Man Cave

We’re moving into a transitional season – high school and college grads are prepping for final exams, and for moving into their next life phase. Moms and dads everywhere are getting ready for a lot of firsts. One of the firsts that tends to get overlooked is the first empty nest – when the last child leaves home to start their life adventure. For some, this is a bittersweet experience – the quiet can be unnerving. For others, it’s a chance to re-imagine your life and your home. For me, it was a chance to finally have the space to add more of my personality to a home that had been full of sports gear, kids’ clothes and electronics for 25 years.

Our first new space was my home office. When my third child left, I decided to start my own consulting business. We turned one of the spare bedrooms into a dedicated work space. It’s separate from our day-to-day home life, and perfect for writing, thinking and privacy.

The next space we redid was for my husband – I call it the ultimate man cave. Our

Gone are the days when if was okay for Dad to throw up some wood paneling, get some carpet scraps for the room and plug in the television set that no one else wanted, and call it a day.

Today, many man caves are decorated as carefully as every other space in your home. Men (and their significant others) want good quality items and materials to add value to their home. No dark garages or basement rooms without windows will do.

Moderna Espresso TV Lift Cabinet

If they’re like my guys, that space better have good lighting, a refrigerator, large flat screen television and comfortable chairs. The primary driver of the man cave in my home is making sure every person has views to the television screen because it’s all about football and basketball for the next few months. But I reserved one veto for the space – I don’t want a big, honking television on the wall as a focal point in the room. A great compromise is to add a beautiful TVLiftCabinet. All the cabinets are stunning – a great hand-crafted

Minimalism is considered by some people to be one of the crowning architectural achievements of the 20th century. In a culture that has been taught that more is more, it’s becoming more common for many people to begin to purge the past and embrace a clutter-free lifestyle.

William Morris’ once said, “Have nothing in your house you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” With less clutter to plow through, you can enjoy the unique beauty of each piece of furniture or art in your home.

The trick is to take it room by room. Clear all clutter and don’t add anything back until you’re down to the flooring. Separate things into three piles: Things to donate, things to keep and things to throw away. Keep in mind that many things can be recycled. Your keep pile should be the smallest.

TVLift Cabinet - Moderna with Espresso Finish

Then, start with larger furniture. What do you absolutely need to be comfortable in your living space? A couch. A chair. A table. A TVLiftCabinet for the

According to The Official Man Cave Site, the correct definition is, “A room or space (as in a basement) designed according to the taste of the man of the house to be used as his personal area for hobbies and leisure activities.”  (Yes there is an Official Man Cave Site.)

One “must have” item in the mancave (besides a refrigerator), is a large flat screen television. In fact, to be really worthy of your man cave, the flat screen television should have all the latest technology, including Internet access, 3-D and high definition. It should also be able to swivel to make sure that it’s always perfectly positioned for the big games.

Every year, TVLiftCabinet sees a huge spike in sales of Grandover models with electric fireplaces to add that certain something extra to mancaves all over the country.

Now, it’s time to add your personal touch. Time to think outside the cave walls. How about adding a fireplace to your cave? Not practical? Not anymore. It’s easy.

Check out the Grandover model