The Man Cave

There's plenty of wood on display in this stunning photo, but let's be honest: it's the gianormous flat screen that turns this stunning man cave into a private movie theater or a box seat at the big game. Notice the lack of doilies and frilly curtains. And no shopping channel. This is a guys' lair with a fabulous window into the world of sports, games and entertainment.

Velvet smoking jackets and heavy velvet drapes were designed to absorb the smoky fumes and keep them from the more sensitive parts of the household, while weapons, armor and the heads of various beasts adorned many dark wood paneled walls.

It didn't take long for the concept of man's home as his castle to make it across the pond, but nearly 150 years passed before the creation of the first American man cave: the secret lair in the basement of the Wayne Mansion where Batman first kept a filing cabinet and some lab gear, then later outfitted with a collection of gadgetry, space-age weaponry and pimped-out crime fighting vehicles.

"Let's call the basement, man cave," is the first credited use of the term that appeared in a 1992 guest column in the Toronto Star. That same year, author John Gray's Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus hit the bookshelves and suddenly the man cave was a respectable place for the male members of the tribe to chill out.

No longer a lounge or smoking room, and no longer the exclusive purview of the ruling class, the man cave – whether it's a garage or basement retrofit or a highly customized original build – is a place to get your man on with your bros and watch the game, down some beer or some prime single malt, share some Turkish tobacco or dare we say Cuban, secure in the knowledge that the male space is off limits to the ladies. Most of the time.

As Seen on TV

Pulling the curtain back on upscale homes in shows like MTV's 'Cribs' series that launched in the fall of 2000, eventually led to the DIY Network's 2007 launch of 'Man Caves' with hosts Super Bowl winner Tony Sigarusa and contractor Jason Cameron teaming up to transform spaces into mantuaries and help extend interest in the trend.

According to the DIY Network, "Guys need an exclusive space to hang out in their homes – a refuge where they can enjoy what they love, whether it's a soundproofed basement used as a rock 'n' roll lounge and adorned with limited edition guitars; a room where diehard ski fans can chill out with a roaring fireplace and alpine atmosphere; or a lush golf-lover's paradise, featuring a state-of-the-art virtual reality driving range, media center and top-notch equipment storage space."

Not Your Average Room

Some academics have called mantuaries the male reaction to female dominance in decisions about décor in the majority of North American households: a place to hang posters that would never make an appearance over the living room fireplace, for raucous cheers and jeers when the team is playing, for music and video games cranked just a touch too loud.

But that doesn't mean turning a spare bedroom, basement recreation room or half the garage into a man cave has to become a battle between man and wife. "A well-built, well-cared for man cave can add value to your home, like any other improvement," says Steve Gagliano of mancavegifts.com. "Mine is a combination game room, media room with a pool table, a hockey table and a bar," he says. "Everyone enjoys the space."

Although the sharing generally stops for special events like game day for his beloved Longhorns of the University of Texas in Austin, a town where even man cave walls wear the team's trademark burnt orange. If you do decide to sell your house, the man cave can add value as long as it's clean and tidy. "You can keep your sports memorabilia," Gagliano says, "but you might want to repaint the walls a more neutral color."

The Manhattan Project

Brian Creekmore thinks he's seen the Grand Pooba of Man-Caveliness: it is part of a three-story penthouse that sits atop a tall building in Manhattan. Behind nine-foot high antique oak doors imported from France is an enormous man cave worthy of any caped crusader. His company, Creekmore Industries LLC, is a wholesale hardwood supplier specializing in flooring and other specialty wood products. The company sourced and milled the wenge (Millettia laurentii) flooring used throughout the space.