We here at Man Cave Know How are masters of the man cave, but today we want to talk about the lady lair.
Perhaps you are a woman who wants to create your own lady lair or you’re are a man who wants to build a lady lair for that special lady in your life but you don’t know the first thing about them. Don’t worry. We wrote this article to help anyone needing information on this topic. In it, we’ll answer the most common questions about a lady lair and show you some examples of different ones so you will have ideas for creating your own.
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What is a Lady Lair And Why Do You Need One?
With a man cave, it doesn’t matter where you build one, the name doesn’t change and its uses stay the same as well (as we covered here). In the basement? It’s still a man cave. Upstairs in the attic. It’s a man cave. In a spare room? Yes, it’s still a man cave. Outdoor shed? Yep, you guessed it, a man cave. But that’s not quite the case for the ladies.
If a woman has her personal space in an outdoor structure then it’s usually called a she shed.
If it’s in any other place than a shed, then it’s usually called a lady lair. At least that is how it has always been traditionally.
These days the two terms are used interchangeably. Nowadays you will hear woman refer to a spare room in their home as their she shed and others refer to their outdoor haven as their lady lair.
It doesn’t really matter what you call it. What really matters is what you use it for.
So, a lady lair, or she shed, is a place in the home that is dedicated solely to the female of the house. It is her personal space.
If you want to know more about the many benefits of creating your own personal space be sure to read our article about the many benefits of creating a she shed here (which of course also applies to a lady lair).
The best places to create a lady lair
If an available space has four walls and a roof, then it can be transformed into a lady lair.
Thus, just about any place that is good enough for building a man cave would be eligible for a lady lair transformation as well.
This includes the basement, the garage, that spare room no one’s using upstairs, or even an attic if it’s spacious enough.
You don’t even necessarily need a whole room.
With partitions, you could take a corner of space and dedicate it to a lady lair while still maintaining some degree of privacy.
If you are stuck for ideas for your lady lair be sure to read our article 20 Great She Shed Ideas as many of the designs and ideas can be used equally as well in an indoor lady lair.
You can do seriously cool things in a lady lair
That brings us to the next big question that’s probably on your mind. Namely, what does a woman do in a lady lair?
Well, just like a man may pursue his interests and share time with his buddies in his man cave, a lady lair can be the same type of refuge and chill-out space for a woman. She could have friends over or use it simply to spend time by herself.
Hobbies and interests will drive what one does in a lady lair. Again, what applies to a man cave, applies to a lady lair too. If a man is a sports fanatic, then he’ll probably spend time in his man cave watching the big game. Well, a woman can do the same thing!
A woman who likes music might spin some vinyl records or blast her favorite albums. If she loves to read then the lady lair can become a reading den. Regardless of what it is, if you like to do something then your lady lair can become the place to do it.
Many women use their lady lair simply to relax and take some time away from their busy lives. Family life can be demanding for a woman and if she also has a career then time spent recharging the batteries is highly recommended, if not downright essential! And, there is no better place to do this than in a lady lair.
In short, we’ll say a woman can, and should, do anything she wants in her lady lair.
Typical lady lair sizes
The size of a lady lair directly depends on the room in which it’s built.
Those woman who have the luxury of being able to create a lady lair in a large space like a basement or garage will have lots of square footage at their disposal.
Other women who split a spare room down the middle or get cozy in the attic would have maybe half the space afforded in a garage or basement, sometimes even less.
Like man caves, lady lairs come in all shapes and sizes. It’s more about what you do with the space than how big it is.
Lady lairs should be a reflection of you
What should a lady lair look like?
Well, lady lairs come in all shapes and sizes.
The opinions on what one should look like are wide and varied. For example, Robert D. Henry, an architect, says “a woman’s retreat, is more like an aviary; a high space that is bright, sunlit, not reclusive and retracting.”
He also states that “the design of a man cave will contain straight lines, square corners and be sturdy with strong furnishings. In contrast to a woman’s space which is often curvy, soft and organic.”
Will that be true for some women? Sure, but not every lady will want her lair designed in such a way, and that’s okay. T
his is also a man’s opinion of what a lady lair should be like. I’ll say no more on that topic.
Most lady lairs, like most man caves, do adhere to some gender stereotypes though. However, not all do and neither do they have to!
What a lady lair looks like comes down to the personality of each woman in question. A woman’s lady lair should reflect her personality, her interests and be filled with things that are meaningful to her. This obviously means that no two lady lairs will look alike. It also means that a lady lair should never follow a set-in-stone, one-size-fits-all design.
That’s why we decided to show you some contrasting lady lair ideas to give you a better idea of what kinds of designs can be incorporated into the space and to show you that there is no set plan for building a lady lair.
4 Example lady lair ideas
Remember, these are just examples. Their are a ton of different lady lair ideas to choose to. Don’t be afraid to check out the ideas we have included for she shed interiors as any one would work just as well in a lady lair.
If you are creating your own lady lair or you’re helping out with the design of a lady lair, it might not look anything like this, and that’s perfectly fine.
Use the ideas that you like and disregard the rest and don’t be afraid to add more than a few personal touches to the space – make it personal to the person who will use the lady lair.
1. A single-color nook lady lair
This lady lair has only one main color scheme: cream. Every item in the room color-matches for the most part, from the layers of carpeting to the walls and furniture.
The single gold-painted wall acts as a focal point to break-up the monotone shades and adds just enough contrast, along with the gold fixtures, to make the cream pop.
