Shaun
Choosing the colors with which to paint your man cave is not a complicated task. But just in case you need some inspiration, here we give you some of the best masculine tones (based on sociological and psychological data) that are perfect for painting your man cave walls in manly hues.
Colors exert a quite substantial influence on us by affecting our moods and even generating a number of emotions and reactionary feelings.
Believe it or not, choosing the right color with which to paint our rooms, offices, bedrooms, and man caves can make a big difference in our quality of life and that of others around us.
So, if you are thinking about which colors to paint your man cave, and which color combinations will work best for your particular setup, then let me help you.
Today, I give you some advice on the best colors or color combos to paint your man cave.
Table of Contents
The Psychology of Color
Society dictates that specific colors, styles, and aesthetics better characterize the different genders. When it comes time to create comfortable and enjoyable spaces for men, there are some design ideas and color trends that suit a masculine room much more appropriately.
Although it can be acceptable to deviate from the norm, classical choices will always come out on top. And do you know why? Specific colors elicit precise reactions from our masculine minds, and there are very distinct historical, social, and psychological underpinnings behind this phenomenon.
According to color theory, men are more concerned with the overall tone quality of a given color than with the actual hue itself. Men identify with a more vivid, intense representation of color than women. Additionally, men have a higher tolerance for achromatic colors such as black, white, and gray.
However, when it comes to choosing the color of a particular wall paint, men are less concerned with fancy names than women. While women delight in painting their rooms a deep Gamboge or Feldgrau, men will just call it Yellow and Greenish Gray.
Based on these criteria, we have drawn a list of the best colors for painting a masculine space.
Best Colors To Paint Your Man Cave
Red Shades
The color red expresses danger, attraction, passion, dynamism, warmth, and aggressiveness, and although it is a color that may cause fatigue in some people when used excessively, it can be used in a variety of different ways to make a point and attract attention.
Red shades are reminiscent of fire, blood, heat, and danger. If you want to add dynamism to your man cave, then choose red shades. Our favorites are Crimson, Brick, and Mahogany.
Blue Shades
Blue can be the perfect color to paint your man cave if you want to elicit feelings of tranquility and relaxation.
After a long and stressful day at the office, blue shades interspersed throughout your man cave can go a long way in creating a soothing and cozy space in which to kick back.
Darker blues are even more effective at conveying these feelings, so choose Navy, Admiral, or Azure.
Green Shades
Green colors express ideas of freshness, balance, equilibrium, and self-control. Greens are closely related to nature, so if you are the outdoorsy type, if you like sports and staying physically active, painting your man cave some shade of green can be a good idea.
While some tones can be associated with nature and plant life, many others are associated with money and success. We recommend the following greens: Shamrock and Emerald.
Orange Shades
Orange can convey encouragement, enthusiasm, youth, and joy. When you see orange used in consumer products, you can bet the manufacturers are trying to catch your eye and elicit feelings of cheer and fun.
However, orange shades are best used sparingly as they can easily overwhelm other aspects of your decor. The best orange shades for your man cave are Tiger, Bronze, and Carrot.
Purple Shades
Purple is the color of royalty, luxury, wisdom, and creativity. It is a color that is also associated with the spiritual world. Purple can be both energizing and soothing.
Different shades of purple can trigger creativity and can also calm and help to relax. Depending on what you are trying to achieve, you can use Eggplant, Wine, or Raisin.
Brown Shades
Brown is regularly thought of as a dull color and is often relegated to the background. However, using brown in a smart and well-thought-out manner can convey some very positive emotions and feelings.
A brown-accented man cave does not have to be boring at all. Browns can elicit feelings of strength, reliability, security, and safety. Go for some splashes of Cedar, Walnut, Coffee, and Caramel for your man cave décor.
White
White is a clean slate that opens up your wall to a world of aesthetic possibilities. White allows you to go in any direction and accent with virtually any other color.
Consider duller shades of white that are not too bright and use dark elements in your decor to dim light tints. The basic principle to remember is that dark on white complements nicely.
