Looking to make a masculine-looking home office? Great choice. Inside we’ll take a look at what makes a great home office and ways to make it masculine at the same time. Let’s check it out:
The Masculine Home Office Overview
What Does A Good Home Office Need?
A good home office will have everything you’ll need to get your work done, stay focused, and feel comfortable while doing it. That means things like:
- Your computer, keyboard, mouse, webcam, etc.
- A desk
- A chair
- Headphones or speakers
- Natural lighting from windows
- Artificial lighting (task lamps, floor lamps, etc.)
- Fresh air for focus
- Storage (file cabinets, bookcases, etc.)
- Style (paint, artwork, smell, vibe, texture)
What Does Masculinity Mean?
So now that we know what a good office needs, let’s talk about the fundamentals of masculinity.
The definition is:
“marked by or having qualities, features, etc. traditionally associated with men.”
So what do you think of when you think of masculinity? I’ll tell you what I think:
- Boldness (as opposed to timidness)
- Contrast (as opposed to washed out)
- Honesty (as opposed to facades)
- Authentic (as opposed to ripoffs)
- Timeless (as opposed to progressive)
- Violent (as opposed to safety)
- Rough (as opposed to smooth)
- Interest in things/engineering (as opposed to people)
Masculine Materials & Style
So with those ideas in mind, here are some ideas to think about:
- Materials
- Authentic: Solid wood, leather, cotton, wool, metal (iron, copper, brass, steel), glass, etc.
- Fake: Veneers, polyester, plastic, pleather, etc.
- Brands
- Authentic: Heritage, original/inventor brands, etc.
- Fake: Copycats, offshoring, corner-cutting, etc.
- Style
- Authentic: Simple (form follows function), traditional and timeless design, bare-bones, sharp-edged, rough, hard
- Fake: Unnecessarily complex, flourishes, safe and rounded, smooth, soft
- Colour
- Authentic: Boldness, dark, honest colours from the landscape
- Fake: Washed out, pastels, fluorescent colours, unnatural colours
- Location
- Authentic: Picking materials from your locale and culture
- Fake: Importing foreign marble, foreign woods, taking from a culture not your own, etc.
- Lighting
- Authentic: Incandescents, flame/fire (candles, kerosene lamps, fireplaces, etc.)
- Fake: LEDs, Fluorescent
Location is a big one. What’s masculine for someone living in Finland will be completely from what’s masculine for someone living in Texas. They each have their own temperatures, local trees, and colours of their environment. For someone in Finland, they might lean more toward Scandinavian-type wood, such as beech or ash. For someone in Texas, cedar elms, Southern Red Oak, etc. In Finland, there may be more emphasis on wool textures, and in Texas, more emphasis on leather. In Finland, there is less light being so far North, so you may want to keep the room colours bright and white. In Texas, with stronger sun, you might want something darker and more shaded in terms of style.
Now, obviously, you may not agree with all of that. You’ve got your own sense of what’s true and what you like. And on top of that, we need to counterbalance things with comfort so we can be productive.
Balancing Comfort For Productivity Against Aesthetics
Getting things done is inherently masculine. So if you look the part with solid wooden desks, a leather mousepad, and a whiskey cart nearby but get nothing done, that’s called being a poser.
So in that sense, we need to make sure that we’re comfortable enough to focus on the task at hand.
For example, I know that a solid wood office chair like this is masculine looking:
However, I’ve used a chair just like this for an entire day, and I was very uncomfortable. I found it hard to focus because my glutes became numb.
So I sit on a progressive-design, new, plastic-netting chair that feels like a hammock:
I can sit in this thing all day with no issues. Now in my head, even though it’s all plastic, it’s still decently masculine. It’s an original engineering marvel by the inventor brand, it’s black, it’s bold, it’s made locally in the USA (not offshore), etc.
So pick your battles. Not everything in your office needs to be ultra-masculine, just the feeling as a whole.
Feminine Home Office Versus Masculine Home Office
It might help to look at two different offices to get a better visual example of what’s going on here.
Here’s a feminine home office that looks nice:
Here’s why this home office looks feminine to me:
- White/light coloured walls
- Wood for a desk is stereotypically masculine, so the wood has been white-washed in tone
- “Pretty” computer mice that isn’t good for productivity but looks nice
- Rounded side table
- White accent on metal legs
- White accent on office chair
- Soft carpet with fun design
- Flowers
- Feminine candle design (round, voluptuous)
- Chrome/sparkly/curvy lamp
- Watering can is copper, which might be seen as masculine, but has a thin/dainty/eloquent arm
Now let’s take a look at the masculine home office. This isn’t the best home office, but you can tell it’s a man’s.
- Wooden desk with a natural (or slightly dark) wood stain
- Industrial-style floor lamp (not chrome, sparkly, and refined)
- A productive computer mouse that has no concerns about being ugly (form follows function)
- Equipment is out and accessible for getting things done (multiple monitors, storage drives, pens, daily planners, etc.)
- Painted Black Wooden Paned Windows (timeless and traditional design with bold/dark colours)
- Bric-a-brac is a toy van (automotive), a leather-banded watch, and a rock?
So when you look at your own office, you might have gotten some ideas for things to add, but also things to take away.
Masculine Home Office Ideas:
Computer
I am partial to Mac stuff. It’s all machined aluminum with solid aesthetics. Apple often has high quality materials along with simple design. It will always look better than a cheap black plastic laptop.
