What are the best man cave ideas? The best man cave ideas are the ones that are built with passion. Think about your biggest passions and then consider which of those interests would make for a good man cave theme.
I found a plethora of ideas to choose from, or at least inspire you to come up with your own idea. This article includes a mixture of extremely popular and creative man cave designs. Some are high-end luxury man caves the size of a penthouse. Others are quite possible to build with an average income. If you want to make a man cave of your own, do not let your bank account stop you. There are plenty of ways to build an affordable man cave.
A lot of these themed man caves are quite impressive. I found a lot of rooms I would love to add to my own home, especially the ideas in the sports vein. That said, I also tried to be as creative as possible and include ideas that vary, in order to inspire all walks of nature. I really hope this article helps you come up with an idea to start or renovate your very own man cave.
This article is numbered, but not ranked in any way. The ideas on the bottom of the list are just as important as that ones at the top.
1. Sports Man Cave
Sports man caves are at the top of the food chain for the best man cave ideas. That is largely because sports are the reason why man caves have rapidly grown in popularity. The difference between a sports man cave and the next few ideas on the list is that an overall sports man cave can blend multiple sports together.
Why pick between Tom Brady and David Ortiz when you can put their framed jerseys right next to each other? This is my favorite man cave idea for that reason. I cannot pick just one sport. People also talk about how it feels weird to watch a basketball game in a football man cave, which I could understand.
Sports themes are what comes to my mind when I hear the term “man cave.” Sports man caves are also by far the most popular. That is why the sports man cave theme is at the top of this article, even though this is not supposed to be a ranking of any kind.
If you are interested in creating a sports man cave, you can check out my article on the topic. I covered how to create a sports man cave, breaking down the process into just a few steps that are easy to follow and complete.
2. Baseball Man Cave
Baseball has a rich history that can be displayed through a man cave that is well put together. Personally, baseball has had a massive impact on my life. Building a baseball man cave sounds like a perfect way to display how I feel about the sport.
I said earlier that I would have a hard time picking just one sport to build an entire man cave around. That was because there are so many athletes that have made an impact on my life. That said, I could fill up a baseball man cave with plenty of memorabilia of my favorite team and players.
Baseball fans will be able to make some really special man caves with this theme. You have the option to create a man cave based around your favorite team, or show off your favorite players of all time. As a Red Sox fan, I could create my own version of the Red Sox Hall of Fame. I could also use my space to put together a room of my favorite players’ memorabilia from all eras.
There are no rules or standards on who to honor in a man cave. You can put a row of framed jerseys that puts Randy Johnson next to Clayton Kershaw and Pedro Martinez. Whoever you decide to assemble will look not only be really cool but specific to your man cave. Baseball has one of the best combinations of bright young stars and rich history from a variety of drastically different eras.
If you want to know how to build your very own baseball-themed man cave, check out my article on how to create one step by step. I tell you which areas of the man cave are most important and give my take on the best types of memorabilia to place in a baseball man cave.
3. Football Man Cave
A football man cave might be the most popular theme in the United States. A lot of people build overall sports man caves, but football specific man caves can be found in bulk all over the country. Millions of people tune in to watch football every year.
The NFL and NCAA’s schedules cater to the idea of building a man cave. Football is being played the entire day and into the night on Saturday and Sunday. For that reason, the place where you watch football becomes very important. It will be quite a commitment to keep up with all of your fantasy football players while on an uncomfortable couch and watching a low-quality television.
If you are a die-hard football fan, it makes sense to invest in a quality game viewing experience. Once you have a comfortable seating arrangement and quality television, it only makes sense to add some memorabilia and finish the job.
Baseball and football are by far my favorite sports, though I watch them all. I love baseball and could make a killer man cave, but football has a better schedule for building a man cave. I think of all the sports, a football man cave makes the most sense.
If you are interested in making a football man cave, I wrote an entire article on the topic.
4. Basketball Man Cave
Basketball is another incredibly popular sport, especially in the United States. If you want to design a basketball man cave, this picture is actually a pretty good example to follow.
