Design It Like a Man: Tips for Single Guys Planning a Bedroom

I’m always interested in gender differences in regards to design. Being a man, I’m especially on the lookout for styles that appeal to masculine tastes. But essentially it’s a means with no end, as it’s hopeless — and impractical — to lump all men into a category of style. Everybody differs.

However there are a few similarities that tend to span the spectrum of what men want — and which differ in women’s preferences — when it comes to design. (These similarities are easier to spot with single men, because the style is unadulterated by someone else.) One is the way we talk about and describe design.

NICOLEHOLLIS

Nicole Hollis, an interior designer in San Francisco, has discovered that men usually adopt a very special vocabulary when describing what they want. Chat almost consistently turns to automotive design — nice leather, hand-crafted wood, unique sewing, polished metals. Feeling, color and texture gleaned from fine artwork are referred to as well, and so is technology design, such as the sleek and minimalist expression of this iPad.

If you’re one man seeking to design, say, a bedroom or if you’re designing a bedroom for one man — there are a number of things that you’ll want to consider. To get your creative juices flowing, try to think about this ideal hotel room you’ve stayed in. “Lots of men travel for company, and their only introduction to luxury spaces has been in hotels, so their requests tend to mimic people,” Hollis says.

It is a good place to start. Hotel suites are inclined to be calm, have great beds and also have minimalist design that discusses efficiency, practicality and performance — all hallmarks which form what many will call masculine design.

Here a bedroom designed by Hollis for a travel bachelor in the fund industry recalls European hotel suites in which he remained on business trips. A suede headboard, custom made European oak bed and white cowhide rug soften the clean, minimalist design. Practical luggage racks in the close of the bed provide a place for your homeowner’s suitcases.

Shirley Meisels

Interior designer Shirley Meisels claims the sleekness that men seek ought to be softened just a bit, a strategy she took when designing this Toronto bachelor pad. “A home has softer touches,” she says. “The bedroom should be a soft place to land in the end of a long moment. Add cushions, something and a blanket comfortable and cozy. That’s what makes a house a home.”

Chair: Design Within Reach; bed: custom; carpeting: Elte

Frances Bailey

Strategies for Single Guys Designing a Bedroom

stressing your lifestyle.
An interior designer will almost always begin a job with an interview to get at the source of how you live. Do you travel a lot? Work a night shift? Do you require blackout curtains? See TV in bed? Turn on the information in the morning? This will dictate the layout and put focus on significant elements within the room, such as splurging on a top-of-the-line mattress as opposed to built-in audiovisual equipment.

Do not be covetous. Just how long do you plan to live independently? Occasionally it isn’t a matter of if somebody else will move in but when. This goes for men and women. If you’re designing a space, you might want to consider how it will accommodate a different individual and his or her style. Should you include a mirror? More cupboard space? A place for a hair dryer and curling iron in the bathroom? Will the colours, textures and furnishings appeal to other people or just your personal tastes?

Pillows: Ralph Lauren Home

Mauricio Nava Design, LLC

Stick with neutral colours. Guys tend to feel more comfortable using a palette of white, gray and black. Think about adding color with a bit of artwork or an accessory rather than a big, splashy red wall or bright bedding. And be sure to balance out the neutrals. “Dark and grey can be very harsh for a bedroom, so I try to make it feel cozier,” Meisels says. “To soften I present natural materials such as linen, wool and natural stone.”

Mirrors, nightstands, Amelia bed, lamps, carpet: Top Fashion Home

Chicago Luxury Beds

Do not skimp on the mattress. Many men travel a lot for work and aren’t home very much. Possessing a calm and serene bedroom and, most significant, a comfortable bed to come home to ought to be a top priority. OK, you might not want to drop $32,000 for a queen-size mattress like this Hastens, but you get the idea. Invest on your sleep, bro.

Frances Bailey

Contemplate your audiovisual equipment. Meisels has a lot of requests to incorporate technology into men’ bedroom designs. But having a TV and gaming consoles on your bedroom can disrupt sleep, so be certain these devices can easily be put away when it’s bedtime.

TV cabinets, built in wall systems and screens that drop down from the ceiling are all worth considering.

Benning Design Construction

Display your own stuff. Hollis notes in her experience, men tend to amass more things than girls — surfboards, vintage guitars, stereo equipment and old cameras — and they always want to display them. Think about the things you collect and how you are going to want to incorporate them in your design.

NICOLEHOLLIS

Follow function. Guys want a place for all. We want the plugs right from the bedside table to our phones and devices. We want a spot for the remote right on the nightstand, and we want big dressers and closet systems for our garments.

Learn where your apparatus will go and be certain you have a place for them. “If I tell a man, ‘This is where you set your shoes,’ that is where he’ll put his shoes forever,” Hollis says. “They enjoy that programming in the house so that they do not have to consider organizing”

Hollis made this space for a young physician. He works night shifts and needed a dark distance suitable for sleeping through the day. Floor-to-ceiling curtains, a dark brown sisal carpet and warm wood do the job.

Carpet: Stark Carpet; curtains: Martin Kobus; dresser: Restoration Hardware; pendant lights: Leucos; bed: custom

Photo by Ben Mayorga

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