From cavemen to 'man caves'

By TEDDYE SNELL

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS May 07, 2008 11:46 pm

— Tired of your husband monopolizing your living room on weekends with endless sports TV broadcasts?
And what about that stuffed elk’s head you have hanging over the mantle?
Sounds like you’re in need of a “man cave.” Or “mantuary.” Whatever the moniker, it’s a room just for him and decorated by him. So you have to keep your feminine grubbies out of the paint chips and fabric swatches when it comes to this room.
But think of the rewards! No sagging sofa cushions from too many naps taken, no socks in the living room, and – here’s the real clincher – an opportunity to use the TV remote, with no undue interference.
Man caves seem to be the wave of the future, and include everything from sports memorabilia to various examples of taxidermy, pool tables, wet bars, video game consoles, big-screen TVs and musical instruments.
Some rooms are quite elaborate, with built-in home theaters; others are nothing more elaborate than a cleaned-out garage (or not-so-cleaned-out one). Either way, they are becoming enormously popular, so much so an entire TV show on the DIY (Do It Yourself) network is dedicated to the subject. Featuring DIY host Jason Cameron and NFL star Tony “The Goose” Siragusa, “Man Caves” is testosterone’s answer to the soap opera.
According to an article in the Washington Post, many builders are taking notice of the fact men want their own space, and are designing houses accordingly. Mark Nash, real estate author, told the WP he collected opinions from more than 900 real estate agents about trends in the housing market, and among those pinpointed were spaces dedicated specifically to men.
Tahlequah High School math teacher Chuck Pack remembers his father’s space in their home as being a corner, not a room.
“Growing up, my dad had a corner of the house that mom left alone as his corner,” said Pack. “He had piles of stuff that she never touched.”
Pack’s father-in-law, however, has an all-out man cave.
“My father-in-law has an entire cabin attached to the back of his shop,” said Pack. “He’s added a pool table, full kitchen, television, bunk beds, and full bath with shower that my mother-in-law refers to as ‘his room.’ He doesn’'t spend much time out there, but it’s all his, complete with trophies of antlers, bass, even stuffed quail and lots of ‘antiques.’ Granted, he does have a guided bird-hunting business, but still it’s his little spot to do with as he sees fit.”
Pack hasn’t really felt a need to have his own mantuary at home just yet.
“As for me, my lovely bride of nearly 16 years only fusses occasionally when I allow papers to pile up near my computer desk and the clutter becomes unbearable,” he said. “I suppose my classroom at THS satisfies my need for a cave. I’m surrounded with all of my ‘stuff.’ I know exactly where everything is – mostly. It’s in one of these piles and if I just dig long enough, I can find it!”
Like Pack, NSU math instructor Luke Foster doesn’t have a man cave at home, but uses his space at work to sport his personality.
“My office at NSU is decorated exclusively by LukeArt,” said Foster. “[It has] framed movie posters, SpongeBob and Star Wars figurines, cool stuff.”
Foster hopes to move his stuff home, eventually.
“I would like a Lukespace at home and will have it one day soon,” he said. “It will be wood tones with a nice chair and reading lamp, music, shelves for all my cool stuff and books, and a combination door entry lock with a rotating code.”
Local personality Terry Osburn may very well have the ideal man cave. Former Daily Press Staff Writer Eddie Glenn has been invited into Osburn’s inner sanctum a number of times to report on star-gazing, “small arms” caches, and missing metal silhouette soldiers (some of which eventually reappeared).
Unfortunately, Osburn was out of town at the time of this report.
Osburn’s wife, Libby, agreed her husband’s retreat epitomizes today’s version of the 1950s “den,” and regretted he wasn’t around to comment.
Tahlequah resident Jerry Harrington doesn’t have a man cave, but has a definite philosophy when it comes to decorating his home.
“I don’t have a centralized place for my stuff,” he said. “I figure, I pay all the bills, so I’m putting things where I want them!”
Jerry’s wife disagrees: “He’s got two sheds in the back.”
Ideally, Jerry would do away with a house pretty much altogether, if he had his way.
“Shoot, I’d built a two-story garage, and make an apartment upstairs to live in,” he said.
John Yeutter may be a bachelor, but he shares his space with his adult daughter, which for other people could lead to design disagreements.
“In my case, the question probably is rather, ‘Is there a place on my property that is not free from feminine touches?’” said Yeutter. “My 24 year-old daughter lives with me, [and] she has her own room. She keeps her door shut all the time. I have no idea what is there. It might be a woman cave.”
Yeutter said aside from her room, which is under wraps, the rest of the house and the yard is pure masculine.
“Yes, I have iris blooming in my yard amidst the two smokers, two pickups, two kayaks, and the canoe,” he said. “But the frilliest thing in my house is probably the fringe on the shade of the leg lamp.”
Yeutter’s leg lamp, the subject of an earlier Press report, evidently embodies the idea of “manly-man.” A photograph of such a lamp is used on Sam Martin’s new book “Manspace: A Primal Guide To Marking Your Territory.”
The book guides readers through hundreds of male-oriented rooms Martin found across the country and features cozy libraries, wine cellars, souped-up garages or music composing or writing studios. One man in Las Vegas installed his own professional boxing ring; a science fiction junkie near Philadelphia constructed a replica of the bridge of the Starship Enterprise to house his home theater.
The book has been wildly popular, selling over 11,000 copies in the first five months it was on the shelves. In an interview with the Washington Post, Martin said the book “seems to be striking a nerve with a lot of guys.”
“Guys have been wandering in the wilderness a long time,” Martin told the Washington Post.