Upgrade your bachelor pad

Maybe you’re finally single. Maybe you’re regrettably single. Maybe you’re strategically single, as usual, thank you very much. Whatever the case, gentlemen, you have one thing in common: Your bachelor pad could likely use a little work. As fall arrives and nesting season begins, we caught up with Patty Frischman and Tanhya Schimel — founders of SimplyHome2, a NYC-based design service specializing in settling clients into new homes — for room-by-room upgrade advice.

The kitchen

Even men who know their way around the kitchen tend to be unprepared for company. “What we find in most men’s bachelor kitchens is the bare minimum—often times, they have a single pot and pan,” says Frischman. “The first thing we do is fill the cabinets with a variety of sizes of cookware so they can prepare a real meal. It’s also nice to have a cheese board and a couple of other serving dishes and trays.” Honorable mention: a set of legit knives, just in case Whole Foods stops selling pre-chopped veggies.

The bedroom

Gentleman, those flannel sheets belong at camp, not on your grown-man bed. “Fresh white linens with or without a border are essential to every man’s master bedroom,” says Schimel. “A cozy blanket at the end of the bed is a nice touch as well.”

The bathroom

How does one makeover a bathroom for $50? Like this: “A garbage can as opposed to a plastic bin is a nice upgrade,” says Frischman. “And a matching set of towels that aren’t frayed and don’t scream ‘frat boy’ is an absolute must!” Done and done.

The living room

Your Xbox is important, and no one is questioning its place in your life or your living room. But you need to give it — and all of its friends — a proper home. “A nice modern media console to house your television, cables and wires is an essential,” says Schimel. “We also love an area rug, and decorative pillows and a throw can really bring the room together.”