After all, not many have the time nor the support of their partners to start and build a man cave.
