Are you looking for tips on how to decorate a man's bedroom? Designing a bedroom for men can be daunting but don't worry, from the walls to the floors to the decor and accessories, I've compiled 21 of my best design ideas and tips for creating a sleek masculine space any man will love.
As an avid interior design enthusiast, it's sometimes hard for me to reign in my ideas when it comes time to renovate a room in our house. When it comes to designing bedrooms for the men in my life though, I've learned one very important fact. Men. Are. Different! Ha ha, who knew?
No, seriously, men can be difficult to decorate for because they don't communicate their likes and dislikes as much as we women do, and sometimes it's difficult for them to put their vision into words. A top tip that I've learned is that creating mood boards at the start is the way to go before starting a re-design of a bedroom for my boys.
Mood board magic
Creating a mood board is a great way of displaying your ideas visually. You can see my process for creating mood boards here. I'd recommend that you take a look at that post before you start thinking about how to decorate a man's bedroom.
By the way, I'm not an interior designer, and I have to admit, when I started out, I had no idea how to decorate a man's bedroom. but over the years, I've had the chance to hone my skill of designing masculine spaces so I feel pretty confident now as to what my men do and don't like included in their bedroom decor. I've learned that they like clean lines and dark shades with no fuss and fluff but that they are not averse to a pop of color here or there either.
Whether you're looking for men's bedroom ideas or ways to spruce up a man cave or bachelor pad, this post has some great ideas to help get you started. These tips will work for large or small spaces alike.
Table of contents
- Mood board magic
- Men's bedroom ideas or tips for designing a masculine space
- 1. Start with a color scheme
- 2. Call in the navy
- 3. Add some neutrals
- 4. Cozy colors add warmth
- 5. Warm-up gray tones
- 6. Create a focal point
- 7. Add interest with a feature wall
- 8. Ready to assemble & custom wall molding kits
- 9. Great ways with wallpaper
- 10. Get creative with wall stencils
- 11. Create clean lines
- 12. Choose space-saving light fixtures
- 13. Mix in metallics
- 14. Change out the hardware
- 15. Textures are everything
- 16. Expose the floorboards
- 17. Tie the room together with a rug
- 18. Guys love geometric patterns
- 19. Use industrial design ideas
- 20. A comfy chair is a great idea
- 21. Add some air-purifying plants
- Conclusion
Men's bedroom ideas or tips for designing a masculine space
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1. Start with a color scheme
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Young men love dark hues but that doesn't mean you have to use dark shades for everything, including the bedroom decor. When you're going about how to decorate a man's bedroom it's all about establishing a perfect balance between neutral colors and darker shades to create a cozy modern look.
2. Call in the navy
Nothing cries masculine design more than the color navy, and that's why navy blue is a classic color for a man's bedroom. It's sleek, chic, and very forgiving. Create a dark blue feature wall, or choose bedding and accents in navy. Navy blue can also be paired with many other complementary colors creating endless possibilities for switching up the room décor without changing the basics.
Unbelievably, the wood panels you see in the photo above are actually wallpaper panels!
You can find navy-colored panel-style wallpaper here.
3. Add some neutrals
If you've chosen navy as your base color for a masculine style bedroom, adding some neutrals is a great way of creating a more modern look for the room. A warm blanket and extra pillow in neutral colors will brighten up the room and make it look fresh.
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4. Cozy colors add warmth
Instead of navy bedding, try adding a duvet in rust colors instead. Rust is warm, looks great against a navy feature wall, and is still in keeping with the masculine vibe.
Shop the look: Warm tones for men's rooms
5. Warm-up gray tones
If your guy has his mind set on having gray or black walls in his bedroom, you can easily soften this look by adding natural materials to the room. A common question I've had in the past is how to decorate a man's bedroom in cool tones but still add warmth. You can see from the image above how easy it is to warm up those gray tones by adding some furniture in natural wood tones.
If the room doesn't have large windows letting in lots of natural light, brighten the room by using light accessories and a large neutral rug.
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6. Create a focal point
Whether it's a feature wall, a striking piece of wall art, the bed, or a rug, it's always a great idea to create a focal point or a place for the eye to rest upon entering the room.
If you choose a striking piece of wall art or a rug as your focal point, you can use that as inspiration for the rest of the colors in the room.
★Tip★ It's always easier to find décor to match the colors in a rug than the other way around.
Here are some great ideas on how to decorate a man's bedroom with wall art:
Wall art for the ocean-loving guy
Find the shopping links for all of these men's wall decor ideas (plus one extra) in the 'shop the post' section below.
Modern mountains with a pop of color
Misty mountain prints for the outdoor type
Surveyor prints to download and print
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7. Add interest with a feature wall
Feature walls are simple to create and are a great addition to add texture and interest to a masculine space. A fresh coat of paint does wonders for a room and is a very affordable way to create a feature wall. Wallpaper, murals, and wood paneling are also brilliant options if you have a healthy budget for your man's bedroom makeover.
8. Ready to assemble & custom wall molding kits
If you love the look of wall paneling but don't have the right tools or feel overwhelmed by the whole woodworking process, ready-made panels might be the answer. This shop creates either custom or ready-to-assemble wall molding kits. All you need to do is measure the wall, take a photo of it, choose the style of molding you like and let them do the rest! They will draw a draft of the project so that you can see how it looks before committing, simple!
Shop ready-made moldings
You can find beautiful ready-made wall panel moldings here.
