Wall Art Ideas & Inspiration For A Man Cave That Rocks!
A man cave is a sanctuary, a place to hide away from the world, and sometimes even the wife & kids!
It’s your own domain where only the initiated are allowed access.
It’s a safe haven for you & your buddies to enjoy a beer, watch sports & talk about things in private.
It’s a place where you don’t need to compromise on décor with the missus & you can express your personal style.
It’s a blank canvas & it’s all yours!
Are you looking for man cave inspiration? Maybe you’re just starting out in creating your man cave, or perhaps you’re wanting to give a fresh look to an old & tired hideaway. As well as furniture & other décor items, wall art plays a vital role in the making or breaking of a man cave that truly rocks!
Art plays an important role in any décor, be it in the home, the workplace as well as your man sanctuary.
The Importance Of Art In Man Cave Design
Anything that creates an impression is usually a sum of it’s parts.
No one thing is created without a number of various elements coming together to create coherence & complete a concept or creative vision.
This is true of all artistic expression.
A painter will use a number of different colours & brush strokes, a musician employs various sound textures & a photographer doesn’t just capture a scene, it is then interpreted through either darkroom techniques or software choices.
But I just want somewhere to drink beer & have a laugh with my mates!
True, enough of the art philosophy.
But the point I was trying to make is to have a man cave that rocks, as unmanly as it may seem, the overall décor & end result needs to be considered.
A man cave can be like a magpie nest, everything shiny ends up in it.
Your collection of trophies, beer bottle tops, sports memorabilia, you name it.
This is a big part of what man caves are about & should be about.
But it can be done in a more cohesive way.
This also applies to the furniture.
You may have a cool sofa like a car bench seat, you just love that real cowhide rug, you just can’t part with that Pearl Jam signed tour poster.
But none of these separate elements are working together to give one unified theme or vibe.
You'll need to make certain decisions & possibly sacrifices in furniture choice, in order to have a truly amazing man cave.
This is why wall art is important, it will tie all the other décor elements together.
Making A Better Man Cave - How To Choose The Best Wall Art
Choosing wall art that’s going to work best in your man cave is about having an understanding of the vibe or mood you’re wanting to create.
Man caves come in all sorts of styles and themes.
For a man cave to really rock it needs to have an identity, a definite theme, or else like any other room in a house with mixed décor, it will just be confusing.
If you’re unsure of what look you’d like for your man cave, I’ve written an article with 10 theme ideas.
3 Tips For Choosing Man Cave Wall Art
The main purpose when choosing wall art is tying it in with the décor & the space it’s in.
1. Style
As already mentioned, the style of art is important.
A 1950’s rock & roll poster is going to look out of place with a nautical theme for example.
But it would work in a music themed cave.
An art piece of an old truck wouldn’t work in a movie style but suits a garage, rustic or even industrial vibe.
2. Size
The size of the artwork needs to be taken into consideration.
It may be the most amazing poster or print you’ve ever seen & is so perfect for your man cave, but if it’s just too big & dominating it may not work.
The opposite is also true, a tiny picture on a large wall will look lost.
But at least with a small piece of wall art it can be hung alongside other pieces to create a collage effect, placed on a shelf or a smaller section of wall.
Related Articles:
3. Colour
Colour plays an important role.
Too many different colour palettes can clash & simply look garish.
Whatever your man cave theme may be, try to keep the colour choices of the main elements to a minimum & of complementary colours.
Use a colour wheel to help you decide.
With things like posters it isn’t always possible to get the exact colour of the subject you want.
But providing the main elements are sorted, it won’t matter so much.
But you can generally have some choice as to frame colour.
A Variety Of Wall Art - Which Style Is Right For Your Man Cave?
Man Cave wall art isn’t a style of art in itself, but there's a wide variety of art to choose from that will suit your man cave décor.
A quick internet search will return some good results as there's an abundance of art available.
Be it handmade or shop bought, there's a plethora of styles available.
Photographs
There's many different subject matters in both colour & black & white.
