apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

There have been articles recently in GQ, Maxim, and Playboy (seriously, the articles are good too) about designing and improving your space. Granted, these are mostly aimed at single guys, but it's not the kind of "Go get these things so you get laid type of article," but actually more about living well and comfortably. As I recall the GQ article, it was really more about introducing guys to the concept of changing their space and making it more than a blank apartment.

I read the GQ article and actually enjoyed it. The writer discussed how to mix elements for balance, about owning pieces you live, and in general how to personalize and coolify a space. It did, however, feature a scantily clad woman hanging on the drapery.

I think it really depends on the guy. Some dudes are all about being a slob and are just fine with that, while others lust after the Eames recliner.

I'm somewhere in the middle where I want my place to look nice and well designed, but still be comfortable and "homey"

My boyfriend's design interest is limited to wanting to undo everything I've spent the past ten years doing. He'd kill to repaint my very colorful apartment in various shades of white. He'd like to dismantle the bookshelves and sell all the books. Get rid of my beautiful red velvet sofa and exchange it for something DWR. While he was at it, he'd replace the armoires and dressers with Metro shelving and take down the paintings and put up a ginormous plasma-screen TV in their place. In fact, there'd be a TV in every room of our teensy railroad apartment and they would all be on at the same time. At top volume. Each one tuned to a different channel.

Maxwell is, and he's a guy.

this is so silly.

do plenty of guys actually give a shit about their space? sure. my roommate is a straight guy. i think i'm more 'designy' than he is (which has more to do with me working in a design field than my lack of a penis), but he definitely cares about the attractiveness of our space. i've lived with a lot of guys, and at least half of them have been into home/interior design without compunction, and most of those have been red-blooded, heterosexual, etc.

i've also known a great many women and gay men who really couldn't give a shit.

as far as whether it's "socially acceptable", unfortunately, you're right that there's a perception that interior design is "girly" and not something a proper Man should be concerning himself with. this perception is kinda-sorta changing just a little bit, but it's something that does still exist and doesn't seem to be going anywhere in a permanent sense.

as far as what that means to you? fuck it. an aesthetic sense is an important thing, and neglecting it is almost as silly as the idea that men should neglect their emotional lives, romantic sides, creative interests, etc. it's a good thing to care about your day-to-day interior environment. don't apologize for that.

I'm a good example... check it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlespacemachine/166526659/

I and my friends are into home design, but we were described as "just gay enough" long before "metrosexual" was thought up.

I'm a guy who grew up in an artistic household. My dad was an art teacher for years, so the idea of paintings, sculpture and the like being an integral part of a home has never been foreign to me. With this in mind I was always one to notice good furniture or interior design, but never really cared about it for myself until recently when I began looking for a house to buy with my fiancee.

Until then I had always lived in apartments with guy friends and it was never a concern. Now for the first time in my life, we were going to have a space that was ours to reflect who we are and what we consider to be beautiful.

Next thing I knew I was up until 3:00am studying design concepts, paint colors, and dreaming about Eames chairs. I've even gotten to the point where I've begun designing furniture using SketchUp. Despite being pretty handy in the workshop, it's furniture I might never be able to actually build, but I enjoy the thought process behind the designing.

In March we bought our first place - a condo - and we've done so much DIY work on it it's been unbelieveable. Painting, pulling up the old laminate countertop and replacing it with tile, installing light fixtures, putting up handmade shelves, etc., etc. And I feel like we've done a pretty good job of making our new condo feel like it belongs to us.

Long story short, yes, there are guys out there who care about these sorts of things. We might be few and far between, but we do exist. And whatever anyone says, I don't think it makes us any less manly. I prefer to think of it as more in touch with our environment and the importance of feeling comfortable there.

What elements of design are we talking about?

Many a red-blooded, steak-eating man was up for "let's move a wall" and discussing plumbing long before Design became hot-hot-hot. Surely building one's own house involves design.

Having an aesthetically pleasing home was a tenet of the Playboy lifestyle from the git-go, which is long enough ago that many an original subscriber is now collecting retirement benefits. You can argue whether the Playboy look is *good* design, but it was definitely designed.

For myself I'm interested in home design, just not terribly successful at beautifying my space of late. As for the random straight guy, my boss has been very into decorating and painting his home, its how he won over his wife. And boy are they not afraid of color.