9. Great ways with wallpaper
If you are on a tight budget, wallpaper is a great alternative to wall paneling or wood-based feature walls. If your man loves the rustic look of brick walls or wood paneling, there are some great peel-and-stick wallpapers in brick or wood designs that are so realistic looking it's hard to tell they're not the real deal.
Shop wallpaper for men's rooms
10. Get creative with wall stencils
Wall stencils come in all shapes and sizes and are very easy to use. Whether you're sprucing up an existing painted wall or starting from scratch wall stencils make it easy to create an accent wall in any room. Geometric designs are a great choice for masculine rooms and there is an abundance of styles to choose from.
Shop geometric wall stencils
★Tip★ I have a post that will teach you how to stencil a wall here. The post is full of tips and tricks for successful wall stenciling and I use a cute geometric stencil too!
11. Create clean lines
Masculine spaces should be unfussy. An easy way to create an unfussy space is with clean lines. Beds and furniture don't need to be ornate. Simple designs are best for these.
★Tip★ A beautiful set of barn doors would make perfect closet doors in a masculine-style bedroom. In my free guide to barn doors, you'll find everything you need to know about choosing and installing barn doors for your home.
Shop the look: Beds, nightstands, armchairs
12. Choose space-saving light fixtures
Use wall lights or sconces to free up space on the bedside table. With the lamps moved to the wall, the space on the bedside table can be kept free for things like alarm clocks, books, drinks, reading glasses, or other essentials.
Shop the look: Wall lights for masculine rooms
★Tip★ If you man loves to read in bed, make sure the lamps you choose can be adjusted or have a reading arm.
13. Mix in metallics
Metallic accents on lamps and accessories add a bit of luxury without going overboard. The kind of finish you choose depends on the look you're trying to achieve. For instance, hammered metal finishes look better in a cozy rustic-style bedroom whereas smooth brass finishes look better in a modern bedroom.
Choose a metallic shade and finish that complements the style of the room and the other accessories you've chosen. This is where a design board comes in handy. When you add the items to your board, it's easy to see which ones look good together and which ones look wrong for the room.
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14. Change out the hardware
You'll be surprised at what a difference changing out the hardware does for a room. This is particularly so if the bedroom has a mix of unmatching furniture. Changing out the hardware can create a totally different vibe and is the perfect solution if you're on a tight budget. You can give newer furniture a more vintage look or make older furniture look more modern. There are so many variations to choose from, below are just a few of my faves.
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15. Textures are everything
With all the clean lines and no fuss décor, men's bedrooms can easily start to look and feel a little sterile. You can easily change this by adding textures to the room. Decor items like rugs, curtains, throws, and bedding go a long way to cozing up a bedroom without losing the masculine vibe.
Shop textured decor for men's bedrooms
16. Expose the floorboards
Exposing the floorboards is another great way of adding texture and interest to a room. If the floorboards are in good condition, consider taking up the carpet and adding a rug instead. Wooden floors can easily be painted or stained so that the color matches the rest of the room.
17. Tie the room together with a rug
Whether the bedroom has exposed floorboards or not, adding a rug is always a great way of adding interest. If the room already has a patterned carpet, add a plain rug for a timeless look. If the carpet has a plain, block color design, a large rug with a geometric pattern will be a great addition to the foot of the bed.
Shop area rugs for men's rooms
18. Guys love geometric patterns
It's a well-known fact that men prefer geometric patterns. It's why most product packaging for men is geometrically shaped – makes sense! With that in mind, it also makes sense to use geometric patterns in their room design.
There are lots of ways to include geometric designs in a room design. You could add a rug or a throw with a geometric pattern or maybe some curtains with a fine geometric print. A feature wall with a geometric pattern always looks great in a masculine bedroom.
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19. Use industrial design ideas
Most young men love the rustic look of industrial-style bedrooms. When one of my sons moved to a shared house in the city, he had strong ideas of how he wanted his new room to look. We worked together to create an industrial-style bedroom cum study room for him. We enhanced the room with a mixture of new and old industrial-style furniture and I was even able to upcycle a wooden chest for him and make a DIY mirror in industrial style.
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Industrial-style bed with storage
★Tip★ Take a look at my modern industrial design mood board here.
20. A comfy chair is a great idea
Whether it's a place to read or relax, adding a chair to a bedroom is always a good idea. My boys always ask for a comfy chair in their rooms to make it easier for friends to visit without having to sit on the bed. Some chairs are great for gaming or convert to a bed if needed making them a practical option for bachelor pads or small apartments too.
Shop the look
21. Add some air-purifying plants
Let's face it, men love their computers and games but with all that tech going on, the air quality suffers. Adding a plant to the bedroom can boost oxygen levels, reduce stress, and combat pollution in the air.
The best plants for bedrooms are those grown in hydroponics. No potting earth means no bacteria and no fly infestations. Hydroponic plants only need to be watered around every four weeks which is great for men who may forget to water.
The Sansevieria or Mother-in-law's tongue is a very robust plant, requires little water and when grown hydroponically is the perfect houseplant for a man's room.
Conclusion
Now you know how to decorate a man's bedroom! I hope my tips have given you some inspiration and helped you with some difficult decorating decisions. Designing masculine rooms can be tricky but the tips in this post will give you a good base to start with.
The next step is to gather ideas and create a design board.
Making a mood board is great fun and extremely rewarding. Not only is it fantastic to see your ideas come to life but you'll save time, energy, and money along the way.
Even if you've never used a design board before, my step-by-step tutorial will make the process easy.
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