This story about a Man’s Den has been on my mind, from the time I was helping a newly married couple design their house.
The girl had a masters in Arts from NYU and came from the city of Jaipur. She loved soft colours and intricate details. From her reference images, her perfect dream room would be a big airy place with beautiful linen with block print motifs strewn around. A four poster teak bed with a nice Belgium crystal chandelier on the top, some books and no TV would complete the room. Also, it looked totally like a “pink quartz” lover’s room.
The husband, in this case, was a lawyer who had a great interest in collecting art and was bolder in his choices. In his reference pictures, received just ‘by the way’, he wanted to have an Italian marble wall behind his bed with brass light fixtures. Also, a coffee table with a metal propeller as the base and a 60” TV inside the room. The man totally loved his gadgets and he wanted a room to have it all.
With this as the background, if one is curious if they lived happily ever after, well that’s another story. Meanwhile, during the eventual process of designing their bedroom, most specifically, what struck me was how men normally are not taken in consideration while giving the design brief or even in the final outfitting of the space. Now, a man is not the typical colour blind, unaesthetic and boring clone of his erstwhile anymore. With time we are seeing more men taking an interest in and being decisive about their choices in home interiors as much as their wives. And rightly so. This means a different aesthetic which could be the defining brief giving way to minimalistic decor, monochromatic colour schemes, in bedrooms that are then not just ‘cute’ or replete with pillows that almost look like a french poodle [no offense intended!]. Nicole Hollis, an interior designer from San Francisco has been quoted saying, “If I tell a guy, ‘This is where you put your shoes,’ that’s where he’ll put his shoes forever. They like that programming in the house so they don’t have to think about organizing.” Knowing that every man is a different individual, yet similar in some ways, we are venturing out here to help pin down the basic decor ideas of a man’s den.
1. Corporate colour code:
To start with, lets figure out the suitable colour palette. Even if most of us would choose, what I call, the colours of the corporate fan deck, whites, greys, black, beige, there is of course blue (there is a shade of blue, Serenity, which is one of the Pantone colour of the year 2016). Blue is quietly masculine and yet has that vibrancy. So choose a shade lighter or darker depending on the light and proportion of the room. Not to forget this will have to be balanced out, maybe with a shade of white or beige or grey.
Picture courtesy – Pinterest
2. What a man wants?
Now we do understand that a single man’s room can be quite a 250 piece jigsaw puzzle. But then not all of us are like that and specially not when we are single no more. Mostly men like simpler furniture and lighting schemes with more complex gadgets to match. So, one can try keeping the lines of the furniture straight, if going contemporary or decorate things in a more balanced way. In a feature in Architectural Digest, Adam Levine talks of his guiding principle when decorating his Hollywood-area home -“Furnishing a home is no different than going into the studio and making music. You want to make sure you’ve pared down all the extra details so that in the end, every stitch has a context uniquely yours.” So, marking your space means making it your own showcasing your loves, interests, likings in a way which is not overwhelming and yet personal.
Picture courtesy – www.Poltronafrau.com
3. Time for the ladies:
Now we can’t be all narcissists, can we? So lets get some bling in as it will be great to add some silver accents [vases, trinkets etc] or mirrors as well. As all white and grey might look too dull and needs some extras to perk up. A corner tray with candles or a credenza with mirror should make the place come alive indeed. And add some candles around to make it a perfect nest for two on those occasions.
Picture courtesy – Pinterest
4. Collectors corner:
If you are a book worm or have any particular passions which you wish to indulge in with a personal collection, then there are just a few things you got to take care of. To start with, its great to have the luxury of having a study or even a wall of your books in your den. However, always mix accessories in between to not get the staid library feel to it. So, putting in a comy sofa and a footrest, or some chintzy curtains and a tall vase of flowers, makes it look more interesting.
For example, if you have a collection of camera’s then try keeping all of them together rather than keeping them all closed in an attic. While a vintage dinky car can be a great addition to the decor while doubling up as a reference to the collection time period, as well. Also, while you are at it, ensure you have got at least an anchor piece which could be a vintage poster or a favourite life-size painting to break the monotony and yet looking like a part of the story.
Picture courtesy – Pinterest
5. Toys for boys:
Now if you do happen to be a cinema lover or you like your music to end your day, then it makes more sense in planning it out at the time your designer is making your electrical layout. Automatic projector screens coming down at the touch of a remote or a single remote to handle all your electrical switches or having an ipod dock in your switch plate itself are just few options for the ones who may want to splurge on gadgetry. Ofcourse you can also have light sensors for the walk through closet or more sci-fi gadgetries all depending on what’s your budget. These nifty additions, are more part of the setting than hidden, go onto make your den the all-in-one relaxation spot for you at the end of long day or even on those odd weekends when you stay in. Although the vinyl’s are getting back in trend. If you wish to pump up the swag in your room do try getting a turn-table and get those records playing.
Picture courtesy – www.substage.nl
6. Warm it up
Depending on your geographical location wooden/laminated flooring surely makes your room look warmer. With the changing seasons, adding up some woollen or crochet cushions will just do the trick as well. While having leather upholstered wing chairs around a nice fireplace in one corner will just make it the most comfortable corner of the room, there are other ways of creating a cosy nook as well. For that matter innovative use of lights can also infuse a place with neutral palette with life, like in the case of John Abraham’s Mumbai penthouse designed by his brother Alan who had indoor and outdoor plants with lighting strewn around strategically and says of the same – ‘If a tree is lit up, your vision goes to the tree, beyond the mere walls of the plane – thus connecting you to nature.’
