One of the blogs I am subscribed to is The Art of Manliness. It provides great insight to young men (of which I am not). I hope my four grandson’s will follow their sage advice. Today they had a guest post titled “How to Decorate a Man Room“. So now they’ve ventured into my realm of real estate and wanted to include that information here…

How to Decorate a Man Room

by A Manly Guest Contributor

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jayson Franklin and Morgan Gagne of Manly Vintage.

There’s a good chance the first interior decorator was a guy, scratching pictures of a glorious hunt on the wall of his cave, trying to show off for his friends.  This was the first man cave, if you will. Unfortunately, the modern man tends to be as afraid of “decorating” as the stag is of the spear.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  A well-planned, coordinated, organized, and stylish space will bring more pleasure and comfort than a space with random furniture and objects all shoved together.  No one with any sense would advocate that a man should necessarily quit his full-time job and compare color swatches while watching every episode of Design Star, let alone have a decorating opinion for every inch of his abode.  However, he should at the very least care about his home and especially the things he keeps therein. You don’t have to be a feng shui devotee to understand that your surroundings can have a profound effect on your mood and well-being.

But don’t think the entire castle has to be developed at once.  In interior design, like any creative project,  it’s good to start small.  Baby steps.  Manly baby steps.

And of course the best place to start is the room that bears our name.

What Is the “Man Room?”

Mark Twain’s billiards room.

The man room or “man cave” can be defined as any place a man sets aside to pursue his interests, whether with friends, family, or by himself. It can be an office, a study, the basement, or a shed out back. For the purposes of this post, the man room is not a shop or workspace, but rather a place for a man to relax and enjoy himself.

There are lots of activities men do that would warrant an entire room and the label “man cave,” but we’re staying traditional. If you clicked this article for advice on the most stylish gaming chair to park in front of your Xbox and 50 inch television, sorry man, no help here. However, if you love big solid desks, bookshelves full of books, and comfortable seating where you can read, write, and share beers with your close friends, then these tips are for you. Regardless of whether your tastes lean towards the mid-century coolness of Don Draper or you favor the rustic backwoods ethos of Ernest Hemingway, we have an approach to manly decorating that will steer you in the right direction and away from that same NASCAR poster you’ve had on your wall since college. 

Note: #1: While the tips in this article are specifically focused on decorating a man room, they can also be applied to things like sprucing up a bachelor’s pad.

Note #2:  Some dislike the terms “man room” or “man cave”–we know, we know. But it’s the easiest way to refer to it, and men strive for efficient communication. So try not to let your blood pressure rise too much–retire to your man room to smoke a pipe if needs be.

What Does “Manly” Decorating Entail?

The word decorating is completely scary for some men.  If it makes you feel better, swap out decorating for “planning,” or even better, “designing.”  Designing the room that you want is very personal, but there are some tried and true considerations.  We at Manly Vintage have three simple design rules to keep in mind when purchasing pieces and organizing a space:

1. Quality – Buy things crafted with care.  If you’re not sure if a piece is built to last, buy vintage furniture.  While we may be a little biased towards antique and vintage furniture, current manufacturer standards tend to be below the standards of our grandfather’s generation.  Furniture that used to be manufactured in the United States is now made in foreign countries using cheap labor and then shipped overseas to Big Box stores. Look to see how the wood is joined together.  Dovetailing and Mortise and Tenon are two quality ways for wood to be joined together.  A lot of furniture is made with particle board or other cheap materials that very quickly break apart, whereas solid hardwood furniture will last for generations with proper care.  Furthermore, if real hardwood gets scratched or dented, then you can refinish it.  If you’re buying something like a dresser, for example, open up the drawers and see if the inside is made of solid wood, particle board, or wood with a veneer top.  Look underneath the furniture, the backside.  Is it finished on all sides?  How heavy is the piece?  Taking the quality into consideration will ensure that the furniture you purchase will last a lifetime or more.

