So you’re looking for property to rent? You’ve survived university, started your career, decided to leave the flat mates behind, you have a little money to spend and are now looking for a place to call your own. The Fabled Flat of Bachelor, the Batcave, the Castle, the Casa De Good Times.
Seeing as you no longer want to, or need to live with friends or family and you’re not in a serious relationship, there’s no need to please someone else. You want something to call home, something to call your own, something that you can be proud of, something that reflects your style and your personality.
As good as that sounds, and while I do encourage you to use your imagination when furnishing your new kingdom, there are a few things that are essential to have. To help you along the way and to make sure your new flat doesn’t resemble a frat house, here are 10 essential items that every bachelor pad should have:
1. 2 x La-Z-Boy recliners (or the 3-seater recliner) as well as a leather couch.
The recliners are perfect for those long days and nights playing Xbox with your friends. The two separate couches and the 3-seater recliner will allow you to sit back in extreme comfort and you won’t have to rub shoulders with your friends. The leather couch is for when guests of the female variety pay you a visit. The leather couch will allow you to snuggle up and pretend to enjoy a chick flick or two without having to worry about an armrest blocking you from attempting the fake-yawn-arm-over-shoulder manoeuvre.
2. Home Theatre System
Now this is where you’ll have to spend some money as this will be a focal part of not only the room, but of your life as a bachelor. You’ll spend hours in front of it watching sports, playing games, watching movies and keeping up-to-date with the latest happenings in Game of Thrones. When buying your home theatre system, you’ll have to spend as much money as you can and you’ll have to buy a decent looking cabinet to match. One that will showcase all your games and movies and will actually accentuate the overall style of the flat.
3. Drinks Cabinet with a variety of alcohol, a wine rack with a few bottles of tastefully appropriate wine and a bar (space permitting)
This is probably one of the most important parts to any bachelor flat as it shows off, to a certain degree, that you have class and sophistication, even if you don’t. I’m not telling you to become a wine snob, but I am telling you to learn how to mix a drink or two. Should you have any company, once again of the female variety, you’ll be able to mix her a fiery drink or two. I promise, to a woman, there are few things sexier.
4. Good Music (iPod Dock, Record Player and a few old vinyl’s)
Nothing is less sexy than inviting a woman back to your house and having to plug your phone into a computer and playing music off the small laptop speakers. What you want is a music station with a little class that can be turned on and off in a moment’s notice.
5. Art
This is another important part of your new man cave. You will need to make sure that it suits your style and nothing says me more than a few choice pieces of art that reflect your style. It can be anything from Pop Art to old movie posters, as long as it breaks the monotony of a dull and uninteresting wall.
6. A Decent Sized Bed
You don’t live with your parents anymore and you don’t stay in a college dorm, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO HAVE A SINGLE BED AND SPIDERMAN SHEETS. When you get your new place, make sure you invest in a proper bed, Queen sized works best, and make sure you have a decent, high quality set of matching bedding.
7. Books and Magazines
Hopefully, you’ll be entertaining people, of both sexes, on a regular basis. Give them something to read man. If you have a bookshelf with a variety of decent books (not 50 Shades of Grey) you’ll impress pretty much anybody that comes to visit. Also, have a few magazines lying around (NOT FHM, you’re not twelve), they will offer guests something to browse through if they happen to be waiting for you.
8. Lighting
I said lighting, so don’t flood your house with a ton of wax, it’ll look like you’re trying a little too hard with the ladies and your friends will laugh at you. If you happen to like candles, good for you, fill your house with them. If not, avoid like the plague. The lighting I’m talking about refers to is a few lamps, perhaps a dimmer switch, some low level lighting. Just something to dull the harsh glow of an overhead light.
9. Eggs, Fruit, Fruit Juice, Good Tea and Coffee and actual food in the fridge
Should you be entertaining a lady, I promise you, at some point or another, she’ll have a look through your fridge. If you have eggs, fruit and fruit juice, she’ll immediately begin to picture you cooking her breakfast. If you have good tea and good coffee, she can see herself staying longer and if you have actual food in the fridge, I promise she’ll picture you cooking her a romantic dinner. Plus, you’ll have food in the fridge so you won’t have to call Mr Delivery every night. Come on dude, have some self-respect.
10. Gas Braai
This might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I don’t care. It’s my list and I’m putting it on here. A gas braai is so much better than a wood fired or charcoal one. It cooks better, is easier to clean, hot in a matter of minutes and I promise, when she sees you standing, apron-clad, outside cooking her a tasty meal, the sheer manliness of the situation will unleash the inner woman in her, the one that wants to be looked after. Plus, when you have a few friends over, nobody will have to rush to the shops for charcoal and firelighters and nobody (you) will have to clean up the ash when hung-over.
Do It Right
If you do things right, I promise, your flat will be the envy of all that see it. As it’s your first place, you’ll want to do it properly and if you were wondering where to find a bachelors flat in Johannesburg, have a look at the ones found on Junk Mail. I promise, there is so much property to rent that you’ll have the pick of the litter and your new bachelor flat will be your pride and joy.
