How to Design an 8x10 Room for a Man

Gather a list of the functions your man wants in his room and the color, materials and design ideas he describes. Try not to interject your ideas about how his room should look.

Place a sheet of art board or white cardboard on the worktable to use as a base for your project board. Assemble images of furniture, televisions, lamps, and artwork, paint samples, and fabric choices. Glue these items to the project board to give you an overview of what your man has asked for and wants.

Place 1/4-inch graph paper on the worktable. Measure the room and closet, and transfer these measurements to the graph paper. Draw in all the details. An 8-by-10-foot room is small, so the swing of the door, the positions of the window and closet are all critical to maximizing the room's potential.

Tape tracing paper over the floor plan. Look at your idea board and note the most important function and the style and size of the largest piece of furniture necessary to fulfill that function. Use a ruler and sketch in the possible locations for the furniture piece. Often you may have only two or three choices. Use a separate piece of tracing paper for each.

Position your second largest piece of furniture or your wall television, if the room is a man cave viewing room. This is likely to be mounted opposite the seating area. Work on all three of your layouts to see how these items would fit in each example. If you have a closet, think about removing the door to turn the closet into a mini-fridge and microwave area or a desk area, depending on what your man wants.

Position a table for drinks and a lamp and possibly a large ottoman with a tray for a coffee table. Each piece should do double duty or have multiple functions. Your table should include storage if he wants to store things, the ottoman can be extra seating or a table or storage. Add decor or art above the furniture on all walls based on the theme or interests of the man.

Take your plans to the man along with your idea board, colors and photos of possible furniture. Discuss the plan and allow the man to make the final selections.