Friends and family, welcome to The Man Lodge. After a year and a half of planning, collecting, arranging, and finally painting, we’ve turned our tiny office into a dark, cozy nest that’s perfect for such manly activities as smoking a pipe, reading the morning paper in slippers and a red, velvet robe, and polishing a collection of hunting knives. JK! We don’t do any of those things. We DO use our office for surfing the interwebs, recording a sweet tune or two, and oh-so-exciting homeworks!
Despite the theme, I’ve actually become quite attached to this supposed den of masculinity. I’m certainly in there more than Brian! But I don’t think he envies all the homework I have to do…
We just finished painting this past weekend, and we decided to take a risk with the color. I’ve never been a real fan of dark colors, but we wanted to truly embrace the “richness” of the Man Lodge decor and chose this dark, grayish-blue. While the official paint color name is Mt. Etna, we’re calling it Sea Serpeant. Who’s to stop us?
What we love most about the space are all the tiny surprises–the heirlooms and pieces of decor that have personal and historical significance. See that giant map of Missouri? That belonged to Brian’s grandfather. It’s covered in a grimy layer of soot and smoke from Grandpa Ken’s pipe. You can’t buy that kind of character!
A vintage metal wastepaper basket, a raggedy chair from Goodwill, a leather keepsake box from Spain, a coaster from our favorite British buddies. These things are beautiful to us.
The pictures on the wall (third photo from the top) include a card from our wedding invitations, a photo of Brian’s great grandfather, grandfather, and uncle (a little cowboy at the time) standing with their prize winning bull, Brian’s beloved lumberjack print, and a picture of his family’s old farm. We also turned the room’s tiny closet into a book-nook of sorts, with a giant wooden bookshelf filled with more treasures.
And every time we leave the Man Lodge, we’re reminded of Poor Lucy (Brian’s great great aunt who died from a sudden chill) and the rest of his Italian immigrant ancestors. It is a rich history we get to behold! A rich and interesting history, perfect for a mysterious, masculine (not really) office.
