10 Interior Design Basics All Guys Should Know

If you haven't heard of TRNK, the men's lifestyle site dedicated to great-looking homes, the men who put them together, and some of the coolest stuff for guys with an eye for good design, then consider this your late pass. Founded by Tariq Dixon and Nick Nemechek, TRNK beautifully documents the well-edited abodes, workspaces, and stores of guys with great taste.

Now they're giving you the opportunity to buy everything from indigo throw pillows to vintage Eames loungers on their webshop, The TRNK Store, which just launched today. For guys that are new to the whole interior design thing, or just want a few pointers on how to turn your house into a home worth bragging about, TRNK co-founder Tariq Dixon drops these ten easily-digestible nuggets of wisdom on the basics. Here's what you should know about interior design.

“Guys’ homes should feel collected as opposed to decorated. The way you style a home is different from the wardrobe. Wardrobes are pretty trendy, and seasonal, but a home is something that you evolve and build over time, and can tend to really last you a lifetime. There’s definitely change involved—it’s a work in progress that can never be finished. Anything you buy should really be an investment for the long-run, not something that you’re just going to toss to the curb at the end of the season. That means investing in things that are timeless and have permanence, quality is a big part of that too. It has to be durable and it has to last.”

“If your wardrobe is a little bit more heritage-inspired, there are definitely ways to translate that into your home. That heritage vibe is achieved through more classic, like vintage pieces, but then also some weathered, warm and raw elements like dark wood and materials that will patina over time, like brass, copper, or even leather like a cowhide that wears and is really nice over time. If you’re more of like a clean and contemporary type of guy, obviously you can shop contemporary furniture, which is as stylish today as it was 50 years ago. Look for clean lines and sharp corners over rounded edges. It’s also about the placement in the space—you probably want less if you’re more of a minimalist—more strength, not over-decorating or over-furnishing, but really sticking to the essentials: making sure the space is placed appropriately, is airy, light, and not overwhelming. I think that those are all elements that tie the more minimalist, contemporary vibe of your wardrobe into your home.”

“A nice, solid accent chair is the place where you really want to plop down when you first get home. A sofa could be that, but it’s a much different investment. The Eames lounger is perfect because it’s clean and contemporary-looking, but you’ll have all of the same level of comfort as a really hideous La Z Boy recliner. So that’s definitely like the aspirational, but if you can’t get that yet, you can certainly shop vintage. Some pretty good finds would be a leather club chair or an old cigar chair. But definitely have that spot that you can go home to and and either have a drink or read a book.”

“Durable glasses that you can pretty much use for anything are a good place to start. We prefer a stemless sort glass that is around three or four inches in height, and three inches in diameter, so you can serve a cocktail out of it, and you can certainly use it for wine. We also say like serveware is the next place. One thing that we think is an essential piece is like a wood-serving board. If you invest in like a quality butcher block or wood-serving board, friends come over and you throw some cheese and crackers on it, you can pretty much serve anything off this like board, and it will really last you a lifetime as long as you’re caring for it properly.”

“We definitely like open storage solutions. Our apartment didn’t come with any closets so everything’s out in the open but it’s forced us to become a lot neater, so our wardrobe becomes a part of the space, and it’s been treated as such. You should see the shirt selection with the patterns and the colors it works within the environment and it all speaks to umm, yeah and collectively speaks of our personality. Installing some simple storing shelves requires you to keep things more orderly, but you should be doing that anyway, right? You can’t just like toss everything into the closet and hide it. It also allows you to really embrace some of those investment pieces that you purchase, you know sort of keep them on display and show them off. A book shelf could be a good solution for sneakers. You could install it a few inches lower to the ground or just use the last two rows for your sneakers. Something that’s a prized possession for you certainly deserves a place on a shelf. Make it a part of the space, embrace it as part of the room.”

“Photography can be great way to graduate away from the college posters. Sonic Editions and Passive Collective have made contemporary art and tasteful photography very accessible, and they ship them to you already framed, so they do half the work for you. Another place you can’t go wrong is black-and-white photography. On eBay you can find some great black-and-white sketches. You just have to frame them, give them the right treatment, and they’ll definitely look beautiful within the space and fit perfectly alongside the contemporary photos.”

“I much prefer a solid wood dining table. It will stick with you for a long time, just make sure you’re taking care of it. Make sure you’re giving it a good rub down of the right mineral oils regularly. You don’t want the wood to be cracking. If you’re not at the point where you’re ready to make that investment in a dining table, there are ways to dress up a pretty basic, less expensive table. If you’re having guests over, it does kind of come down to the place settings and the decorations—something as simple as a couple of candlebaras or unique candle holders that you put in the center. If you have serveware, no one’s going to be looking at the table. So, if you’re not able to make the investment, there’s always a way to still elevate the experience.”

“You see a lot of vendors are now making scents that definitely have a more masculine appeal to guys. We look for flavor notes like tobacco, leather, and mahogany that are very rich. We tend to shy away from anything that’s too floral or fruity, but fortunately there are a lot of great options that do cater to this more masculine, brooding aroma. Le Labo is a great one in terms of different flavor notes. Incense is another great alternative to a candle in terms of being stronger and fill the room more quickly. I think Blackbird does a great incense.”

“A solid sheet set and pillow set is pretty much all you need. Start with a quality set of sheets and a basic neutral color, or something with maybe a little bit of like a tonal print, but it’s really not necessary. Just be mindful of the quality of the cotton. Egyptian is like the best and most expensive, but you want to definitely pay attention to the fiber. If you have a good fiber, then the thread count tends to be secondary. If you’re thinking about throw pillows, they don’t have to be like a complementary set. What we like to do is put like one or two decorative throw pillows on top with a little bit of color or pattern. Maybe like a geometric or vintage print, or an indigo plaid, so you can have basic bed pillows but then amp it up with a couple of like throw pillows. Think about what speaks to you in fashion— like a batik or an ikat—and you can definitely translate that into a pillow. The key is to like kind of mix and match them.”

“The bathroom is definitely a 'room,' and for us it’s very important. It’s really where you start your day and then kind of decompress at the end of the day, so it definitely has like significance. Organization is key. Storage solutions like a simple floating shelf or cool containers like an old vintage gym locker basket or even an old wooden crate are great for throwing towels in. A jute rug or sisal rug made from a natural fiber tends to be the most durable, generally inexpensive, and they’re neutral in color. Another thing to do is keep plants in the bathroom. It’s ideal if you have a window, but even with artificial light and the humidity, a fern is probably the most likely to survive. It doesn’t require a lot of maintenance and will actually thrive from the shower heat.”