Hi there, this week I’m moving, so no hobby time for me. Instead I swapped my size zero brush for a 25 cm/10 inch wide paint roller and painted the living room. Now, with an aching shoulder I’m planning my man cave. I’s a very small room – 1.80 m wide and 2.60 m long. The pictures above were taken when the previous tenant was still living in the flat. They give a good impression how small the room is., but of course the room is empty now. Let’s see how I’m going to fit in display cabinets and shelves for all my armies and over 1000 graphic novels and books, desk space for both my gaming PC and hobby work area and daylight lighting for photography purposes.
On the right side, where the bed was, there will be three black IKEA Billy bookshelves with Olsbo glass doors. Here I will put in my mangas, graphic novels, rulebooks and of course my armies. Note that the Billy/Olsbo combination is far from dust proof – there is plenty of space between the doors and the bookshelf itself. This is why I have to look out for a suitable weatherstrip to seal the cabinet to prevent my models from getting too dusty.
Another great idea for a flexible shelf unit/display case system from IKEA is Besta. There are different sized units and glass doors which can be arranged in different ways, an example can be found here. The Besta doors seal much better but the Billy bookshelves are narrower which gave them the edge over the Besta ones as the space is very tight.
On the left side there will be two 1.20 m x 0.60 m Vika desks with black legs. One will have a regular height of 70 cm for my PC, the other one a height of 90 cm. This allows me to better rest my arms when painting models or working upright. I bought the table legs in a DIY store.
Above the desks will be additional wall mounted shelves and a magnetic board. I also bought some daylight bulbs for a better colour reproduction when painting or taking pictures, but will also install a lamp with regular bulbs as this is more comfy for PC gaming or web browsing.
Let’s see if everything goes according to the plan! This will be a labourious week for sure. What do you think of the setup?
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I too will be designing my man cave in the near future, I am currently embroiled in a long drawn out purchase but when it's done I shall have the space I have craved for years!!
Are you planning airbrushing in the house or in another location?
I'm planning on all the spraying to be outside or in the loft (if I can make a usable space up there)and building and painting indoors.
lookg great, like a real cave 😛
i would recomend you to use as much shelves as possible and i am talking not just for walls where your table and cabinets will be standing, but also about the wall next to your bed.
btw, don't hesitate to use "underbed" space (there are plenty of space where you can store stuff)
Looks like it's going to be a great setup. Ikea seems to be the go-to furniture of hobbyists around the world. I've got an old Ikea desk with lights anchored into it with screws and the Helmer drawer unit sitting under it to the left.
Looking very good! Good luck with purchasing / arranging all the furniture in such a small space. Its always nice to see how other hobbyists arrange their "man caves"!
Good old IKEA furniture! I share a small workshop with my wife, and we have the following setup: four Billy bookshelves, two long wall-mounted shelves near the ceiling for long term storage, two good old Jerker desks – truth be told, Vika has nothing on Jerker, especially when it has a wider top shelf that the stock version – and, apart from small stuff (like kitchen railings to hold tools and equipment), a total of four Alex cabinets. The room is small, about seven square metres, but it's jam packed with stuff.