I became attracted to the man I'm currently seeing after seeing his apartment. Not only did he have some beautiful pieces of furniture, it looked like he actually put a lot of thought into where everything should be. I think there's no manlier man than one who appreciates beauty.

maybe i'm feeling too sensitive today, but i'm confused, maxwell, why did you post this unfocused question? i mean why did nathan capitalize all the letters in men? from the postings before mine i can see that this question only promotes stereotypes not a positive development for at.

Judy makes it sounds like she thinks her guy is not into home design, because he wants to un-do her choices.

It sounds like if he didn't care, he'd just live with her choices without any will of his own. She says replace her sofa with something from DWR in such a tone of voice as to make that sound like he loves it at Levitz and has no taste! He just doesn't share hers! Sounds like he IS into design though, to some degree.

My husband is now that we are renovating our kitchen. He is interested in the choices available and even chose our countertop (I had the right to veto, but his choice was great).

ut then, he did play in an 80's art band called Elements of Design.

There is nothing that sets my husband into a state of psychotic delirium like the IDEA that I might bring something into our home that he doesn't like/approve of. One more man to count towards the 'care' category.

I agree Curtis.
I am very much into interior design and would, if I could, repaint every apt I have seen on AT that has garish bright colors on the walls in more subtle shades, do like the look of metro shelving in the right setting, do like a lot of DRW stuff (bit not a lot of Eames stuff - much more into Lissoni and Citterio) and challenge anyone to produce a better looking TV, speaker, credenza combination that the wall mounted plasma, low profile speakers and white lacquered credenza I have now.

Well I would if my wife would allow me to post pics.

Don't ask.

BTW, opoponax, no offense but I saw your place in your flickr link and it kinda looks like to me that your roommate is holding you back. I may have completely missed it but he does not seem to be into attractiveness when it comes to your apt. Wasn't there some kind of squid that you were trying to hide in his room but he would not let you?

BTW, thanks for linking to that. I did appreciate seeing what you are doing to your place.

I have to agree with Patrick, is this guy for real? Are gay men not MEN?

Jamie pup, now I'm dying to see pictures! But I guess it is not to be...

Actually Fiona, you and your husband can come round.

actually, the main guys holding me back are the benjamins.

which, unfortunately, are not roommates of mine.

roomie (oh, i feel so evil talking so personally, esp considering matilda actually knows him!) actually has pretty good style and isn't afraid of his aesthetic sense, it's just THE CLUTTER!!!!! he really does not get the idea that you don't have to keep every little bit of shwag people hand you, a blank surface can be a good thing, piles of utilitarian junk should be hidden whilst nice pretty things should be on display, etc.

but on the other hand, most of the furniture is his, and it's great. very little carb furniture in his house. i'm also forever cleaning out closets and cupboards and finding neat little trinkets he didn't think were worth displaying. (but the squid -- it must never be moved!)

I have a great (if non-representative) sample in my office, which includes lots of creative types. The spectrum includes:

-Married guy in his 40s with a kid, who is obsessed with design and who I can spend hours looking at AT, Dwell and Metropolis with, although he can't afford anything (re: kid)

-Single guy in his 30s but acts like he's in his 20s, bought his own place a year ago and will creep into my office and furtively discuss West Elm, Ikea and paint colors, then say "Don't tell anyone we had this conversation, they'll think I'm gay" - and he's an art director! (Talk about paranoid).

-Two guys living with girlfriends who like design and will discuss paint color and lighting choices as well as splurge on the occasional piece from DWR without shame

-Various and sundry single guys (writers) who live in shares or studios, wear T-shirts every day and have no problem using a milk crate for a table while sitting on a couch found on the street

In general I think that while many women will invest in keeping even a rental nice, a significant portion of straight guys don't see the point unless they 1) own; or 2) are married/living with someone. However, once either of those two things occurs, quite a few end up caring quite a bit about design and it really comes down to a personality issue.

I feel this is due partly to practicality (e.g., why waste money on a rental!) and partly due to the fact that guys tend to focus on one thing at a time - their job, finding a girlfriend, etc. - while women are more comfortable with moving forward on several things at once.

There's also a lot more peer pressure for women, who very typically feel judged if parents or friends come over and snicker at their apartments; unlike many guys I know, who can take perverse pride in living in a rathole. But if you adjust for these external factors, at the end I think it all comes down to individual personality - there's plenty of women who have no eye at all and couldn't care less about design too!

