Let's Hear it for the Boys

This week, I decided to try for something a little more masculine. As you probably noticed from last week's dream design posts, my personal style is decidedly feminine - and if you're a man or sharing space with a manfriend, you may need something a little more gender neutral. So instead of choosing a piece of furniture and showing how it can work in three different spaces; this week, I'm going to design three rooms that are a little more masculine, or at the very least more gender neutral: a living room, a dining room, and a bedroom.

Up first is the living room. I'm picturing a room with exposed brick; one of my very favourite architectural features. My inspiration for the room was the Ikat rug. A very modern pattern but with fairly masculine colours - orangey-red, mustard yellow, and navy. I chose a navy stripe for the drapes, and the remaining fabrics for throw pillows. Of course, many guys could care less about throw pillows, but these ones are functional as well as decorative. The streamlined pumpkin-coloured couch has a straight back, and a few throw pillows will definitely up the comfort factor.

The aviator chair and unique round bookcase add a cool industrial element to the room and aren't pieces you see everyday. A rustic coffee table, cut-out sidetable, and grellow tray table surround the couch. A tray table like this one by CB2 is a great idea for a bar - an essential part of any bachelor pad. Some vintage-inspired art, a cool chalkboard skull, and an interesting coffee table book finish the room off.

So what do you think? A little more gender neutral? Or still too feminine for the boys in your life?