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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Men and Interior Design

I have always wondered. What do guys think about interior design? Do they like it? Do they hate it? Do they notice or care at all?



Shabby Chic. Every girly girl's dream. Yet I often wonder how men feel when they lie beneath the covers of a rosy bedspread or enter a room like the one below. Do they feel immasculated?



Let's contrast this room with the one below.



Man cave: A man cave (or mantuary) is a male sanctuary, such as a specially equipped garage, spare bedroom, media room, den, or basement. A part of a home specifically reserved for adult male activities, such as drinking beer, playing games and watching TV (wikipedia).



When and why did "man caves" originate? Are they an independently formed idea or did they originate in an effort to reclaim masculinity from the land of pink and frills? I believe man caves are an old idea. Back in the Victorian era, houses frequently had billiard rooms where men could drink brandy, smoke their pipes, play billiards, and talk politics without the intrusion of female company. They existed for the simple fact that men have always needed a place to feel like men.

Now I come to my real question. What happens when a person gets married? You can't simply retire in two separate rooms every night. Do you compromise and decorate neutrally? I'd love to hear opinions, especially from some married folks. :)

2 comments:

Hosanna said...

Well, when we got married, I agreed to my husband's ONE requirement in the decor: NO PINK.
Which was hard for me because I adore shabby chic decor.
A lot also depends on the size of house/rooms you have. If you have a very small space, it can be more difficult. In my case, we have several different rooms inour farm cottage. Our "den" is decorated in a farmhouse/Americana/hunting lodge style, which is my husband's "manly" space, but with some "elegant" touches of my own. But NO PINK.
In our bedroom I went with pale walls, plain rug, basic curtains (no ruffles or lace), elegant ivory chenille bedspread and antique furniture suite.
The only room with pink is the guest room ..... where he never goes. My office has a little more florals and lace; but only in blues and greens.
So in time, I have found a nice balance between my love of "shabby cottage" and my man's love of deer heads, gun cabinet, and his modern looking leather sofa. :)

Becky said...

When we registered for our wedding stuff my husband picked out most of our bedroom decor. He picked plum for the bed cover which purple is my favorite color. It is one sold color but has floral texture on the top half and checks on the bottom. It is fancier than I would have picked for our room. All this to say it depends on the husband. Talk honestly about how you would like your home to be together.

I really like the second man room above by the way.