1. Comfortable - All good furniture has been designed with both form and function in mind.  A great chair is more than just a fabric bag stuffed with as much cotton as possible and a built-in cup holder.  The art of making furniture has been been evolving and improving for thousands of years, and those who make it well know what they’re doing.  Take the classic Eames Lounge Chair made by Herman Miller, for example.  As far as lounge chairs are concerned, many consider it to be one of the most comfortable chairs of all time.  When you sit in it, it literally conforms to your body.  It was made by an artist who studied the human form and designed it for that purpose.  If you’re on a budget and in a time crunch, you may consider buying a chair at Target or Wal-Mart,  but a big stuffed beanbag isn’t going to give you the true comfort that a thoughtfully designed and crafted piece will.

1. Personal- This is the perfect space for that lifelong collection that your wife just doesn’t understand.  Whether it’s Star Wars action figures, album covers, or oil cans, it’s important to surround yourself with things that are meaningful to you.  If you have a collection, display it.  If you don’t have a collection, you should consider starting one.  Having a room where you can organize your objects, display them, and keep them safe is one of the best reasons why every man should have a room “just for him.”

What Do I Put in My Man Room?

Mid-Century Desk

Of course every man needs a solid desk.  This is where you’ll sit to read Jack Kerouac, browse the interwebs, write a letter to your congressman, or refine your collection of federal duck stamps.  We lean towards a mid-century modern executive desk in teak or walnut, but the more traditional styled oak or metal desk gets the job done and are practically indestructible.

Keywords to use in your searches: Jens Risom, Steelcase, Paul McCobb

Sofa

The chesterfield sofa is a classic English couch that is traditionally made with brown leather, quilted buttons, and a low base. It’s also as comfortable as hell. It looks good in a variety of decorating styles.  Because of its timeless look, it can mix well with a classic study room or blend well with modern furnishings.  Good design matches with good design, period.

Keywords to use in your searches: Flexsteel, Pearsall, Goetz

Shelving

Shelving serves the primary function of keeping your precious stuff off of the ground.  In your man room, your shelving can store not only your beloved beer mug collection, but also your personal library.  Every man needs a library.  But some men are slightly intimidated by the thought of amassing one. They might think, “I haven’t read enough books to have anything close to a library.”  A library is not just a collection of books that you’ve read.  A library is a collection of books that you have access to, are able to cite, reference, and read in the future.  As Edward Tufte said about his personal library, “The important books in my library are the unread books.”  Shelving should be solid, substantial, and allow for a growing collection.  Small shelves that attach to the wall are good for books and items that are reached for on frequent occasions, but more substantial shelving is required for not only a current collection, but also room to grow.

Keywords to use in your searches: Cado System, Globe Wernicke, Steelcase

A Coffee Table

A stylish coffee table is just as important as the couch that sits across from it.  The coffee table will end up being the centerpiece during those late night bull sessions, a place to rest your feet after a hard day, or just somewhere to display a couple of really good books.  You could go mid-century with the coffee table or you could go a little more masculine and re-purpose, taking a piece designed for something else and refashioning it for something new.  A classic example of re-purposing would be refinishing an industrial push cart from a factory and turning it into an industrial coffee table.  This has become such a popular DIY that stores like Restoration Hardware have been selling refurbished carts for over a thousand dollars.  However, antique railroad carts can be found on ebay, craigslist, estate auctions, or estate sales.  There are many other examples, such as coffee tables made out of old storage boxes, steamer trunks, slabs of old wood, or stacked ephemera. Your man room needs at least one DIY project and the coffee table is the perfect place to start.

Keywords to use in your searches:  industrial, lane acclaim, steel coffee table, danish

Lounge Chair

The lounge chair is a man room necessity.  A man needs somewhere to sit after a hard day: a place where he can reflect on the day’s victories and losses and just relax.  An old La-Z-Boy will not suffice.  Do not ensconce yourself in anything less than leather.  Yes, a leather lounge chair will end up being expensive, but in the long run it will be worth it.  A good leather chair will last a lifetime.  Leather is one of the most versatile of upholsteries.  It is water and spill resistant, pretty much child-proof, and eternally stylish.  There are two chairs we highly recommended for the discerning gentleman looking to build the ultimate man room.  Both of these chairs were designed in the early 1900’s.

