How to Create the Perfect Man Cave
One of the biggest learning curves for couples and families that lived together through the lockdowns imposed on us by the pandemic was to spend much longer periods of time in each other’s company. While the number of divorces dropped by nearly five per cent during the lockdown, post covid the pent up frustrations ended up in a glut of breakups. In the States, 2019 divorce rates were at 19 per cent. By 2021 this shot up to 34 per cent.
For any households in which relationships were already possibly at breaking point, being forced into close confinement for an unpredictable number of weeks and months. Separation plans had to be put on ice while legal processes worked themselves out. Between the months of April and May 2020, rates of domestic abuse increased by nine percent - the largest increase ever recorded.
Creating Discord and Harmony
At the same time, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that the lockdown also saved marriages, compelling couples, and families to spend precious time together when previously they would have been too busy with work, school, and life in general. The lockdown forced many to slow down and reconnect with their loved ones.
One survival tactic was for couples to create spaces for them to retreat to when they needed time apart. It was in this way that many men found themselves in the position of creating what, to them, was the perfect man cave - a place where they could disappear and truly be themselves and do what they want to do without interruption from the outside world.
On this basis, we felt it important to highlight the essential elements required to create the perfect man cave - a place where a man can de-stress and re-energize themselves ready to return to the heart of his family.
Man Cave Essentials
The actual venue of the man cave does not matter - it just has to be separate from the rest of the household, and a no-go zone for everyone else. Traditionally, a shed at the bottom of the garden has worked for many men living in Suburbia. In these rickety wooden spaces smelling of wood stain and oil stains, the man of the house has been able to sit surrounded by his tools and Rennie tool router bits, read the paper, listen to the cricket on the radio, and generally feel at peace with himself.
Through covid, the humble shed was taken over by investments in garden rooms - dedicated modern room-like structures that resemble a proper room with running toilets, and properly decked-out interiors. Between January and May 2021, sales of garden buildings rocketed by 500 per cent, while sales of sheds also increased by a massive 460 per cent.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be outside - it can also be in the attic or the basement.
Access to beer: whether it is a simple plug-in fridge rescued from the kitchen or a full-on installation with a dedicated bar and stools to prop up the bar with mates, a fully stocked fridge will help make the man cove feel like home. Shooting the breeze about inconsequential topics is a crucial part of the de-stressing process, and cracking open a beer adds to the pleasure.
Television or radio (or at least internet connection): whether or not there is fully connected working electricity in the garden, the man cave needs at the very least to be connected to the internet so that the man of the house can tune in to their favorite team’s football, rugby or cricket games.
Anything beyond these essentials is a bonus - whether it is a pool table, a fussball table, or simply a shelf full of books - the important thing is that they are chosen by the man.