Gay men are men (other gay men would be awfully disappointed if they were not), but in my current bricks-and-mortar life, I don't personally know any who have the slightest clue about design. Clearly, I need to get out more.

Sorry, opoponox and roomie :)
I'll pay closer attention next time.

I'm as straight as they come, and I love home design. I love it when women come over and they are impressed by my pad. Home design is not only for women, and gay men.

Hi,

I posted this question. I think it's very interesting that some in this forum have decided to make my question about sexual orientation. I never asked whether straight or gay men are intersted in design; my intention was only to determine if there is market research to support what many of us here already suspect - that a significant number of men in the mass consumer market appreciate good design.

Thanks,
Nathan

as far as market research, who cares?

i believe that, in the US, women tend to do more of the household spending. in terms of market research, demographics, etc. which is why almost anything for the home (and, indeed, almost anything generally purchased 'as a household', i.e. family cars, home computers, cable service, etc.) is marketed to women.

no idea wtf that means for this question or what any sort of 'focus group' centered studies would 'prove' about gender and design taste/aptitude.

also, jamiepup, no harm done.

i do complain about his clutter a lot in the flickr photos about the apartment, so it's an easy assumption. maybe i should change it...

By the way, my dad is straight and he likes things to look good and is VERY good at repairing and restoring antique furniture and guessing (usually correctly) at the periods of things that are put into his care by people who usually don't know what they have.

Nathan, if you're just looking for evidence that home improvement is still a big market, I'd do a search of the Wall Street Journal's archives. I know I've read an article or two recently, all saying the trend continues, but I don't remember the details. (It's possible I read it on Motley Fool instead, but not super-likely.)

Spending big bucks on home improvement was fueled by rapidly rising housing prices, making it possible to get home equity lines of credit for substantial improvements -- also by rising prices making flipping profitable. So as lending tightens and the housing market decelerates, dollars for that end of design are likely to dry up.

Retail in general is posting disappointing results this quarter (WSJ again), but I don't know off-hand how decorating-related retail compares to consumer goods like clothing, other than that Pier 1 is in trouble.

Whether a guy is into design or not is a cultural thing.

I live in Manhattan, and I also work in a creative profession. No great surprise that most guys I know are pretty well into design.

In a different demographic mix, caring about design would be considered less than macho. In parts of the South or Mid-West, and outside of urban settings you're going to find fewer men (if any) that are going to care about design... or if they do, won't admit to it (because that would be considered "gay"). Funny, I can think of few thing, other than maybe a muscle-car, nearly so masculine as a Wassily chair or one of Mies' homes.

Also, why is the word "still" in the question?

my partner is NOT into design. if it were up to him, our apartment would be full of piles of crap and la-z-boy recliners. but i think it's just because he's not much of a visual person anyway, and feels limited, like oppoponax, by being on the outs with les bejamins. as students, the only benjamin we're pals with is walter benjamin, and that's not even pronounced the right way.

Are the guys interested in design or not - I bet they are . All are. Everybody remarks if it is a nicely designed house or not. Weather they do it or not do it for themselves they SURE DO TAKE NOTICE and APPRECIATE IT. Some verbalise their appreciation , and others atleast subconsciously acknowledge a good design

I don't think all men are into design. There's a difference between commenting on something and having an interest in it. It's kind of like how everybody can criticize the president, but not everybody has a genuine interest in discussing politics. Everybody likes to look at art in some form - be it on an album cover for the CD they just bought, or looking at whatever is hung on the wall... but not as many enjoy wandering through museums, and fewer still probably enjoy the process of creating art. Those who do tend to LOVE it.

Personally, I love home design, though I don't see myself as talented at all. I'm learning. Lucky for me, I've got a few friends who definitely are talented, so that helps. And like so many, I learn a lot here.

The older I get, the more I enjoy small spaces and the more I enjoy design.

And like someone said above, not all women are into home design. I lived with a woman who wasn't into it and that was frustrating.

The discussion seems to be conflating *interest* in design with having *taste*. The family who did the Wildcat-themed nursery were passionate about designing the environment they wanted, but their taste was not a huge hit here.

Conversely, my husband has very nice taste, but getting him to show any interest in the process of shopping, researching, choosing, or arranging is futile.

