Home Sweet Home: 12 Expert Interior Design Tips For Modern Men
Typically, men don’t often talk about interiors. We love our clothes, cars, tech and the like, but when it comes to arranging the spaces we live in, we’re usually silent. And it shows. Men’s homes are either left to their partners, surprisingly well thought out (well done chaps, as you were) or terrible mutations of university student spaces full of needless film posters, Lazy Boy-esque furniture and bare lightbulbs.
It doesn’t need to be this way. Every male with his own space should take the same pride in it as he does his wardrobe or car. It’s a daunting task, but we’ve got some beginner’s tips to share that will make a huge difference.
Have A Palette In Mind
John Lewis
Having an overarching colour palette in mind is always helpful when decorating rooms. Whether you combine one colour with lighter and darker tonal shades or use saturated hues with accents of white for high contrast, keep the palette in mind for the subsequent accessorising and furniture.
White will always be a timeless and clean option for painting rooms, but it also comes with the risk of being too clinical. If you go down this route, ensure that furniture and furnishings provide a warming contrast.
Work Out Your Floor Plan
Habitat
Another handy approach to revamping a room is to start by considering the floor plan. With a bird’s eye view of the room, it’s easier to consider the importance of statement pieces and how they will fit together.
A common mistake in many homes is overcrowding. We’re not saying all interior plans should be based around minimalism, but if you’ve got a few key pieces of furniture waiting for a room, it’s worth planning the space so that items can be moved around whenever a refresh is required. You should also leave enough room for potential new additions once you’ve had the opportunity to live in the space.
Statement Pieces
Graham & Green
This is an area where you have to be careful but also a crucial part of really expressing yourself. Whether it’s a mirror, an ornate table, home bar trolley, Eames chair or dramatic rug, all homes need statement pieces.
There’s a fine line between good and bad taste, of course, but if you truly love something, it doesn’t jar against the room’s colour palette and it fits the space, go for it. It’s essential to making your home feel like your own.
Lamps Not Lights
John Lewis
When it comes to interiors, lighting is the most obvious example of those who know what they’re doing and those who don’t. The lazy and the committed.
Each room should have its own distinct atmosphere dictated by the lights being used. No room, apart from a utilities-style basement or garage, should be lit solely by a lone, undressed lightbulb.
Invest in lamps, big and small. Consider where they point, the shadows they cast, where the light is reflected, what part of the room needs lighting (a reading area may require something that illuminates from overhead, for example) and the accessibility of the switch.
You don’t want to be continuously moving furniture to turn something on. No central hanging light feature should be a bare, undressed bulb. Candles are worth considering, too.
Take Your Time & Experiment
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and stylish interiors take time, too. The key is not rushing into it. Look for cool pieces, observe how rooms look throughout the seasons (and thus different levels of light), and take the opportunity to live in the space for a while.
If you do this, you’ll become aware of the room’s nuances and how you use it daily. Above all, don’t be afraid to move furniture around and try different arrangements until you find a configuration and design that works for your specific needs.
Perfect The Basics
Loaf
Get the essential pieces nailed down, and the rest of the room will follow. That means large pieces of furniture: beds, sofas, armchairs, sideboards, dining room tables and the like. Invest in quality, timeless style and (again) consider the space they will take up.
They’re likely to be some of the most expensive items you’ll invest in, but they set the tone for every room and, if looked after correctly, should last for years.
Upgrade Your Frames
Desenio
Wall art is perhaps the quickest and easiest way to get an insight into a man’s level of taste and personality. We can’t stress this enough: avoid the clichés. Yes, we appreciate you like films, we appreciate you like records, pop art is good, and so are signed football tops, but don’t fall into the trap of putting things on the walls that the teenage boy inside your head wants.
Buy some real art. If you go to an exhibition, look at the prints in the gift shop. Support talented photographers and choose a more mature approach to what goes in those frames.
Try not to overthink it, either: art is completely subjective, so if you like a print, buy it.
Declutter Like A Grown-Up
We’re not saying you need to go full-on Marie Kondo, but if you haven’t used it, worn it or looked at it in a year, it’s probably time to let it go.
That overflowing ‘drawer of stuff’ in the kitchen? Sort it. The tangled mess of chargers and cables? Tame it. A tidy home doesn’t just look better – it clears your head too.
Invest In Scent
Le Labo
Candles, diffusers, room sprays – call them what you like, but your home needs a signature scent. It’s the invisible detail that makes the biggest impression.
Aim for something subtle and warm – not Lynx Africa in wax form – and match it to the season. Smoky and woody in winter, fresh and herbal in summer. And yes, it’s fine to like fig.
Don’t Neglect Texture
Crucial Trading
A room’s visual palette matters, but so does the way it feels. Leather, velvet, linen, wood, stone – a clever mix of materials is what separates a sleek showroom from a lived-in, tactile space.
Pair hard with soft, smooth with coarse. A chunky wool throw on a smooth leather sofa? Perfect. Glossy black countertops next to raw timber? Spot on.
Think Vertically
John Lewis
Most men decorate at eye level and below – sofas, TVs, coffee tables. But what’s going on up there? Use shelves to display books or objects with character. Hang long curtains to add height. Even a tall plant in the corner can draw the eye upwards and give the room dimension.
It’s about making the space feel layered, not flat.
Have A Corner Just For You
Made in Design
Carve out one little area that’s entirely yours. A reading nook. A record player setup. A whisky cabinet. A workspace with your dream chair. It doesn’t have to be big – it just has to feel like a reward.
Your home should serve other people, yes, but it should serve you first. You’ll appreciate it after a long day more than you think.
