Let's face it – in a couple's home, the style is often largely determined by the woman's décor choices. Whether it's a floral-patterned lounge chair or collection of throw pillows in the bedroom, the average home's aesthetic rarely includes many decorative accents that could be traced back to the man's sense of design.

It's because of this one-sided nature of interior design that gentlemen need a safe and secure place where they can express their masculinity unhindered by frilly pillows or potpourri – a man cave. Typically, this would be in a spare area of the house such as a finished basement, attic, garage or bedroom. If you're in need of this manly retreat in your own home, here are some design tips to get started.

Wood and leather
Before you start getting excited about multimedia entertainment or starting a collection of fine whiskeys, you'll need to nail down some of the décor basics for your man cave – namely furniture. Common features in many manly retreats are heavy use of wood and leather elements. Consider arranging your entertainment area with a sectional sofa, leather lounge chairs, ottoman and a polished wood coffee table. These elements also work well if you're thinking about building or buying a stylish home bar, as they mimic a sophisticated cigar lounge aesthetic. Solid wood flooring also complements this design scheme well.

Media center
It wouldn't be a man cave unless there were plenty of electronic gadgets to play around with, so a media center should be at the heart of your design. At the bare minimum, you should consider installing a large flat screen television so you can watch movie marathons, sports and television with the guys. In addition, surround sound speakers and a video game console will take your digital entertainment experience to the next level.

Table games
Considering that the man cave is largely about having good times with the guys, it doesn't hurt to have a few classic table games at your disposal either. Depending on your favorites, consider including vintage pool, air hockey, foosball, shuffleboard, darts or poker among your other assortment of man-boy entertainment options.