They have plenty of seemingly comfortable seating and a three televisions. This man cave has one television that is significantly bigger than the other two, establishing a main television for the big game. Having a quality viewing experience is the first (and the most important) step to creating a fantastic man cave.
The second step is to establish the man cave element by adding some killer sports memorabilia. As you can see, they did a great job of adding some framed jerseys of some legendary players. I am a huge proponent of framed jerseys, and this man cave displays them beautifully. If you look in the background, you can see more of a mix of memorabilia, as well as a Michael Jordan framed jersey.
A basketball man cave has a ton of potential given it’s history and star power. Out of all the major sports, basketball has done the best to create stars, partly because of the nature of the sport. For that reason, there are a lot of iconic players from past and present. There are also a lot of historic shots that would make great framed pictures.
If you would like to see how I recommend building a basketball man cave in just a few steps, check out my article on the topic. I include my favorite types of furniture and memorabilia for your man cave.
5. Hockey Man Cave
While Hockey may find itself to be not as popular as football in the United States, there is still a large national audience. In fact, when you add up the worldwide fans, hockey is actually far ahead of football, and fourth in the world in fan size. Hockey has one of the most die-hard fan bases in all of sports. For that reason, hockey man caves are being built regularly. Overall, hockey man caves can hold their own in the best man cave ideas category.
This man cave has some really cool features with the theme of Edmonton Oilers showing clear as day. The first thing that caught my eye was the footrest that is modeled after an Oilers puck. These are creative ways to show team pride that I always look to promote. My favorite feature is the wall of team lockers to showcase the jerseys.
I am typically against unframed jerseys, but this is a clever way to show off your favorite jerseys that is still aesthetically pleasing. My problem has never been that I believe there is only one way to show off jerseys, but most people who hang jerseys do so by tacking it to a wall (which looks horrible).
The locker wall also features name plates and pictures in each “locker.” The purple door is really bothering me, but I appreciate the attempt to stick with the team colors. If I took over this man cave, I would take that back area with the televisions and convert it to a bar. You can keep the televisions on the wall to create even more of a bar atmosphere.
If you want my advice on building a hockey man cave, you can check out my article on the topic. I explain how to build a hockey man cave in a few simple steps. I also give as many helpful suggestions as possible on memorabilia and what to do to expand your hockey man cave.
6. Boxing Man Cave
One of the best man cave sports in my opinion is boxing. The sport was a huge deal in the past. From 1920 to 1950, boxing was the second most popular sport in the United States behind baseball. I was surprised by the lack of quality boxing man caves on the internet. Regardless, I still fully believe that boxing deserves a spot on the best man cave ideas list.
Instead of this man cave that gives off historic vibes, I would make a modern boxing man cave. The colors would definitely be red and black with bright lighting. I would hang up posters with some of the greatest boxers of all time on the walls, and maybe even toss in Rocky Balboa.
Throwing a Rocky poster next to the person he was inspired by (Chuck Wepner) would be really cool. Adding some speed bags and maybe even a punching bag would also add to the atmosphere. If you end up or already have created a boxing man cave, be sure to reach out to us at improveyourgameday@gmail.com. We would love to see what you come up with!
7. Soccer Man Cave
Soccer in the most popular sport in the world. That in itself earns a spot on the best man cave ideas list. Unlike boxing, soccer fans have actually built some really creative man caves, like the one displayed here. This man cave is one of the most colorful and unique on the list.
What the designer of this room did really well was establish his two interests. He clearly loves soccer as a whole, and roots for Liverpool – hence the framed photo of The Beatles. A row of jerseys will typically get the point across, but a large sign plastered to the wall will not be unnoticed. I will always point out the quality use of framed jerseys, and love the pictures as well. Also, you can clearly see some soccer balls providing some variety for the sports memorabilia.
The red makes the room really pop, especially with the “turf” surface. The bar looks awesome and is a functional decoration. The English phone booth is something unique to this man cave as well as the soccer table. Overall this design was built really well. My only complaint is that the chairs look as if they are less than a foot off the ground.