They can be fine art photographs, landscapes or portraits.
Photographs can also be printed on a diversity of mediums including metal prints, acrylic, canvas & wood.
This means they’re a great choice for your man cave décor as you'll have the ability to mix & match these elements.
Related Articles:
Art Prints
Another style of wall art that has a huge spectrum of subject matter.
It can be very affordable too, especially canvas prints.
Choose from prints of paintings, animals, landscapes, portraits of well known icons as well as abstract & modern art prints.
You’ll also find any size to match your needs.
Posters
They don’t have to be reminiscent of a teenage boys bedroom!
There's cheap ones, but also well printed posters of films, movie stars, musicians, retro images, maps, quotes & sayings.
When they’re mounted or framed they look even better.
Wall Sculptures
These are great because they can be made from wood, metal or other tactile materials & they add that extra dimension to the décor.
Again, they come in a variety of styles from abstract & geometric, to animals, nature & specific objects.
Industrial & rustic wall sculptures are very popular as well as words & letters.
Clocks
Wall clocks can be stylish, sleek, modern, industrial, rustic & made from all sorts of materials!
There’s steering wheel clocks, instrument dial clocks, clocks made like a ships wheel, clocks made from portholes .. you think of it & there’s a good chance there's a clock designed in that style.
Mirrors
Take all of the above & apply it to mirrors.
Modern, Art Deco, wood, metal, industrial or antique, you’ll have no trouble finding one for your man cave theme.
The good thing with mirrors is they can help scatter light, as well as creating a sense of more space.
Wall Decals & Wallpaper
Fantastic for covering entire walls or a larger wall space.
Because you can get wall coverings in look-a-like materials, you're able create a faux brick or wood panelled wall or any other material.
You are also able to hang other wall art over it.
Wall Tapestries
Any theme you can think of & there’s a decent chance you’ll find a wall tapestry with it printed.
Easy to hang & good at helping reduce any echo, wall tapestries are also very affordable.
Signs
This is last on the list, but probably one of the most used styles of wall art, not just in man caves, but cafes & homes.
Signs can be made from a number of materials & of infinite subject matter.
Whatever your man cave theme, there will be a sign to suit.
Where To Find Man Cave Wall Art To Suit Any Budget
You can find wall art in a surprising number of places.
Online is the first place most of us go to find anything, & there's plenty of good, reputable online stores that will deliver straight to your man cave entrance.
You'll also find that there's cheap to expensive wall art, depending on what you're looking for.
But if you're not wanting to spend a small fortune on artworks, here's some other options you may not be aware of.
If you’re looking for something more unique & want to buy online, I’d suggest trying Etsy or eBay. They have a lot of independent artists selling their work on these platforms.
Some other places to find wall art will be Gumtree or Craigslist, depending which country you’re in there may be another online trading site. Facebook Marketplace has gathered a lot of traction now too.
Garage Sales - there’s always one going on somewhere every weekend & you never know what treasures you can find. I personally scored a couple of 90 x 60 cm ( 35 x 24 inch ) mounted Pulp Fiction posters for $1 each!
Weekend Markets - markets are a fantastic place, as you can go hunting for wall art but make a morning of it as well, as there’s food trucks & coffee for sale too.
DIY - a very satisfying option is making your own wall art. The do-it-yourself approach is especially fun with rustic & industrial types of wall art. Being able to get creative & re-purpose old car parts, machinery bits, timber off-cuts & anything else that fires your imagination.
Final Thoughts
As with any other room, wall art is an important décor element to consider.
Even though you’re creating a manly man cave, some awareness of interior design will help toward having the hideout of your dreams.
Taking a sneak peek at the wife's home décor magazines won’t hurt, she’ll never know!
Joking aside, having a space of your own is good for your mental & emotional well-being.
So you want to make certain your man cave is something you’re going to be happy with & choosing the most suitable wall art is part of the overall process.
I hope you enjoyed this article & if you feel it could be of value to someone else, please feel free to share.