The first is The Barcelona Chair by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.  This chair, which my wife dubs “the bachelor chair,” was designed for the World Exposition in 1929, and has been an icon of masculine design ever since.  Made of leather and stainless steel, the Barcelona has a timeless look that will fit well with any decor.

Another great chair, suitable for any man room is the LC2 chair designed by French designer LeCourbusier.  This chair, created in 1928 has a modern and yet reserved look that may appeal to many men who find the Barcelona lines too jarring.  The best part about both of these chairs is that their design is no longer protected by copyright so there are enough knock-offs made that they can generally fit within any budget.

Key Words to use in your searches:  Bertoia, Baughman, Eames, Womb Chair

Wall Decor

Theodore Roosevelt’s trophy room.

Wall decor should be a healthy balance between your own personal tastes and straight up traditional man trophies. Think Teddy Roosevelt’s taxidermy collection, vintage beer advertising, clocks, paper ephemera (maps, historical charts, b/w photos), fine art, and a weapon or two. Most local newspapers sell large prints of photographs that once ran in the paper (going back many decades) and reprints of whole pages of the paper, and a great option for wall decorations is to get a print of an old historical picture of your town, or a reprint of the front page of the paper with a news story that means something to you.  On the flip side, like many men, we can’t think of anything we would rather have on our walls than the multitude of paintings and drawings done by our sons and daughters. The key is arrangement, and this is definitely one time where you might want to pull in some outside help. As in all things, practice makes perfect; so if your first try is a cluttered mess, who cares?  Pull it down and try again until you’re pleased with how things look.

Key Words to use in your searches: Taxidermy, vintage/antique maps, tin signs

In the end, designing the ultimate man room is about creating something that will work for you.  Figure out what pieces you want, and then be willing to wait to find them.  It definitely doesn’t mean walking into a furniture store and loading up the truck with the number of items that you need just because they were the first thing that you laid eyes on.  Choose quality over a quick purchase and don’t buy poorly made pieces that are just going to wind up in the dumpster in a few years.  Whatever your style, whatever your budget, do it with purpose and make it your own.

_____________________________________________________

Manly Vintage is a Chicago based design collective with an affection for the classics, the American, and the cool. We specialize in machine age through mid century modern furniture and décor. High design, with working class attitude.  We promote the idea that style is not emasculating, and that good taste, and good design, make the gentleman’s life more enjoyable.

Over time, wooden furniture shows signs of age. Wear-and-tear from everyday use can lead to dings and scratches that are both distressing, and unsightly. But before you bring your piece to a specialist for repair, you can try the much-less-expensive, do-it-yourself route.

In this 50-second video from HowCast, you’ll learn how to use a walnut and a soft cloth to “erase” scratches from furniture:

1. Remove the nut from its shell
2. Rub the nut on the scratch
3. Wait 3 minutes
4. Buff the area with a soft cloth

The repair works by allowing the nut’s natural oils to soak into the wood, which reduces the “white” appearance of a scratch. Other nutes work, too, including almonds and pecans. Or, you can opt for a professional product like what’s offered at Amazon.com.

Anything deeper than a surface scratch, however, and you’ll want a specialist involved.

Activated by infrared waves, motion-detector lighting can illuminate a dark driveway, a dark sidewalk, and a dark yard, thwarting would-be thieves while also giving homeowners a lit, safe path to their own front or back door.

If your home is not already equipped with such lighting, this video from Lowe’s will be helpful. It’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to install motion-detector lighting on your home.

