She Loves Brown, Masculine Rooms; He Doesn’t. Huh?

June 15, 2025
37 Comments
Posted in: dark rooms, interior design

(Post updated June 2025)

Hi Everyone, and Happy Father’s Day!

Today’s post is a re-edition of my Father’s Day post from 2018. It’s about a woman who loves warm, dark, masculine rooms. However, her husband prefers a light and bright style. Below is his letter.

***

Dear Laurel,

My wife and I love reading your blog. Every Sunday, it’s waffles or French Toast, and a big pot of coffee. Then, we head to the “mom-cave” to read your blog on the big desktop Mac.

However, something I’ve noticed, and I hope you don’t mind my pointing it out, is this. Over the last couple of years since we found you, I can’t help but notice that it’s always the wife who has a “problem husband” (unless I’ve missed something)

Aren’t there ever any “problem wives?”

Yes, yes, yes, I know. You ladies think that we’re all a bunch of chest-pumping Neanderthals when it comes to decorating. And, we supposedly love our dark, masculine “man-caves” where we go to ~~get away from the screaming kids~~, rejuvenate, and smoke cigars, I guess.

Well, I have a good one for you, Laurel.

My wife’s retreat is the dark one. In fact, it’s a brown, quite masculine room! Or, at least, what most people consider a “masculine room.”

And mine is well, the sun room. Light and bright. That’s my happy spot. The wife won’t go in there because she gets migraine headaches, and light and bright is often a trigger. She calls my light-filled space “the ice-box.” And it’s not that it’s cold or anything. It’s just that it’s not anything remotely cave-like.

Forgive me. It must’ve been a woman who came up with the term “man-cave.” ;]

Right? And please don’t laugh, or I’ll start crying in my coffee.

Does that make me a freak or something?

Imagine that. An emotional man who doesn’t care for brown, masculine decor, and isn’t into a lot of stained wood either.

Hey, it’s Father’s Day, so I hope that there are other men out there like me, who love pale and are manly enough to admit it!

And it’s not like I hate those tones, but just more in moderation. I love my white walls. For instance, I adore the work of decorator Darryl Carter. But his penchant for painting walls white is too pale for the Mrs.

But, naturally, she also wants to please me. And of course, I want her to be happy too.

It’s just that when I think of brown interiors and decorating with brown, I have this hideous image of the house I grew up in, in the seventies.

Something like this, only the TV wasn’t over the fireplace, of course.

However, maybe I’m missing something? I figure if anyone can help me like brown, it’s you, Laurel.

Thank you,

Wallace R. White (but you can call me Wally)

***

Thank you, Wally.

And, no fair. The good ones are always taken! ;]

Before I go on… Wall-y (get it?)is a fictitious character.

But, I am aware that I write the post from a woman’s perspective.

However, some might be surprised that about 15% of the readers of the Laurel Home Blog are male. Thanks guys!

And today, being Father’s Day and all, I would like to honor all of the Dads out there by focusing on one, I conjured up.

So, guys out there, do you love light and bright? OR, do you prefer the so-called “man-cave”, browns, earth tones, etc.? Or maybe you prefer something else?

I promise. No judging, critiquing, or laughing (unless you’re laughing too).

Of course, women may answer as well. Maybe you, too, prefer dark, rich rooms?

What about you, Laurel?

Yes, Laurel (speaking to myself seven years later). Let’s see what I said.

Well, I like it all. However, if I had a bigger house, I’d have some of each. But, mostly light and bright.

Good girl! I do love it when I’m consistent!

Okay, at this time, I’d like to transport everyone into a world that’s not so hung up on color, the hottest trends, or even gender clichés when it comes to colors.

There was a time, and for quite a long time, when brown wasn’t a dirty word. In fact, it would appear that brown wasn’t considered strictly a masculine and/or yucky color.

No, brown was a color for the upper classes. Aristocrats. Rich folks.

Hugh_Hope_Edinburgh_Portrait_by_Henry_Raeburn_c._1810

There is much art that features brown, and it’s not just guys either.

Nosiree…

Philip de László (Hungarian 1869-1937) ~ Winifred, Duchess of Portland, 1912

Sir_Henry_Raeburn_-_Portrait_of_Mrs._George_Bell_-_45.7_-_Minneapolis_Institute_of_Arts

Above is our own Isabella Stewart Gardner, painted by John Singer Sargent. I took this photo of the painting in 2023.