The furniture and décor, while upscale, isn’t overwhelming. There’s a large cream dressing table with black handles and trim, a huge wooden framed mirror, a few ottomans that blend the cream and gold look, and some matching recliners.
The hanging beaded and gold chandelier and the coffee table with faux fruit also serve as standouts.
This lady lair is a chill-out zone and is designed to exclude any of the usual distractions such as a TV, radio or a music system.
It is designed to both entertain friends and also as a place to relax and pamper yourself.
2. The colorful lady lair reading corner
Prefer something with a bit more color?
There’s no need to stick to a single color in a lady lair when it’s possible to harness different hues to create a more vibrant space.
All the colors in the lady lair pictured below help to create a calming, yet energetic, atmosphere.
As you can see this particular lady lair owner loves to read. The top shelves are packed with books.
She has maintained the colorful theme by adding vibrantly colored items to the adjoining shelving. A vibrant colorful rug lays at the base of the white sofa that has color coordinated cushions added to it.
This lady lair is less a chill-out zone and more a place to recharge the batteries by indulging in personal interests that stimulate the mind.
3. The pink paradise lady lair
Sometimes it’s not so much about what’s in a lady lair as how it looks.
This electric pink lady lair doesn’t resemble any other room in the house thus setting it apart and it exudes real feminine charm. It’s exclusively a woman’s domain, and she decorated appropriately with hot pink furniture to brighten the space and keep the men out!
Although pink is not every woman’s first choice this delightful lady lair is bound to bring out the princess in any lady.
4. A pink arcade lady lair cinema
Like the color pink in the above lady lair but would like a little more character to your personal space? No problem. Here’s a look that probably bucks the idea of what you think a lady lair should look like.
It’s man cave-esque in that it’s an arcade with a cinema feel, complete with a popcorn stand. The bright pink signature hue is the only indication that this is in fact a lady lair and not a man cave.
That’s what we mean about these lairs. There’s no one right or wrong way to design one. A lady lair can be a space that’s an ode to all things comfy and chic or it could resemble a man cave in a lot of ways. It all comes down to taste.
Lady lair décor ideas to make the space your own
Another thing you may be curious about is the type of décor a lady lair should have.
You’ve seen from the examples above that these spaces often embrace designs that incorporate large mirrors, bright and stunning furniture and some plush furnishings here or there.
What other décor ideas work in a lady lair though?
Just as with the design of the lady lair itself, there’s no one correct answer. What one woman wants her lady lair to look like might be completely different to another woman.
Some girls may want their lairs to look like the images above while others want it to be something else entirely.
To give you some ideas let’s cover some décor choices you might spot in a lady lair.
Always add a splash of color
Whether painted in a jaw-dropping hue or wallpapered, lots of lady lairs grab your attention the second you step into them due to their wall decor.
This particular lady lair, shown below, has bright captivating colors that do most of that attention grabbing.
The wallpapering in the image below is white with scribbles and zigzags in every hue of the rainbow.
To match the modern styled walls the owner of this lady lair chose eccentric furniture and even a sculptural head tipped on its side.
Hey, with wallpaper like that, literally anything goes.
This particular lady lair is actually a she shed office (which we showed you how to create here) or more appropriately it is an office lady lair.
Don’t be afraid to cover those walls with lady lair love
Bare walls look boring!
So, let’s look at some décor ideas to make that part of the lady lair even more interesting.
Just as you will often find a sign welcoming you to a man cave, these sometimes appear in lady lairs as well. This sign
The background is a darker weathered pink, and there’s even a tiny pair of kissing lips in the corner.
The sign itself has a metal base laid on sun-protected wood covered in Oraguard 290. That provides protection from the sun for at least four years so it can be used in an outdoor lady lair or she shed.
The entire sign measures 5.5 inches by 13 inches while the metal part is four inches by 12 inches.
For additional lady lair signs check out these ones on Amazon
Apothecary jars make beautiful lady lady accessories
Beautiful, colorful and delicate, this apothecary jar from DecorDistillery on Esty checks off a lot of boxes when it comes to lady lair décor.
Made of real glass, it’s a vintage item produced more than a decade ago.
You could put it on a coffee table, a shelf, or an end table and fill it full of goodies like sweets or cookies.
There are countless possibilities, really.
Faux plants add some colorful greenery without the need for aftercare
Women who want to add the type greenery that’s a staple of lady lairs but who don’t all the work involved with the upkeep of living plants will love faux plants.
This example
The pots themselves include a diameter of 2.3 inches as well.
With our example above there is a pulp base used for each plant, so please don’t try watering these, as the base quality could degrade. The plants are made of plastic.
Two of three of the plants have white flowers that will look phenomenal in any lady lair.
You can choose from a large array of different indoor faux plants like these ones
Conclusion: Why you need a lady lair
Ah, the lady lair. It may be a mystery to some people out there, but you are no longer one of them.
Whether you’re a woman looking to build her own lady lair or a man trying to help out his lady, hopefully, this article has answered a lot of your questions and given you some food for thought.
We do want to reiterate that, at the end of the day, the products and ideas offered here are just guidelines though.
If you have a vision in your head of what your ideal lady lair looks like, then go for it! It doesn’t have to match anyone else’s idea of what this space can be. It’s your lair, your domain, so do whatever you please with it.
For more ideas to spark your creative juices be sure to browse through our articles about she sheds and lady lairs.