The basic steps are as follows:

1. Cut the power at the circuit breaker
2. If applicable, remove the existing light fixture
3. Install the mounting strap
4. Connect the junction box wires to the light fixture wires
5. Mount the fixture to the mounting strap

Lowe’s marks the the skill level to complete the job as “intermediate”. So, if you don’t want to tackle the job yourself, or if the idea of working with electricity frightens you, reach out to a handyman.

Motion-detector lights sell for as little as $25.

Preventative care will minimize your home repair costs and, at this time of year, it’s a good idea to sweep your home’s exterior for sign of air leaks and drafts around windows.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafty windows can account for 30% of a home’s heat loss in winter so it’s best to find them, and seal them.

In this 4-minute video from the DIY Network, you’ll learn how to identify your home’s leaky windows, and how to seal them with caulk. The job requires a little bit of elbow grease, but it’s manageable for even the notice handyman.

Some of the tips include:

• How to use a lit candle to find windows that leak air
• How to remove existing caulk using caulk softener
• How to “push the bead” of caulk for proper application

The video concludes with a brief tutorial on setting your home’s programmable thermostat so, when taken with the window caulking exercise, homeowners in Oklahoma City could stand to save a bundle on their winter heating bills.

According to the United States Fire Administration, in 2008, there were an estimated 378,200 in-home fires. Combined, these fires caused $8 billion in property damage and killed 2,600 people.

Unfortunately, many of affected homes did have smoke detectors installed, but the devices were faulty either because of dead batteries, or because the smoke detector had reached the end of its useful life.

This is why it’s so important to test your home’s smoke detectors at least once annually.

Here’s how to test a smoke detector:

1. Ask a family member or friend to walk to the farthest point of the home from the detector.
2. Push and hold the testing button to activate the alarm. Usually, this takes 5 seconds.
3. Confirm with the family member or friend that the alarm was audible from his/her location.

And there’s an additional step worth taking.

Just because the smoke detector’s alarm works doesn’t mean that the actual smoke detector works. For less than $15, therefore, you may want to buy a “smoke test” from Amazon to confirm whether your detector is faulty. The smoke test simulates a real fire so, if the detector fails to sound when it’s tested, it’s time to replace the entire smoke detector unit.

2,000 residential fires occur on Thanksgiving Day each year — most of them related to cooking. Before Thursday, make sure your smoke detectors are working. You don’t want your home to be Fire #2001.

The amount of air that leaks from the seams of a typical home is the same amount of air that would escape through an open window. It’s why home care experts recommend a routine caulking of a home’s windows and doors — at least once per year.

Solid, all-around caulk jobs can reduce a home’s energy bill by as much as 20 percent.

A Edmond homeowner’s basic toolkit should include the familiar caulking gun and tube for larger jobs, but for spot treatment, Caulk Singles can be a good alternative.  A product of GE, Caulk Singles are single-use caulking “packages”, squeezable like a toothpaste tube.

The singles are easier-to-control than a traditional caulking tube, and require no instruction or experience.

Caulk Singles are made in 3 varieties :

• Waterproof Silicone (White), for white finishes
• Waterproof Silicone (Clear), for colored finishes
• Paintable Acrylic, for paintable seals

Caulk Singles cost roughly $2.50 per package on Amazon, but may be cheaper at a local hardware store.

31 percent of homeowners say “cleaning window blinds” is their least favorite household chore. Perhaps that’s because they haven’t seen how simple blind-cleaning can be.

In this 2-minute video from HowCast, you’ll learn the basics of blind-cleaning with nothing more than a dust cloth and towel, a sponge and all-purpose cleaner, and ordinary dryer sheets.

The steps are basic:

1. Get the dust off with the dryer sheet
2. Remove the blinds from the window
3. Go outside, or find a bathtub
4. Wash, rinse, and dry with the towel
5. Re-attach the blinds

Cleaning window blinds is a monthly activity, but with regular dusting, you could push that schedule to quarterly, depending on your home’s airborne particles and overall cleanliness.  The trick is that when you do wash your blinds, you wash them properly.