8. Golf Man Cave
I tried to include the biggest sports in the world, and golf certainly meets that criteria. Golf makes the list for best man cave ideas because of the community. There are some really high-end golf man caves out there, starting with this one.
Golf is something I enjoy playing, but it certainly would not compete with my passion for baseball or football. However, I would take this man cave over a lot of the baseball and football man caves out there. This man cave is one of my favorites on the list, and there were plenty of other golf man caves that I was quite impressed with.
The gray walls with white accents looks really modern and is sort of unique despite sounding a little bland. I love that they spent a lot of time (and money) to nail the game viewing experience. The couch is massive and looks to be quite comfortable as well as stylish. The television is the size of a small projector but looks to have a high-quality image. The beam could get quite annoying but the island attached to it adds even more bar-style seating.
I always recommend adding functionality to your man caves, and this room features two key elements of that principle. The obvious one is the putting green in front of the television. The space is not only a place to practice, but a really cool aesthetic design. The second functional decoration is the pool table in the back. Pool tables always make a room look better, and they add an activity inside the man cave. I am super impressed with this design.
A golfing man cave presents a lot of potential in a fashion a little different than other sports. While there is plenty of room for Tiger Woods memorabilia, golf man caves have a chance to add some really cool elements that are unique to golf.
The putting green idea was used here and can be done in a few different ways. I even saw one today that had a full-size putting green as the flooring. The other option is to add a golf simulator which would allow you to really perfect your craft without leaving your home. I’d still suggest hitting at the driving range when you get the chance, but this simulator allows you to golf when you please, regardless of weather or any other factors.
If you have a solid-sized budget and are passionate about golf, I highly recommend creating a golf man cave. This picture is a great example that will get you well on your way to building a room to be proud of.
9. College Football Sanctuary
I already wrote about football man caves earlier in the article. However, college football deserves its own home. I saw this man cave and had to add it to the list of best man cave ideas. The process is the same for any man cave, meaning my advice would not change. While my “How to Design a Football Man Cave” article was made with both the NFL and NCAA in mind, I wanted to expand on college fandom.
This man cave appears to heavily revolve around the Georgia Bull Dogs Football Program. However, a proud alumni can include all of the school’s greatest achievements. If this were my man cave, I would at least have a section for all of the other great athletes that made their mark at the University of Georgia.
I like a lot of elements about his man cave, but my favorite quality is the passion. You do not have to meet the man that built this to know he is a die-hard Bulldogs fan. The memorabilia is a little crowded and could have a lot more symmetry, but that was not what this is about. He wants to represent his favorite team and school. He did so with a variety of different memorabilia which I appreciate. There is not an item in that room that does not have Georgia’s name or logo on it.
A man cave for a college football team can be made into an awesome room and are very popular in certain regions in the United States. I would even suggest making a man cave around a college’s entire athletic program, adding your favorite athletes from the school. Even if most of the players honored were from the same sport, having the option to include other stars would be a good idea. You may want to focus on the deep history of the Georgia Football Program, but also find a spot for nine-time NBA All-Star Dominique Wilkins.
10. Home Theater
Home Theaters are a great way to make a family space with your extra room. Now this might sound like a weird choice for a best man cave ideas list, because it is not typically considered a man cave. However, a man cave to me is a room that a man makes into a dream space by creating something using his biggest passions. If you love movies and have always wanted to make a home theater, you can consider that your very own man cave.
Home theaters are a very popular choice because they make watching a movie into an event. It also can bring the whole family together and is more inclusive than some of these man cave ideas. People have gotten really creative when making home theaters and come up with some wonderful designs.
This picture is a great example of a home theater that was taken from average to high quality because of a few special features. I broke down this exact room in the my article on man cave bar ideas. Home theaters with bars are really cool and this room made my list. I explained how they made the entire room not just the bar itself.
11. Arcade Room
The arcade man cave is one of the coolest looking rooms on our best man cave ideas list. One thing that is really cool about man caves is that often times people bring one of their favorite places into their home. For sports fans they typically make some kind of sports bar. Golfers can bring a putting green right into their basement. I just covered home theaters, and now we have arcades.
