Thousands of years ago, somewhere between clubbing women over the head and dragging them away, and learning how to leave the toilet seat down, man discovered an amazing new tool in attracting potential mates: style. What started millennia ago with leaving the lion skin untucked in the front (“does this make me look gay?”), has evolved into an orgy of metrosexuality and designer cutlery the likes of which make Queer Eye for the Straight Guy look like This Old House. Curiously, the penchant for personalisation doesn’t seem to have made its way into the home yet.

What you have on your walls says a great deal about you; a nice bachelor pad has art that isn’t too showy, but has gravity and draws engagement. Look around – what does your art say about you? Does it say “I know what’s good, and can afford it too” or is it “I’m lazy and sometimes I wear socks during sex”? Women take notice of what you have on your walls, and as one bachelorette put it, “Good taste in art means good taste in women.” And if you have good taste in women, well then you’ve just raised your stock a few ticks. But choose carefully, because pricier doesn’t always mean better.

A brute force approach would have you shelling out a small fortune to buy even second-rate original artworks by Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst. While they may be impressively recognisable purchases, you won’t get any points for originality. For something with slightly more imagination, consider some of Warhol’s well-known peers rarely seen in Asia, cush as Patrick Caulfield (progenitor to Julian Opie) or James Rosenquist (the original visual mash-up artist). You could also opt for the Chinese contemporary route, but look for artists with more bite like painter Liu Wei or multimedia artist Feng Mengbo. For more local street cred and charity points to boot, check out the photo portfolio offered by Hong Kong’s non-profit Para/Site Art Space (read: tax deduction) including photos by 15 local artists like Caroline Chiu and Biennale boy wonder Pak Sheung-chuen. They also have prints and drawings by internationally renowned artists starting at $3,000 and up.

So if you’re a bachelor looking to attract a higher class of mate, do your libido a favour and purge your walls of the souvenirs. Buy some art magazines like Art Forum, or Art Asia Pacific and research to see if the ones you like are more than just a pretty picture. Talk to the person in your life who knows the most about art and ask them what they like. While it may not be to your taste, it may inspire you in different directions.

Also, don’t be in a rush to fill your walls – all you need is one strong artwork to start. It’s not about filling space, as much as it about developing your style. Until you have that down, less is definitely more. Finally, don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk. The next fetching young thing you have over for dinner will want to know why you like that impressive Gerhard Richter painting hanging in your bedroom, and you’d better be able to, um, explain. But for God’s sake man, first take off the socks.

Jehan Chu