Another handsome beauty is another photo I took at the Gardner: Woman with a Rose by Anthony van Dyck – about 1635-1639

THOMAS WILMER DEWING (BOSTON, 1851 – 1938, NEW YORK) LADY IN YELLOW, 1888 Oil on panel-Lady in Yellow, Gardner Museum

For those planning to visit Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a must-see.

Above and below the magnificent Easton Neston Manor house, which I was incredibly lucky to see in person in 2017 during my trip to England.

The interior design is by Henrietta Spencer Churchill. She was there and gave us a beautiful tour. We were not allowed to take photos of the interior. These, as you can see, are from Architectural Digest. Ptolemy Dean carried out the renovation.

This is the place where the peasant-klutz Laurel spilled her tea on the Aubusson rug. No, not this rug. It was a smaller room where someone thought it was safe to give the peasant a shallow cup of tea in a home filled with priceless antiques. True to form, half of the tea decided to make a hasty escape out of the cup and succumbed to the force of gravity.

Yes, this place.

Below is a side view.

Yes, a family lives here.

It was one of those moments when I wished that someone would just grind me straight into the carpet. Knowing that life was soon to be over, the peasant gingerly went up to the butler and told him what had happened.

As she was waiting for him to box her ears, he said, “Are you all right?”

Meaning, did she burn herself? If she did, she didn’t notice. All Laurel could think about was the rug. And then as he was starting to make his way back to the kitchen to fetch more biscuits, he quipped:

“Oh, no bother at all. I’ll just say the dog did it.”

😂 😂 😂

myenvoy-Ola Grochowska

Oh, not this sweet pup. A chocolate lab. How delicious —especially with that snow-covered punim!

via- noperfectdayforbananafish

Here is the recipe for the world’s best chocolate cake.

And no arguing. This cake is the best. I’ve fed it to dozens of people and all concur.

I once had a client who said that brown is the color of depression.

Obviously, she had not had the right chocolate cake.

This is the color of depression.

Above, the breathtaking home in New York City of Carolyne Roehm;

That’s chocolate-brown velveteen on the walls!

(Sorry, I could not find the original source of this image.)

James T Farmer @jamestfarmer on instagram @robertnorris From his book, A Place To Call Home

You can get it here.

Northstar Builders, Inc.

Elizabeth Kimberly Design

I love the accent of the wood-stained cabinet made of Alder Wood.

John_Singer_Sargent_-_Elizabeth_Winthrop_Chanler_-_Smithsonian

If ever there was a “Are you finished yet?” look, this is it!

Or maybe she’s furious with her mother for making her wear those overly puffy sleeves!

Above and below by Bobby McAlpine and Greg Tankersley.

LAV restaurant, Austin, TX

Staff architect at McAlpine, Tankersley, Booth and Ferrier – David Braly’s converted firehouse via instagram.

For more of Bobby McAlpine and associates, please check out some of my favorite rooms, they have done over the years.

Julius Kronberg – Romeo and Juliet on the balcony 1886.

I did not know that Juliet wore brown velvet. But there it is.

Well, Wally… I hope this has given you some positive inspiration and that you’re feeling better about brown.

And maybe having a brown or a deeper-colored room. However, if your wife has bad headaches, I might stick to more medium tones as there can be a lot of glare between the contrast of dark walls and the windows. The cure for that, however, is shades.

Lots of shade.

For more handsome, masculine rooms, please check out:

Happy Father’s Day!

xo,

***Please check out the recently updated HOT SALES!

There is now an Amazon link on my home page and below. Thank you for the suggestion!

Please note that I have decided not to create a membership site. However, this website is very expensive to run. To provide this content, I rely on you, the kind readers of my blog, to use my affiliate links whenever possible for items you need and want. There is no extra charge to you. The vendor you’re purchasing from pays me a small commission.

To facilitate this, some readers have asked me to put

A link to Amazon.com is on my home page.

Please click the link before items go into your shopping cart. Some people save their purchases in their “save for later folder.” Then, if you remember, please come back and click my Amazon link, and then you’re free to place your orders. While most vendor links have a cookie that lasts a while, Amazon’s cookies only last up to 24 hours.

Thank you so much!

I very much appreciate your help and support!