The lighting is a huge part of an arcade man cave. The arcade games themselves are going to be very colorful. You will want to add neon signs to emphasize those bright colors and keep the actual lights dimmed if you have that option. This is the one man cave where furniture is optional because the idea is to play games not sit and watch something.
I love this man cave and covered is in my article: 6 Man Cave Bar Ideas (And How to Make Them). If you want to see how I suggest building an arcade themed man cave with a bar, I suggest browsing that article.
12. Video Game Man Cave
Video game man caves can look really awesome if built correctly. This person here did a great job building himself a video game man cave. While I would not personally choose this man cave over some of the choices above, I would be very interested in seeing how most of these come out.
I could see this idea being especially useful if the person making the man cave is a streamer or YouTuber. Streamers need a few monitors to handle the chat, run the stream, and play the game of their choice. They also need a really advanced computer, usually a custom one. A lot of high-end computer gear has LED lighting that would resemble the neon arcade color scheme. Getting some light-up keyboards and mouses could really make your station stand out.
What I like about this man cave is that he had a few key elements to the theme that he used correctly. His brand is built around a ninja logo and he used this to make something really cool. After setting up his background to be his logo he continued by putting up an LED sign on the wall. My favorite part is the ninja star lighting that makes the whole room look much cooler. The two stations with gaming chairs adds to the room as well. His color transition from green to red was flawless and makes the room really pop. I like what I can see of this video game man cave a lot.
13. Music Man Cave
If this list was ranked, music man caves would be a lot higher than 13th on the list. Music is one of the most popular passions in the world making this theme a shoe-in for the best man cave ideas list. There are a lot of unique and awesome music-themed man caves out there already.
I am a fan of this man cave particularly for a few reasons. The first one is the guitar wall that catches your eye immediately. Between the lighting and the gray background those guitars really pop off the wall. I am a huge fan of hanging guitars in music man caves. What is cool about guitars as decorations is that you can still use them. If this is a signed guitar then that is a different story, but you can display your actual guitars in a rack that is designed to look like a decoration.
The second cool part of this man cave is the furniture set up with a well decorated coffee table. I have to assume there is a television out of frame. I also really like the island table with a bar feel in the back. This place is well put together overall.
This was another theme I covered in my 6 Man Cave Bar Ideas (And How to Make Them) article. There is a lot to do with a music man cave and a lot of ideas for expansion. A serious musician could even build a recording studio right in the man cave.
14. Homemade Casino
Gambling is a very popular pastime all around the world. A poker table is an item that can be found in plenty of man caves regardless of the theme. If you are a huge fan of casinos and gambling, this is another example of bringing one of your favorite places into your home.
This person clearly had a high budget for this man cave. However, you do not need the fancy walls and pillars to build a space to gamble with your friends. I suggest putting some of your favorite casino games in your man cave first. You can then try to build a casino feel, but it will not be as easy to establish as most themes.
People creating sports man caves can just add a few pieces of memorabilia and build an atmosphere. Casinos are built to look high class, so it is hard to build that environment without spending too much money. If you get a poker table and maybe even a pool table, you could pull it off. Don’t think you need a row of slot machines to make this man cave.
15. Luxury Man Cave
This idea is for people with what I like to call “stupid money.” If you have an insane budget, you have endless options for a man cave. Why not build a full bar and throw in a massive television? This room was designed to look expensive from the flooring to the lighting. You can easily tell that this is not owned by someone making a middling income. I can not imagine how much this room alone has added to the value of the house.
If you do have the financial capability to create a luxury man cave, this flooring is the first place to start. I have seen some expensive man caves, but this floor makes the room feel more important. Pool tables are an item I have been a large advocate for in my man cave articles. For some reason pool tables just make a room look more valuable.
This is a cool idea to think about, but not possible for most of us. That said, I think I would rather put this type of budget into a sports man cave. You do not have to go with an elegant theme just because you can. The golf man cave I listed was not a cheap renovation either, I would prefer that one over this one any day. Overall, this man cave gives off the regal image it was supposed to.