Chair
Tufted leather, timeless, authentic, and comfortable. The ultimate office masculine chair. The only downside is you’ll have to pay for it. You can also get it in an modern style with a black powder-coated aluminum frame.
Desk
I have a solid wood bamboo desk from Fully Jarvis. I am partial to sit-stand desks, and I recommend them to people even if you won’t be standing all too much. The reason why is because you can set the perfect height for your own individual frame. Getting the perfect height desk can help with productivity.
These days, there are some crazy-looking options for sit-stand desks. Herman Miller just released a leather-bound sit-stand desk with concealed legs. I am not big on the fact that the wood is veneer, but on the flip side, that allows the grain to repeat in a mid-century aesthetic. Pretty cool and masculine desk if you ask me.
Lighting
There are lots of quality task and floor lighting lamps out there. You can get deep into this subject and we’re written a whole article on home office lighting. I’m a big fan of the industrial history and quality of Jielde lamps, and they come in every possible colour as well.
Paint Colors For The Walls
If you wanted to go for boldness, you could pick a striking colour that is natural, like terracotta. You could go for a darker, more dramatic tone like an aristocratic forest green, dark navy, or stone grey. But in reality, you need to pick a colour that fits your space. If your home office is facing north and you live in the North like Montreal, Canada, and you’ve got small windows—you shouldn’t be picking a dark colour that will suck up all the light. You will need to reflect and keep all the light you can get by using a lighter tone of paint.
If you do have a bright room, you have a lot more opportunities for picking darker, bolder wall colours.
Blue seems to be the favourite when it comes to paint colours on walls (at least, according to one study on University residents.)
Wood Slat Sound Proofing
Most soundproofing is made out of dense plastic that can absorb sound waves. These new wooden slatted panels are an attractive and masculine design on top of a functional soundproofing plastic material. Not only will it add some wood aesthetics to your room, it will cut down on the reverb, making music sound better, or if you’re doing any video conferencing or Youtubing, the audio will come through clearer.
Maximizing Natural Light
Masculinity is testosterone, and testosterone is light. What’s more masculine—pale or tanned skin? Studies have shown that during the summer months, testosterone levels increase, and they dip down during the winter months. Let in that natural light as much as possible. Choose a South-facing room in your house so there is plenty of light.
Real Plants
Masculinity is authenticity. It would be better to have no plants than a fake one. If you’ve got natural light in your office, get a plant that matches your style. They’re not hard to take care of. Some natural sunlight, clean water that you’d drink yourself (if tap water kills your plant, what does it do to you?), and some minerals for the dirt occasionally.
Air Quality & Smell
Most men’s fragrances are things like wood, smoke, and oil. Some guys may want to have a masculine-smelling candle… maybe you could get some smudge (rosemary, sage, tobacco, etc.) and a plate for it to burn on.
But as for me, fresh air reigns king. I bought a AirThings Air quality monitor, and I realized that anytime the CO2 levels get high (from low air flow coupled with a human breathing), the air gets stuffy. So, keeping the windows open for fresh air, to get the CO2 levels lower, has been huge for concentration, productivity, and helping you stay relaxed. It’s not the most efficient option, especially during the winter. Perhaps, you could look into an HRV for fresh air circulation while keeping some heat.
Another option is to get rid of any bad smells with a HEPA-filter. HEPA filters can’t remove CO2 build-up, but it can take out other smells, like smoke, dander, dust, fur, etc.
Storage and Organization
It’s hard to find a quality filing cabinet these days. If you can’t score something vintage that fits your need, there are expensive options out there. Sometimes all you need is a black steel filing cabinet from the local office store. If you want something higher-end, there are the Neat Cabinets. Made with veneered wood in North America.
There’s also the OE1 Storage Trolley made out of steel. It’s made by Herman Miller in the USA, and has a simple aesthetic to it.
Artwork
Head to your local framing store or over to Etsy. There are some incredible woodworkers over there. My favourite offices have had cool artwork from tattoo artists, but I am a bit of a punk-rocker at heart still. Only you will know what you want up on your walls, you’ll be the one looking at it all day.
Bric-à-Brac & Your Own Style
Bric-a-brac is a French word meaning “at random, any old way.” It’s just another word for knick-knacks. What represents you? Your upbringing and roots? Your culture? What do you aspire to?
The best knick knacks are something you picked up along the way. Maybe an artist made it. Maybe you found it in a vintage store. Maybe your late family member gave it to you. Who knows, but it’s your discretion to choose. (You generally don’t want to be able to mass-purchase it off of Amazon.)
Masculine Home Office Video Examples
Jon Imperial’s Dark Home Office
This is a neat Youtube video of Jon Imperial walking you through his home office set-up. He has many masculine elements in his office, including:
- Dark, boldly painted walls
- Walnut slabs on felt as acoustic treatment
- Walnut veneered desk
- Black office furniture, etc.
- The “decoration” is a deconstructed iPhone, a map of California, etc.
Mattia Di Lisio Home Office
This is another neat video. I’m not big on the fake walnut stuff, but lots of interesting ideas here such as the dark wool felt, spraypainting the Ikea pegboard black, and living plants.
Sam Newton’s Home Office
This one is sort of funny since he acknowledges his fake plant and the issues with authenticity (he said he travels too much for living plants.) Lots of neat stuff here:
- Solid wood standing desk
- Canvas prints of places he’s travelled
- Acoustic panels with wood slats