Wende in san francisco - Thank You


Punch

The score I got was 108 yeahs and 13 nahs, but what would you expect from voters who are surfing a decorating site!

I know a lot of straight men with the artistic gene who decorate their homes with style and taste. It's a huMAN thing!

My brother is definitely interested in design and decorating. He is a straight guy, but is secure enough that he wouldn't care if people thought he was gay. He's always had an interest in improving where he lives, but it's definitely ramped up since he bought his own one-bedroom apartment. Now he's always doing something: painting a wall, installing a light fixture, searching for the "right" sofa. Of course, he thinks more pragmatically than I do - his thoughts about home improvement revolve mainly around resale value, even though he has said firmly that he has no intention of moving! Also, I don't think he spends near the kind of time thinking about design that I do...

Actually it could be an inate natural instinct for a man (gay or not) to need to provide shelter. So the man who can't attract a mate by hunting for food (ie: cooking), or dominating displays of manhood (ie: sports), need only resort to becoming the best damned decorator he could be.

Hey, it's an option!

I think it's a pretty patronizing question. Some men are interested in design, some are not. Shockingly enough, some women are interested in design, and some are not.

It's a bigoted presumption to guess that somebody is gay/not gay, male/not male, based on whether they like design (or cars or computers or collecting teapots or knitting...)

This sure is a long thread, but whatever. I am a 23 year old guy, and go to the gym 5 days a week, love getting rip-roaring drunk, watching baseball, etc. I do have a real huge passion for home design. I have the nicest apartment of any of my friends, female or male and I can't get enough of implementing my own ideas into my space. I COULD NOT live like all my male friends live, which is pretty bland and unimaginative. If anyone has a problem with that.. I will fight them... (Joke.)

Related question: why are straight men, by and large, only fans of modern/DWR type design? My male friends only like things that are steel, glass, hard, shiny, etc.

I can see not liking flowers or shabby chic stuff, but I've sat on a lot of horribly chic but horribly uncomfortable furniture. Anyone else have this experience?

This is a hot topic. Second time it came up on AT. LAst time the focus was "Can Straight Male be into home decor".

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-home-roundup/house-home-roundup-july-21-2005-003316

This really IS a weird question. Weirdly phrased. I am so, so incredibly tired of this persistent idea that caring about design, whether for one's home or clothes or whatever, is feminine or effeminate or "gay," like that's a BAD thing. I know all you did was ask the question--I'm just really tired of the fact that we'd all consider it a big deal for men to be interested in this kind of thing. And I think you're being a little disingenuous to say you weren't alluding to sexual orientation--unless I am wildly wrong, someone correct me if I am, I perceive that gay men are involved in visual and design-oriented fields in a far higher percentage than they represent in the general population, so it seems pretty obvious that there are large numbers of men who are likely to care about home design.

I have more than a passing interest in interior design. I'm straight and engaged. I've always found the various fields of design and architecture fascinating. I have a significant design library and had gone halfway through UC Berkeley's FIDER-approved Interior Architecture and Interior Design certification program. My involvement in that program ended when the stars re-aligned and my fiancee and I moved to NYC to further her pursuit of a fashion career.

A previous poster mentions that males tend to gravitate towards modern/minimalist design. That's an interesting observation as my own design preference tends towards the sparse. Clean lines and order equals high functionality and beauty in my mind. I LOVE powerful COLORS though.

Thanks for the discussion Maxwell and Nathan....there are many great comments and i couldn't help myself putting my 5 cents(inflation!) in.

Here are my credentials:
1. man
2. straight
3. designer as profession
4. lifelong interest in design in general

First off, i agree with Nathan that design has become so mainstream that MEN do care about about their space. Hell, EVERYONE does right?! Your evidence is in the amount of TV shows, stores and "designed" aplliances nowdays. It's a booming market.

Personally, i hope the trendines dies down! There are so few who actually do have a point of view and unique style to share without being "dumbed down" to the trends and masses. It bothers me when celebrities become "designers" all of a sudden and launche their furniture line just because it is cool!

I'm as straight as good ole simon is metro and I absolutely love home design. I watch HGTV as much as I do Met games, so much so that I obsessively look up in the sky in constant fear of a large beercan falling on me crushing me to death. Home design is not just for women or the FAB 5. Crap...there goes the beercan.