417 // Behind the Scenes: Creating a Cozy Ralph Lauren-Inspired Man Cave That Honors Sport and Story

Dani Watson (0:07)

We grew up with the phrase home is where the heart is. But our culture has shifted, and now the message is, our home should be Pinterest perfect. But I'm calling BS on that message. Home, it's not about the stuff, it's about the story. And whether you know it or not, your home right now is already saying something. So what is it you want your home to say?

Hey, I'm Dani, a former first grade teacher and home decorator. Going from a dual income to a single income so I could stay home with my babies meant budget. Like ramen eating, goodwill shopping budget. And I learned a few things along the way. Like how to bring big style to your home without breaking the bank. And I'm sharing it all with you here. Tips, tricks, decor and design advice so you can start telling your story with your style. Welcome to Fig and Farm at Home where it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Hey friend, before we get into today's episode, I want to tell you about something. If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you know my story. I taught myself to decorate on a ramen budget, striping a wall with leftover paint because we couldn't afford to paint the whole thing. I've made the expensive mistakes. I've stood in the store holding something, texting a blurry photo to someone saying, thoughts? I get it. I've been there. Here's the thing nobody tells you about decorating. It's not a taste problem. It's not a Pinterest problem. It's a process problem. You don't need more inspiration, friend. You've got plenty. What you need is a plan and someone in your corner while you figure it out. That's exactly why I built the Cozy Home Reset. It's six months inside the Cozy Home Collective plus a private room reset call with me, one-on-one, so you get the community and the personal guidance. Real coaching, real support, a real process, not another list of things to buy. Are you ready? Let's make your home feel like you and especially cozy. Head to figandfarmathome.com/cozyhomereset.

Grab your spot and I'll see you inside, friend. One of my very favorite things, of course, is to meet with all of you. Having those one-on-one conversations is a true delight. And when I have multiple or when I see you inside of the Cozy Home Collective, it just is so much fun to work together and then see the progress happening. And so today you get to be a fly on the wall in this conversation with two Danis.

I'm chatting with East Coast Dani, who I lovingly refer to as East Coast Dani. And she's working on transforming her basement into a really fun man cave is the best way to describe it. But it's not just for her husband or her son. It's really for their whole family. She hosts holidays and game nights and viewing parties and all the things. And so downstairs is a real treat. I want to set the stage and I want to give you a very fair warning that the audio on Dani's side is a little scratchy. And I know that, but I'm still publishing this because I think it is so, so good. Now I want to just remind you, we're going to be talking about color drenching. I have an episode on color drenching, if you want to go back and listen to how to do it. I also want to remind you about an episode on creating a Ralph Lauren design style in your space.

This is very complimentary, so you can kind of get an idea of what we're doing with Dani and then check those two out so that you can, if you want to, bring it into your own home. So fair warning, it is a teeny scratchy, but I tried to minimize the scratch as much as I could. So you've been warned, but it is so good and there's so many great, great ideas that I just felt like I had to share it.

Now, here's the thing. Here's the painting the picture. You go down the stairs and when you get down there, there's kind of a landing area that has a small kitchenette as well as like a bar area.

And then you turn right, left, I take it back. You turn left and then there's like an exercise room, a guest bedroom, an office, and then a big open area where the fun is happening. This is where we're watching the Super Bowl, as well as having the teenagers who are playing pool or foosball. And then there's a little alcove that is open. There's no door to a play area.