Though not in the original design plans, the lower level of the cabin was added early on as part of the overall floor plan modifications intended to provide all rooms with a view of the lake. In the final layout, this basement level, which opens out toward the lake, features a garage and a very special basement room. The voting options for the basement room, which can be entered either from the garage or the patio, included a game room, exercise gym or media room. The voters overwhelmingly chose a media room. But Jason Cameron, host of DIY's Man Caves, wasn't content with just any media room. He wanted to fashion it according to the Man Caves credo: "Create a sanctuary where boys can be boys." That would, of course, include lounging chairs and a wall-mounted, wide-screen TV and integrated audio-visual system. A wet bar, custom built by Jason, features a drop-in ice bucket and is faced with faux barn doors, a rustic touch that was carried through in the innovative, track-mounted barn-door shutters which serve as the window treatment for the glass patio doors. Built by cabin experts Chris and Simon Hodshon, the barn-door shutters are suspended on a metal track. When pulled closed, they act as blackout shades, completely blocking out light for a more authentic theater experience in the home. It's an unexpected but perfectly suited solution for minimizing glare on the large-screen TV. The walls of the man cave feature wood panel wainscoting for the lower portions and Tupelo Tree, an outdoorsy green shade from Sherwin-Williams, for the upper. The ceiling features decorative ceiling tiles that are easy to install and are held in place by a grid support system. A custom-built shelf, made from recycled oars, was added by Jason and the Blog Cabin team. As elsewhere in the cabin, repurposed boat oars and vintage wooden water skis are employed as wall hangings in a lake-themed accessorizing scheme. Theater chairs complete with cup holders, a solid wood coffee table, media tables and a comfy sofa round out the basic furnishings. Easy-clean carpet and a popcorn machine emblazoned with a Harley-Davidson logo provide some of the man-friendly amenities. The high-tech home entertainment system includes stereo equipment from Yamaha, surround-sound speakers from Furman and a huge flat-screen TV from Philips Electronics. View a slide show of this room. View the tallied results from the Blog Cabin voting. Shop for products featured in this room. Find out more about the creation of the barn-door shutters.
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