Gutters are designed to funnel rainwater away from a home. Properly working gutters help keep a home’s basement from filling with water, and protect a home’s foundation from long-term, structural damage, and keep a roof in tip-top shape.

In other words, keeping clean gutters is essential for homeowners. Thankfully, gutter maintenance can be a do-it-yourself job.

There are four main steps in gutter cleaning, summarized cleanly in this 4-minute video from Lowe’s.

1. Gather your tools. You’ll need a ladder, a bucket, a hose, and a trowel.
2. Scoop large debris from the gutter, using the trowel for hard-to-reach places smaller sticks and leaves
3. Flush the gutters using a garden hose and spray attachment
4. Remove clogs in the downspout and check for proper sloping

Gutter maintenance is a twice a year task and the Lowe’s video offers helpful safety tips, too.  Of course, if you’re uncomfortable on a ladder, or prefer to hire a professional, reach out to me anytime.

I’m happy to make a local gutter-cleaning recommendation.

Up to 50% of your home’s energy bill can be tied to heating and cooling costs.  Thankfully, it’s easy to lower those bills. The addition of a ceiling fan can cut your household energy bills dramatically.

Plus, the installation may be simpler than you think.

In this 4-minute video from the Lowe’s YouTube collection, you’ll learn how to measure, mount and install a ceiling fan, step-by-step:

1. Choose the right-sized fan for your room based on its “longest wall”
2. Cut the power to your room, and test that the power is off
3. Assemble a ceiling fan
4. Secure a ceiling fan motor to the ceiling
5. Restore power to the room

If you’re uncomfortable around electricity, or feel the video’s instructions are “too complicated”, by all means, call an electrician. The money you spend on installation will be dwarfed by what you save in energy bills.

For an electrician referral in Edmond , reach out to me anytime by phone or email. I am happy to help you.

It’s spring in Oklahoma City and it’s damp! Here comes the mold if you don’t watch out!

Fixing mold damage can be one of the most expensive repairs you’ll ever perform on your home, so here’s how to prevent it.

It’s no wonder homeowners fear a mold diagnosis: Besides the health problems mold causes, the cost of an extensive mold remediation project can reach five figures.

You can’t totally eliminate mold from your home no matter how vigilant you are, because mold spores are always present in indoor air, particularly in more humid areas of the country such as the Southeast and Northwest. What you can control–by spending an hour or two inspecting key areas of your house and investing in a humidity monitor–is the moisture that allows spores to colonize.

ELIMINATE CLUTTER

1. Pare down your stuff. "Clutter creates microclimates where humidity is higher than the ambient humidity in the room," says Jason Yost, owner of Solutions Indoor Environmental Consulting in Terre Haute, Ind. "Mold develops because clutter blocks airflow, and your HVAC system can’t process air properly."

2. Don’t obstruct air return and supply grilles with furniture or draperies. Surfaces adjacent to grilles cool to temperatures well below your thermostat setting and well below the dew point for the room, meaning condensation is likely.

CONTROL THE INDOOR CLIMATE

Mold problems often emerge in summer, when outside air tends to be humid. (If you have a window air conditioning unit, baseboard heating, or other localized devices and suspect you have moisture problems, consult an HVAC or mold inspection professional for guidance.)

3. Keep the thermostat set at a moderate level in summer. Set it too high, and the air conditioner won’t run often enough to dehumidify your air effectively; set it too low, and you create cold surfaces where water vapor can condense.

To maximize energy efficiency, most electric utilities recommend setting the thermostat around 78 degrees F; this setting is also optimal for preventing moisture problems.

4. Never keep windows or doors open while the air conditioner is on. This introduces humid outside air into a sharply cooler environment, which can cause condensation. When you go on vacation, don’t bump the thermostat up to 85 degrees–or, worse, turn the air conditioning off entirely. That tiny utility bill savings would be dwarfed by the cost of a mold remediation if your indoor air weren’t sufficiently dehumidified. (Eighty degrees is recommended; if you have a window unit, leave it on at the lowest setting.)