Black
On the opposite spectrum of white, we find mighty black. Black is an imposing color to paint with and can literally transform a space.
Black suggests power, elegance, formality, authority, and sophistication, all of which are fantastic qualities to express in your man cave. Just as white is complemented by dark accents, black is complemented by lighter accents.
Although black is a universal color and goes well with everything, some colors are particularly striking when juxtaposed on a black surface. Use Red, Yellow, Green, and White in combination with black to create dynamic spaces in your man cave.
By Their Powers Combined
Now that you know what each color can do, let us touch briefly upon 3 different conceptual styles that you can implement by using a combination of these colors.
These specific styles have broad concepts that provide you with a high degree of freedom.
Here are the most appropriate styles for a man cave worth its name.
Contemporary
Contemporary man caves tend to be minimalist and have modern accents. Contemporary design can make great use of mirrors and art on the walls.
Symmetry is an essential component of contemporary styles. Dark colors with stark contrasting elements are perfect for modern aesthetics. Focus on the critical design concepts of shape, form, and line.
Rustic
Rustic spaces are perfect for the rugged man. Warriors, adventurers, tough-as-nails individuals find themselves at home in rustic spaces. Consider incorporating deep wood tones as well as smokey greens or stone for a tailored rustic man cave.
Age is an essential component of Rustic design, so make sure to include heirlooms, vintage, and antique elements.
Luxury
Luxury design is based on a total expression of self. This style is for the assertive and confident men out there. Incorporate leather, thick fabrics, and plush elements.
Luxury man caves have to prioritize your Kingliness. Blacks, whites, grays, and golds are the colors of luxury.
Mixing Colors and Accenting
One last point that I want to bring to your attention while we are on the topic of colors for your man cave, and is the subject of mixing colors or accenting with colors.
When thinking about what colors to paint and decorate your mancave you may find that constructing a coherent color scheme is rather difficult. After all, your chosen colors must harmonize together and create a pleasing atmosphere that is conducive to the mood you want to emphasize in your space.
However, if you gain a basic understanding of some basic Color Theory concepts, you will find that coming up with a functional color scheme is far easier.
The main consideration to keep in mind when mixing colors and constructing a color scheme is to make use of the chromatic circle.
The Chromatic Circle is a clock-like diagram that visually describes the primary, secondary, and tertiary relationships between all colors. What the Chromatic Circle allows you to do is to easily and quickly identify color tones and express their concordance.
For example, the Chromatic Circle can tell you at a glance things like the color temperature of a given tone, or which color acts as an accent of another. This is key when constructing or designing a color scheme, and will be extremely helpful when deciding which colors to use for your man cave.
Here are some basic rules to follow:
- When identifying accent colors, choose tones that are opposite each other on the wheel.
- Never give two opposing colors the same degree of importance. One color should always be the primary accent, while other colors work to contrast it.
- This primary color should be the one that you use in greater swathes. This is the color that should be used to paint walls, floors, and ceilings. In other words, the elements of your man cave that occupy the most space.
- Your secondary color should be applied to a significantly lesser extent. This should generally correspond to items with smaller surface areas, such as furniture, rugs, curtains, etc.
- A third color can be added to your color scheme to provide an accent. The accent color should have significantly less representation than the primary and secondary colors. However, it is the accent color that gives your color scheme character and identity. Your accent color should be used to decorate with things like paintings, lamps, cushions, etc.
For the best results, I would recommend following the 60/30/10 formulate. This means that 60% of your space should be given the primary color, 30% of your space should be given the secondary color, and 10% should be given the accent color.
Here are some other useful recommendations:
- Your primary color should generally be a neutral or light tone.
- Your secondary color can be anything you want. Use your choice of secondary color to express your personality. This should be a darker tone than your primary color.
- Your accent color should be vivid and distinct. Cold accent colors give off an aura of freshness or purity. Warm accent colors, on the other hand, give off a certain liveliness or dynamism.
- Use an online tool like Coolors.co to help pick your complimentary colors.
These are just general rules, however, and you should feel free to experiment and break these rules if the end result works for you.
