Move Over Man Cave, Make Way for the Pinterest Room

A room of one’s own isn’t new — nod to Virginia Woolf — but what we ladies do with and in the space is changing.

Our grandmothers had “boudoirs,” where they primped and lounged. Our mothers had sewing rooms and craft rooms. 

Today’s “me” room encompasses all those activities and so much more, according to a Detroit Free Press article. The story says that while guys are tricking out their man caves with sports memorabilia and big-screen TVs, women are turning their spaces into multipurpose rooms with an emphasis on pretty and creative storage.

But we think the article missed a recent phenomenon that will affect how we design, and what we call, our special spaces moving forward.

Today, women are embracing social media much more enthusiastically than men — especially Pinterest and Facebook — and need some privacy to post their latest pictures and thoughts. And when we’re not trying to connect with others, we’re trying to find our bliss through yoga or meditation, which require peace and quiet, too.

So, this begs the question: what do we call these multipurpose rooms? “Woman cave” is so derivative and, well, hairy. “Boudoir” and “sewing room” are so last century.

What would you call a room of your own, and what would you do there?

Lisa Kaplan Gordon is an award-winning, Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer who contributes to real estate and home improvement sites. In her spare time (yeah, right), she gardens, manages three dogs and plots to get her 21-year old out of her basement.