5. Make sure your air-conditioning unit is properly sized for your house. Some HVAC contractors recommend oversized units for quick cooling, but this might remove less humidity from the air. Consult Energy Star(http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=roomac.pr_properly_sized) to find out what size unit you really need.

6. Supplement an old air-conditioning unit that isn’t removing as much moisture with a dehumidifier.

MONITOR MOISTURE

To see if you need a dehumidifier, measure humidity–the amount of water vapor in the air compared with the total amount it can hold. Start with an under-$20 monitor from various online retailers, Yost says. More sophisticated and expensive models–ranging from $45 to $300–have remote sensors that simultaneously track several rooms all over the house, which is useful if you have basements, crawl spaces, or other areas that you don’t visit often.

An ideal indoor reading is between 35% and 50% relative humidity; in very humid climates in the height of summer, you may get readings closer to 55%. But if you reach 60% relative humidity, it’s time to look for the source of the moisture. Above 70% relative humidity, certain species of mold can begin growing on surfaces even if water isn’t visible.

7. If you get a high humidity reading, check your air conditioner first.
* Is it set to the proper temperature?
* Is it cycling on and off periodically?
* Does it blow cold air when it reaches the set point?
8. Check that the condensate drain pipe (the narrow white pipe sticking out the side) is dripping regularly. If it isn’t, the pipe is blocked, water may be accumulating inside the unit, or the unit isn’t working correctly. If you suspect a problem, call your HVAC professional.

9. If the air conditioner isn’t the issue, look for signs(http://www.houselogic.com/articles/7-signs-you-may-have-a-drainage-problem/) of standing water or chronically damp soil in your crawl space or basement or near your foundation.

10. If you have a crawl space, make sure you have a plastic vapor barrier covering the dirt floor and that it’s intact. Moisture below the house affects the humidity indoors by infiltrating unsealed penetration points, such as where electrical conduits and plumbing enter the house. Water can even diffuse through plywood and finished flooring–and you won’t necessarily see wet spots when this happens.

FIND A QUALIFIED PRO

If you can’t find the moisture problem on your own, or you aren’t sure how to correct a problem you do find, it’s a good idea to call a home inspector or indoor air quality consultant. Look for credentials from a respected industry organization, such as the American Society of Home Inspectors(http://www.ashi.org) or the Indoor Air Quality Association(http://www.iaqa.org). A house call will likely run $250 or more.

Keep in mind the mold field is largely unregulated, so there are few industry norms for pricing.

MOLD AND INSURANCE

Mold remediation isn’t necessarily covered by homeowners insurance, which typically pays only if the problem results from a sudden emergency already covered on your policy, such as a burst pipe. Insurance usually doesn’t pay if the problem results from deferred maintenance or floodwaters (unless you have flood insurance).

WATER EMERGENCIES

A note about emergency situations: If you have a flood(http://www.houselogic.com/articles/what-do-first-24-hours-after-flood/) or a leaking or burst pipe, act immediately to remove the water and run a dehumidifier–don’t wait for an insurance adjuster, inspector, or water extraction/mold remediation company to arrive. But take photos or video of any damage for your insurer.

The main thing to remember is to monitor moisture before problems develop–and if something seems wrong, don’t hesitate to call for professional help.

Karin Beuerlein has covered home improvement and green living topics extensively for HGTV.com, FineLiving.com, and FrontDoor.com. In more than a decade of freelancing, she’s also written for dozens of national and regional publications, including Better Homes & Gardens and the Chicago Tribune. She and her husband started married life by remodeling the house they were living in. They still have both the marriage and the house, no small feat.

Article From Houselogic.com

By: Karin Beuerlein

Published: November 18, 2009

Reprinted from HouseLogic (houselogic.com) with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (R).
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: Flickr/satemkemet