The Inside Man | Presented by Valspar Paint and Apartment Therapy

The Punctual Man: Decorating with Clocks
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Now that we all use our cell phones as timepieces, the clock may be going the way of the pocket watch. But clocks can be a handsome piece of décor, whether toeing the line between function and aesthetics, or even purely as a visual element. Here is a roundup of inspiration and ideas for using clocks in your home.

At Home with Klaus Frahm, Architectural Photographer
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Renowned architectural photographer Klaus Frahm of Hamburg knows how to capture architectural style in photographs. As early as age 15, his desire to be a photographer was already strong. Trying his hand first at photojournalism, he quickly transitioned to landscapes and eventually architecture. Klaus is now a renown and widely published photographer, documenting man made elements and urban landscapes across the world.

Brite Lites: Neon & Neutral
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Neon colors aren't for everyone, let alone every man, but if a guy can rock the hot pink like there's no tomorrow, there's probably nothing that he can't do. And since a little shock of florescent can go a long way, work it in combination with the most minimal of neutral palettes to get the biggest impact without catapulting all the way to 1986.

Kitchens for the Man of the House
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Once upon a time, kitchens were considered the domain of women. Replete with frilly aprons and mint green refrigerators, the days of the quintessential 50s housewife are thankfully behind us. Now men whip up dinner just as often as women and they need a kitchen that reflects their styles and personalities as well.

Masculine Headboards
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In decorating their bedrooms, many guys I know equate masculinity with minimalism, opting for a simple platform bed, or maybe a basic rectangular wooden headboard. Now don't get me wrong, I love a minimalist bedroom, but there is a fine line between simplicity and boredom. Add an interesting headboard and suddenly even the quietest room has character.

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The Inside Man: Barney's Pop Art Loft
Phase 2 - The Prescription

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Name: Barney Santos
Location: Downtown Los Angeles
Style: Fun, artistic, modern loft

With the help of Valspar Paint, I'm helping five guys across the country re-do a room in their home. My third meeting was with Barney, a newlywed, who wants to spiff up his apartment now that he lives with his wife, Evelyn.

While she's already done the bedroom, the main living area has all of his furniture in it, and he wants to make it great, but preserve his style. The job involves upgrading the window side of a big loft apartment in downtown LA, which connects to the dining room and Barney's home office. The tour took about one minute, and then we got down to figuring out the overall redesign, which is going to involve adding contrast and a splash of color to wake up the big space.

Fans to Keep you Cool: Classic, Contemporary, Cutting Edge
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A good fan can lower the perceived air temperature by up to 8 degrees, reducing your need for costly AC, and making you much more comfortable. While a $20 plastic box fan will work, it may not be something you'll want to show off to company. Here are some more attractive solutions that keep your pad looking and feeling cool.

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City Chic
Quintessential Style from Valspar Paint

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As part of our ongoing Inside Man guide to guy style, Valspar Paint, Apartment Therapy, and the GQ Design Group are examining home color trends, seeking out unique and personal approaches to color for men. The City Chic palette is bold and energetic, perfect for the kind of guy who lives, works, and plays at a fast pace.

10 Toys for Grown-Up Boys
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At times when adult life is tragic or simply banal, it's easy to start longing for our childhood innocence. With many of today's design objects resembling the toys of our youth (and vice versa), it's more acceptable than ever to embrace our inner grade schooler with a grown up toy collection.

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The Inside Man: Barney's Pop Art Loft
Phase 1 - Local Inspiration

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Name: Barney Santos
Location: Downtown Los Angeles
Style: Fun, artistic, modern loft

The third stop on my Inside Man tour is downtown LA, where I'm meeting with Barney Santos. With the help of Valspar Paint, I'll be working with Barney to warm up his modern loft.

Barney works in real estate, he's newly married, and he lives with his wife, Evelyn. (That's a photo of them, above, taken in the Downtown LA Arts District near their home.) They're "fun, artistic, and just easy going city folk" who are looking for a way to merge their stuff and their styles in a new, shared space.

