Hockey Player, Ryan Steen was lucky enough to afford Candice Olson’s services when he and his wife, toddler son, and pets moved into a large house in an affluent Toronto Suburb. Together, Candice and her team, in their usual fashion, turned Ryan’s basement into a relaxing oasis, hmm – I mean, “man cave” for he and his hockey buddies to rest, relax, and even work out.

The large basement was broken into 3 separate spaces, giving room for this beautiful gym, a living room with television and amazing raw end branch wall art, and my favorite – the patchwork brindle cowhide rug, and beyond a lounge space – perfect for a few drinks by the fire. This, my friends, is my idea of a man cave. However, in some interesting research, I came up with a few more, non-Candice alternatives:

Ah, yes! Bringing back those memories of Hawaii, err, South Padre Island. This tiki bar comes equipped with a Igloo ice chest to hold all of your cold drinks, and a Margarittaville Margarita Machine. Make no mistake, I would venture down into this aquatic blue beach hut to steal a sip of one of those ice cold margaritas!

Even though the ceiling in this basement has been left unfinished, I am happy with the overall turnout. This ski-lodge inspired space is cozy, warm, and feels to me as though it might have been decorated by the wife, not the husband. Still, a great place to kick back with a glass of wine, err, beer, and watch a good movie, err, the game!

What would a man cave be, without the quintessential pool table. I like that this one is covered in a beige felt, a good choice. Not at all “bar” like, and the warm gray neutral color on the wall is a nice compliment to the overall theme. Could be a non-man-cave space, but notice two very important things that pulled the trigger on this one: (1) the rack for the pool balls hanging from the fixture … um, ok? (2) that overstuffed leather sofa facing the television that is clearly too large for the space. Yes, this is a man cave of true proportions!

And what was your clue on this one? This garage was turned into a golf lovers dream, complete with simulated golf games and a wall mural of a Malibu golf course. The modern lines of the chair and sofa were a good choice, but I’m wondering – is that turf, or carpet?

This themed room is supposed to evoke the mood of a traditional Irish pub, and I have to say, bravo to the creator of this space. Everything seems to be in good proportion, and what’s more – they stayed away from the super large coffee table and went for the beautiful trunk. Not bad.

And finally, this space is actually, quite nice. Filled with very little other than the red felt pool table (another great choice) this room speaks masculine, without being cliche.

So tell me ladies, do your men have their own man caves? That hideaway where they can meet with other male friends and bond over a few beers and a good game?

Tags: basement, decorating, design, Home Decor, men