There is that in-between period in a man’s life where he is man enough to live on his own but not yet enough to live with a partner, let alone children. The scene for this period is usually set in the backdrop of a bachelor pad.
It is a liberating time for a man, especially if he is making his own money and is able to afford the things his youthful heart desires. Surely, a man can go far when he has money in his pocket and his own little bachelor pad where he lives by the rules he makes for himself.
This youthfulness often translates to a casual approach in how men style their bachelor pad. There will usually be something amiss that imbalances the overall look and feels out of place: Perhaps the furniture was hastily selected and shoddily crafted, or was crafted from low-grade materials.
Maybe the kitchen is sterile, the balcony and window treatment neglected. Overall, the whole place may feel disjointed and lack a homely feel.
If you are a bachelor moving into your own space or have a space you have been living in for a while, here are some tips to consider to up its styling:
1. Go for mature pieces
Your bachelor pad is a home for a man. It is not a hostel or a dorm room, neither is it your old bedroom in your old home. Style it for yourself, a man who deserves a haven to go back to after a hard-day’s work.
Styling it for a man who deserves the good things in life means that you need to avoid juvenile pieces such as bean bags or lounge chairs for your living room, stacks of books as your coffee table, plastic mismatched crockery in your kitchen or cartoon character bed sheets.
Some bachelors even avoid beds altogether, choosing to sleep on the floor, as though eternally camping. Others consider curtains and drapes a feminine pursuit, choosing to use anything but actual curtains on their windows. We won’t even mention those who eat straight from the cooking pan.
It matters not the size of your space – whether it is an expansive one-bedroom penthouse or a bedsitter the size of a dream – style it for a man. Make sure you have a couch (at least a two-seater), a living room rug, proper window treatment, a bed (at least the standard four by six) and some matching cutlery and crockery sets in your kitchen.
Select these pieces both for function and for aesthetics. And it is acceptable to buy your pieces gradually, over time, and select the pieces yourself, so that they reflect your personality and tastes. You can get opinions from your partner or a relative, even a close friend, but don’t let them do the shopping for you without you.
You can only be a bachelor once in your life, if your goal is to marry and have a family one day, so make the most of this liberating period.
2. Go for simple and minimalist styling
Minimalist styling is about buying only pieces that you need, for multiple functions. Simple designs enhance visual appeal while giving breathing room to the space: the more corners and the more bare floor you can see, the bigger a space looks and feels.
If you have no idea how to go about it, visualise this minimalist aesthetic: If you have the space, style your living room with a three-seater couch and two accent chairs that reminded one of a gentleman’s clubhouse. The accent chairs need to have a simple design with a lot of exposed wood and floor clearance.
Ensure that the accent chairs you go for fulfil multiple functions: they can play the role of extra seating for your guests. You can also have two or more dining chairs and an office chair, as well as a small vintage-style round table tucked in one corner of the room.
You can read your books in this corner or play chess and other board games with your pals. Your space might be tight, but minimalist simple styling will make it seem big.
Also keep your surfaces sleek and bare by selecting few but strong styling accessories. You would rather spend Sh8, 000 on one strong styling accessory than on eight pieces that clutter your shelves.
Go for a muted colour palette because bright colours will upset your styling. Ultra white opens up your living room, beige enhances sleep in the bedroom, cream is a safe neutral for your kitchen and bathroom/shower, light grey is a near-perfect colour for your furniture, off-white for your curtains.
Stay away from stimulating colours such as yellow, red and green.
The only place to use yellow in your bachelor pad is in your bulbs. Yellow light is soft, moody and calming, whether you are using it on your floor lamp or ceiling sconces. Add some softness to your minimal styling by selecting some throw pillows with soft-to-the-touch fabrics (suede, velvet, faux leather) or an ottoman with a dash of colour.
3. Create a space that reflects your hobbies and personal pastimes
Your bachelor pad is your sacred space for ultimate self-expression: style it to honour this. If you and your friends enjoy a drink once in a while, then have a home bar with all the essentials such as glassware, shakers and strainers.
A mobile bar cart jazzes the experience up the more. If you play a musical instrument, then have a station set up where you can play your heart out. Also consider art and photography and create a gallery wall to display your framed pieces.
If you write and read, create a home library and a reading and writing nook, and if you are into gaming, then invest in a decent gaming console with a sound system and mounted TV screen to go with it.
And if you are the kind of bachelor that enjoys cooking, invest in a well-kitted kitchen where you can try out as many recipes as you stumble upon on YouTube. You have all the time in the world to keep fit, so if you have a balcony, then set up a corner with a gym mat and your weights.
4. Create a space for entertaining
A space that reflects your hobbies and pastimes is also a ready space to entertain your guests. They will simply join you in whatever activity you are engaging in – this company will enhance the experience of living in your own space with your own rules. You will have all the youthful fun your boyish heart desires.
The memories you create with your people here will be for a lifetime. Especially when you become a family man, and your partner and children take over the TV and the remote control and just about every space in this house that your money keeps running, you will look back at this period nostalgically.
5. Go for a queen size bed
You might argue that a king size bed is fit for a king like you, but king size beds have their own challenges. They eat up a lot of room in the bedroom for no real reason. Finding king size beddings in this town is also a real headache. And properly spreading a king size bed calls for some legwork. Queen size beds offer luxurious space and comfort without the inherent issues of king size beds. We strongly suggest you get this size.
Select a muted colour palette in here as well, as what you did in your living room. Also pick out minimal styling elements that will make the room cosy, comfortable and relaxing. A sanctuary for you. All-white cotton bed sheets readily hit that spot. Match this with two pairs of dressed pillows on your bed: two are sleeping pillows, two are decorative. Anything more would be asking for too much of you.
Also invest in pieces that enhance organisation and your grooming experience. These are pieces such as a shoe rack, a wall mirror, over-the-door hooks, bedside and underfoot rugs, bedside tables and matching lamps. Remember to keep an eye open for aesthetics as well as function.
6. Keep your bachelor pad clean and tidy
A well-styled space with never-ending entertainment will be for naught if it is not kept clean and tidy. Get a cleaner to come over at least once a week to do your laundry, mop the house down, change your beddings, dust the windows and keep everything clean and tidy in its place.
Also develop the habit of cleaning up after yourself every day: spreading your bed every morning, emptying the trash bin, giving the toilet a quick scrub, putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket – of course, this goes without saying.
Having a clean home that smells of spring is a small luxury you can afford in your pad. You must have a signature scent wafting through your pad: Embrace the modern man in you and burn scented candles once in a while, everyone likes a nice-smelling space, but if this too much for you, a humidifier or a battery-operated automatic air fresheners will do.
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