Designer Portfolio: Peter Behrens
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German architect Peter Behrens (1868 â€“ 1940) was one of the first of his kind. A member of the Deutsche Werkbund in, he worked to improve the "taste" and design of everyday objects in his home country. He put these ideas to work on a large scale when he was hired (one of the first of this kind) as a consulting architect for AEG Electric to design buildings, products, and graphics for the corporation:

A Roundup of Handsome Media Storage
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Remember back to your first apartment. Your bulky TV was probably sitting on something from IKEA or a hand-me-down from the folks. The DVD player, stereo and video game console (depending on the era) were all connected with a mess of cables as function really took precedence over all else. Well, our apartments have matured and so has that media storage.

Super Style for the Home
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Just because you're all grown up doesn't mean you have to give up your first true love &mdash comic books. There are lots of cool (and somewhat mature) ways to decorate your pad with super guys and gals. Here's a roundup of comic book inspired décor to help make any room marvelous.

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The Inside Man: Jarrett's Bungalow Bar
Phase 2 - The Prescription

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Name: Jarrett
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Style: Mid-Century Bungalow Bar

With the help of Valspar Paint, I'm helping five guys across the country re-do a room in their home. My second meeting was with Jarrett — a great guy, who lives with his wife, Catherine, in a bungalow near Oak Park.

The job here involves Jarrett's man-cave, or basement, which is a symphony of dark wood paneling. Built out by the previous owners, Jarrett is eager to reclaim the room and put it back into use, but with a style that is much more in line with his. The room is big, a bit dirty and dark, but it has some fantastic elements in the homemade bar and bright orange stools, and Jarrett has a regular poker game that's in need of a home, so I've got some great elements to play with. Rather than try to erase the room, we're going to use paint and furnishings to update the original inspiration for this Bungalow Bar.

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Inside Man Q & A's
We're Here to Help with your Decor Dilemmas

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Q: Is there any rule about matching wood floors to the color of the wood ceilings? I'm going to rehab a mid-century house that has wonderful tongue and groove cathedral ceilings, and I'm wondering if the wood floors I install should match the color of the wooden ceilings? - Sent from Edgar in New York

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The Inside Man

Nothing against Decorator's White or Swiss Coffee, but Valspar Paint's commitment to style leads them to develop the kind of colors that convey a more personal, sophisticated, and yes, masculine point of view. By joining forces with Apartment Therapy and the GQ Design Group, Valspar created a home style super group. So fold up your futons and hide your beer posters. Valspar and the Inside Men are here.

Explore Valspar Colors

Paint-can Color instantly transforms a room. Check in with the pros at Valspar Paint and learn how paint can inject personal style into your space.

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This summer, Maxwell went offline and got on the road, traveling across the country to help five guys re-design one room in their home and add some amazing color. Check out the results of his room re-dos from the East Coast, Midwest, Southeast, Southwest, and West Coast.

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan

is an interior designer, author and the founder of Apartment Therapy, originally an interior design service and now a network of blogs devoted to helping people make their homes beautiful, organized, and healthy. Maxwell and his brother launched ApartmentTherapy.com in 2004. The network now includes five sites — ApartmentTherapy.com, TheKitchn.com, Ohdeedoh.com, Unplggd.com, Re-Nest.com — reaching over 4 million unique readers per month.

Brett Fahlgren

helps guide men's fashion choices through comprehensive style tips and one-on-one personal shopping consultations. Brett's connections with top menswear designers and fashion editors make him a go-to resource among celebrities and professional athletes. In addition to his role as GQ's Style Correspondent, Brett has also hosted and produced GQ's Milan Fashion Report.

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Submit a Question

Every other week, we're posting Q&As from Apartment Therapy readers about men's color conundrums and style questions. From sofas with cup holders to brilliant bachelor pads, we're focusing on the decor dilemmas men often bring to us. Send in a question.