Things are getting critical: the women in your life are threatening to redecorate your bachelor pad. Now is the time to take charge before he finds himself in an ambush with an explosion of “girly” decoration.

Start with a fresh coat of paint. Painted walls are the first things you notice in a room, so a change in color or the addition of a new texture quickly livens up a living space. Unfortunately, painting is also laborious and time consuming if you can’t afford a professional painter. Why not invite your girlfriend or other women who have been threatening to update your decor to help with the painting? In other words, shut up or shut up, ladies.

When choosing paint, keep in mind that a lighter color will make your home look larger, an important consideration if you live in a small apartment or cramped condo. Similarly, a darker color can make a room feel more enclosed, although a wall in a darker shade can have a focusing effect. If you go with a lighter color, you don’t have to stick with the usual “eggshell white”. Softer shades are definitely an option, especially tans like mocha or cappuccino, light blue-gray, and sage green. Stay away from pink-hued pastels (unless you WANT to be teased endlessly by guys).

It might be worth the investment to hire a professional painter to do a wall for you with a special effect. New paints have textures like denim, linen, or suede, or you can go for a pattern like sponge paint. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Now that your walls are beautified, show them off in new lighting. No, we’re not talking about the expensive retrofitting required for recessed or track lighting. Instead, think about how the lighting affects your favorite TV show or movie. Then buy new table lamps, floor lamps and ceiling lamps that can reproduce what you imagine. Look for lamps with minimalist designs so they don’t distract from your manly decor. You should be able to find lamps with wooden, leather, or ceramic bases that suit your mood.

Finally, what about the furniture? After all, isn’t it time you got rid of that cable reel table you’ve been using since college?

If your budget doesn’t allow you to buy new furniture, try rearranging what you have. Chances are you didn’t give much thought to placement when you moved into the sofa, dining table, dresser, and bed. You can have your beefy friends help you move things around, or you can take the geek approach: measure the dimensions of your furniture, then enter the data into any of the many home decorating software programs available today. You can then move little icons of your furniture around in a virtual room until you find an arrangement you really like.

However, as a man on your way up in life, it might be time to invest in some furniture upgrades. Consider sprucing up the living room with a giant ottoman that doubles as a coffee table (and take that spool of cord to the landfill!). Even if you have wall-to-wall carpeting, you can cover it with an area rug in a complementary style for a focal point. Install a wall unit to display some of your collectibles or hang vintage posters. Use throw pillows to add pops of color to the room’s neutrals.

With just a little effort and expense, you can rack up points with the ladies for being a man in charge of your home environment!