(Last modified on April 3rd, 2020)
Why does your man cave need a pool table? They’re an amazing way to hone your hand-eye coordination, your reflexes, and even sharpen up your math. Billiards is a sport that gives you vast benefits as time goes on and—perhaps most importantly—gives you a few tricks to show off to others. But why would you want man caves with a pool table? Why not put it in a game room or something? Well, man caves are meant as a place of relaxation.You probably learned that when you read this article.
By bringing in the pool table, you give yourself one more thing to relax with. If you ever invite friends over, it’s an excellent thing to entertain your guests. On top of that, if you have many people over and aren’t actively playing pool yourself, I find the noise of a pool table at work to be quite comfortable. Today, let’s talk about man caves with a pool table, ideas on how to decorate them, and how best to complement the pool table in your mancave. Since a pool table is technically a huge piece of furniture, you need to make huge accommodations in your man cave in order to pull it off. Let’s learn how to do that today so that you can set up your perfect cave tomorrow!
If you’re looking for all kinds of man cave ideas, then read this article on the topic. If you’re looking for ideas specific to small pool table man caves, then let’s get into those details. First of all, you have to acknowledge what kind of sport billiards is. It’s an old one meant to bring people together, but it’s also clean. There’s no dirt, no sweat, and it generally evokes a relaxed atmosphere when you’re playing casually. It’s less about player strength and more about player precision, mathematical ability,and raw skill.
Your man cave with a pool table should match this. The room should look clean and organized. Depending on the construction of your pool table, an elegant look or a modern look works for you. If clean and organized isn’t your thing, then focus on the social aspect of it. Make the room look small, warm, and friendly. Bars are particularly good at doing this. There’s a reason they’re all covered in signs, large images, and weird decor. Different people will focus their eyes on different things, and by making the room varied, you ensure that any guests will have something unique to look at when it’s not their turn. It keeps them from getting bored, makes the room more lively, and even serves as a talking point between players.
I talk more about pulling off an actual bar in the section below, but for now, let’s focus on decor. It’s much easier to set up a man cave with a pool table when you only need to worry about wall decorations, rather than plumbing and drink selection. First, establish the room by setting up signs that match your theme. Signs with your man cave rules, posters dedicated to the things you love, and three-dimensional objects like deer head mounts break up the monotony of a blank wall. Another way to make that wall look great is to accent it with bricks, wood, or paint on a single portion. The different texture does wonders for making the room look occupied without throwing in a thousand decorations. A painted accent wall is a particularly affordable way to make the room look occupied when decorating on a budget.
Another important aspect of decorating man caves with a pool table is the lighting of a room. Lighting drastically affects how players strategize and perform, even if it’s on a subconscious level. I find that the best lighting for this situation is to have multiple warm light sources in the room. They might be dim, but with enough of them, it gives the room a steady and welcoming atmosphere. It negates the number of shadows that affect play. On top of this, setting up some lights over the pool table further ensures that the area is nicely lit and easy to play on. The last thing you want to hear is someone complaining about how they can’t perform because of the lighting.
Next, you throw in some stuff to make the room match your overall theme. The pool table is a big part of the cave, but remember that it’s primarily a place to relax. Decorate it to suit that task! The last thing you really need to finish up a man cave with a pool table is very simple—someplace to put your beer. You can just grab a cooler, barrel, or simple fridge to do the job. Or—if you want to go the extra mile and make a true man cave—you can go even further. You can complement your pool table in the best way possible.
So, what’s the best way to complement a man cave’s pool table? Quite frankly, nothing beats a small man cave bar right next to it. Even if you’re short on cash, there are plenty of ways to find DIY man cave ideas on a budget, including an article I wrote that you can read here. I recommend forging some man cave bar plans as you install the pool table itself. Both take up a lot of space, so you want to make sure you have enough for both. There’s no denying that pool tables and bars go hand-in-hand. You’ll be hard pressed to find a place with a billiards table that doesn’t also sell beer in the same room. The bar stools that you purchase for seating yourself and guests double as a place for billiards players to rest.
On top of that, even a small bar helps draw attention away from a pool table in the room. Since pool tables are so large, it’s important to balance them out with other large features or decorations so that they don’t become the focus of the room. If you completely neglect to do this and just furnish the rest of the room with the basics, you’ll end up with a man cave that looks empty. In any case, it’s never a bad idea to throw a bar into your man cave setup. You need some sort of way to store your beer, after all. What better way than to make a dedicated bar for it? Just make sure you leave the man cave every now and then for a breath of fresh air!
Ultimately, man caves with a pool table serve as a place of meeting as well as relaxation. The first is a wonderful feature for any mancave, while the second is what constitutes the purpose of a true man cave. Even if you’re playing billiards solo, the relaxing sound of the balls clicking and rolling is enough to soothe the soul all on its own. Pool tables do take up a ton of space, so consider carefully whether you want one in your man cave or not.
If it’s going in, it will be one of your major features—only topped by an impressive entertainment system or a sweet bar. You better like playing pool a lot before you get one of those things for your man cave. Don’t get me wrong,they’re a great addition to any man cave—but in a place with limited space, you want to make sure the man cave reflects your true interests. That’s how you build a true man cave!
