A New Man Cave

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Thoughts on Man Caves

Carving Out A New Man Cave

For those men moving into a new home or rental unit, it’s important to get started on carving out a new man cave as soon as possible and maybe even before the first mover has shown up with the first box. After all, one of these man-specific rooms — hopefully complete with a home theater, big screen LCD or plasma TV and all the goodies — is practically a right nowadays, correct?

This can really be the case when one looks at the typical household today, which usually consists of a wife and at least two kids. It can quickly become evident that there probably won’t be too many places in the house that a man will be able to call his own personal space. This isn’t to complain about the situation but rather to point out the need for a little space on occasion for the man of the house.

And even if there wasn’t something like a cave before maybe the kids have finally moved out and gone to college or are out on their own and discovering how hard it is to get up on time and go to work, for example. Maybe there’s now a room that will make for a good cave. It might be full of stuff right now — for example, who needs four home space heaters? — But it will soon become the cave of a man’s dreams.

There may even be some nice space out in the garage that the boy and his former band used to play in. They walled off a nice room and they put carpeting down, so half the job is done. Just move that old Epiphone electric guitar out of the way, or hang it up on the wall, and then get cracking on lining up a really nice TV set, at minimum.

There are a few things that should go into any new cave designed for a man, most people who know about such things would say. For one, there’s got to be at least one really nice lounge chair or even a theater chair if someone has the money for that kind of stuff. Also, the television needs to be at least 44 inches in size, although TVs in the 50 range are much better.

It’s also the case that a good quality home theater system goes along with the TV and the lounger. Add in a small refrigerator for cold drinks and maybe even one of those theater popcorn makers and everything is almost there. And if the budget can’t quite handle all that, consider holding a garage sale and unloading that alpine skiing equipment that was used precisely one time 10 years ago.

No man, if pressed, would ever say that he’s anything but focused on his family and that a cave is nothing more than a place where he can find some temporary respite. There’s nothing wrong with that, and it’s better that he spends his Sundays in there watching the football game than actually out there trying to recapture his lost youth by maybe playing it, right?

A Boston Bruin Man Cave

This article is from The Boston Globe When not on the ice, Dennis Wideman is hanging in his pad - The Boston Globe
By Globe Staff writer:
Christopher Muther
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Sports Celebrity Man Cave

When not on the ice, he’s hanging in his pad

To hear Boston Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman tell it, decorating his North End bachelor pad was a quick, but not necessarily painless project.

“I try to make things like that as easy as possible,’’ he says. “I don’t particularly enjoy furnishing an apartment. I have the time, but I just don’t like thinking about furniture.’’

His decorator, Waltham-based Erin Polansky, has a slightly different take on the experience, however.

“At first he was pretty indifferent to the process,’’ she says. “I think that’s the reaction some people have when they first start working with a decorator. But as we got into it more, it was clear that there were some things that were important to him.’’

The first thing Wideman wanted to change about the condo - which has dramatic views of TD Garden and the Zakim Bridge - was the wall color. The stark white left him feeling cold, so Polansky warmed up the walls with beige. White doors were replaced with cherry-stained wood to give the two-bedroom condo more personality and a more masculine feel.

But despite his stated indifference toward redecorating - and let’s be honest, not many pro hockey players, save Sean Avery, would own up to an interest in style - Wideman was clear on one item he wanted to have a place of honor in his home.

“I’ve always wanted a pool table,’’ he says. “I have a big island that I can use as a kitchen table, so I knew if I got a dining room table, I wouldn’t use it at all. I figured I’d use a pool table a lot more than a kitchen table.’’

Wideman uses the billiards table two to three times a week, although if he went to an actual pool hall he’d swiftly be defeated by professionals. He’s more skilled at the other game in his condo - the arcade-size video game Big Buck Hunter, which he managed to purchase through a contact in the bar industry. In the hockey off-season, Wideman sees real bucks when he returns home to Canada, where he lives on a lake in Northern Ontario.

“It’s definitely a bit of a man cave," says Polansky. “But I think there are some things that we did that make it a little more than the usual bachelor pad. We found a really cool [industrial] light to go over the pool table. It’s a modern take on the lighting in a pool hall."

She said that Wideman also took an interest in the art for the condo, including a painting by local artist Amber Ghory which hangs near the beloved pool table.

But Wideman says what pleases him most about the space is its “Boston feel.’’
“When I was traded here [from St. Louis], I knew I wanted to live in a place that felt like Boston,’’ Wideman says. “I like this place because it has exposed brick and beams. If I’m going to live in Boston, I want to have the full experience.’’

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Career Stats in the jump!