15 Shades Of Paint You'll Want To Use In Your Man Cave
There are as many different kinds of man caves as there are men who enjoy the sanctuary they provide. Some will be sports fans. Others might be car enthusiasts, music nerds, or online gamers. The point is, there's a man cave concept out there for each and every one. But before you start picking out foosball tables and flatscreens, you should start with a blank slate — and that means the paint on your walls.
Painting your space is the first step to actually marking your territory, according to Shoreline Painting & Drywall, because it sets the overall tone. In fact, painting the walls of your man cave is practically the only decorative decision made by the actual cavemen for whom the room is named. Even in prehistoric times, they had some understanding that the space wasn't truly theirs until they'd slapped something up on the walls to let people know who was in charge.
The very term cave conjures images of dark and mysterious labyrinths where you'd need a search team just to find the remote. But there are ways to assert your alpha dominance over light, and paint is paramount among them. Whether you're going for chill, masculine, or sleek, here's an assortment of 15 new and classic colors to help you reach apex man cave potential.
1. Glidden Rich Navy
Glidden's Rich Navy offers an opportunity to imbue your space with class. Whether used as an accent (scroll down to see it in an alternating pattern) or on its own, this blue is deep enough to radiate serious man cave vibes without becoming overbearing. It's also ideal if your space alternates as an office or media room.
2. Glidden Red Garnet
Can you get any preppier than this? Striping combines Glidden's Red Garnet with Rich Navy (and thinner cream accents separating them) to create an atmosphere that captures the thrill of a Saturday afternoon Ivy League match-up in the fall. With less intrusive colors and patterns in your choice of furnishings, a wall design like this truly pops.
3. Chalkboard paint
It's time to consider adapting this chalkboard paint idea to an entire wall, where you and your friends can keep track of fantasy football, live match scores, or who's winning that game of darts on the opposite wall. Krylon's brilliant option is durable and easy-to-clean.
4. Trench Coat khaki
There's a reason men like khaki. For starters, it's neutral without being weak. Furthermore, it's highly evocative of military uniforms, Bogart films, and leisure clothes. As a background wall choice, this hue pairs with nearly everything. Note: This Benjamin Moore color (called Trench Coat) does not include cargo pockets.
5. New Black
Valspar's New Black is deep and luscious as licorice. It adds a dimension of drama you won't find in blacks that turn a pale gray, brown, or blue as soon as you open the drapes, either. Used in combination with whites and grays, it makes a bold and masterful statement.
6. Intense White
Forget the blinding, sanitized white you remember from hospital walls and the sterile insides of government buildings. Here's a Benjamin Moore option called Intense White that provides soothing undertones of gray and blue. Perfect for an afternoon chillax.
7. Fenway Green Monster
Red Sox fans aren't alone in appreciating that the public can now access the same paints that have been used for decades at Fenway Park. Green Monster is a chalky pastel that evokes sunny afternoons with hot dog in hand. Even if you don't like the Sox, consider painting your retreat in your favorite team's colors.
8. Gray Gardens
As kids we were taught that gray is dreary, dull, and lacking imagination. Oftentimes, it got used because no one could mount an argument against it. But experts have been tinkering with gray for years, and there are many successes to report, among them Benjamin Moore's Gray Gardens, which emphasizes hues from available light and surrounding objects.
9. Red Gumball
Primary colors like Glidden's Red Gumball provide a stately appearance here. Of course, with a little imagination, you can see that it could also be put to use as an accent wall choice. Since it's good at pulling focus, you'll want to employ simplified and reserved options when it comes to furnishings.
10. Imperial Purple
If you're in charge of your own patch of the world, why not choose a color that reflects the magnitude of your station? You'll see that this color, Imperial Purple by Farrow & Ball, has just enough undertones to make it friendly to a variety of furnishings, especially grays, blues, metallics, and glass.
11. French Press
Who doesn't like a deep mocha? Where many browns lack personality, Benjamin Moore's French Press will make you feel cozy as a corner coffee shop, and you'll get mad props for creativity, too. As you can see, it pairs well with blacks, whites, and the glass tabletop in the foreground as well. Unfortunately, it's unscented.
12. Faux stone paint
Looking for a cave that rocks? What could be cooler than one that mimics the original man caves? Rust-Oleum makes an assortment of spray paints that leave surfaces looking more like they came from a quarry than a can. There's Gray Stone, above, and a more brown-leaning option called Pebble.
13. Almost Famous green
Notice how this mossy green evokes images of banking institutions and golf course pro shops? Behr calls this shade Almost Famous, and it's easy to see why. The look is luxe, and speaks of a leisure life that's as casual as it is elegant. You're not supposed to notice that it's fancy. You're supposed to expect it.
14. Cinnamon Cake brown
If brick and palomino had a baby, it might look like Valspar's Cinnamon Cake — a near-perfect combination of reds and browns that radiates the vibe of suede onto your walls. As you can imagine, this is going to crush your look when you add the pool table, the flatscreen, and a couple of recliners.
15. Whale Gray
Maybe you have vintage guitars, sports memorabilia, or vintage movie posters to display. Welcome Benjamin Moore's Whale Gray; just as dramatic as an offshore Atlantic gale, but it won't steep your room in gloom. Mount a harpoon on your wall next to a copy of Herman Melville's classic tale, and grab a bowl of chowder.