By now everyone’s heard of the man cave. But where’s a busy wife to get her respite?
HomeGoods and Elaine Griffin, an interior designer and author of “Design Rule: The Professional Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator,” recently introduced the concept of the “mom cave,” a place for women to rest and have their own space.
Griffin said there are four essential elements to the mom cave:
• A place to sit
• A place for storage
• A place to work
• A place to visit.
The room can be used for anything and everything a woman loves, Griffin said, mentioning hobbies like knitting, doing crafts, writing letters, blogging or even practical things, like paying bills.
However, the mom cave is not meant to be as extravagant as man caves often are, according to Griffin. While some man caves are known to have expensive television and stereo equipment or pool tables and cigar collections, mom caves are meant to be “functional” and reflect the mom who uses it.
“It’s almost the equivalent of being a little girl, when your parents say you can do whatever you want with your room,” Griffin said. “It’s the most personal space. It’s all about you, all about her.”
The idea for the mom cave began long ago, according to Griffin. With Oprah’s notion that if Mom isn’t happy, then no one will be happy, Griffin said people began focusing “me time,” and now, they’re looking for a “me place.”
“It’s the culmination of several trends,” Griffin said.
Griffin also said the mom cave has a lot to do with the inequality that women face in the workplace, and even at home.
“If you think about it, life is so unfair. Men have always had places to call their own from cave-man time,” Griffin said, noting the popular sitcom father, Archie Bunker and his infamous chair. “There’s always been drama about that chair.”
Said Griffin: “What about Mom’s chair? Mom’s never had a chair!”
For this reason, HomeGoods took a poll and found that 56 percent of moms do not have a space in their home to themselves, and 71 percent of those mothers would want such a refuge.
HomeGoods wanted to give women a place where they could relax and enjoy the things they like. However, while it seems like women have the entire house at their disposal, Griffin disagrees.
“The kitchen doesn’t really count, because when you’re in the kitchen, even if you’re relaxing or having a cup of tea, you’re still on call,” Griffin said. “You’re still doing stuff for other people.”
For women, Griffin said, there is a great need for equality in allocation of space. While women are still fighting to receive pay equal to their male counterparts, Griffin believes this is a step forward and an important reflection of women asserting their rights and needs.
“If you think about it, how long have we had man caves?” Griffin asked. “(Man caves and mom caves) should have been invented simultaneously.”
The downward economy is another reason for the mom cave, according to Griffin. She said that because of the need to save money, people are not focusing on external things.
“This isn’t the year for the new car, the year for the big vacation. This is the year to hunker down and take care of yourself,” she says.
“Right now, this moment is the time that we’re going to see the birth of the mom cave.”
