Where the Boys Are
Gentleman’s Retreat by Cocoon interior design
The era of the gents retiring to the study after the evening meal for brandy and cigars has all but vanished, but the fellas still need a space to call their own — a den to withdraw to where they can immerse themselves in manly pursuits and conversation.
Paula Benton and Mary Adams have created such a sanctuary — robust, yet refined — where Hemingway himself would feel at home.
“It was a fun room to work on,” says Mary. “We didn’t want to do the quintessential English gentleman’s retreat because that’s something of a cliché, but we wanted a space that had the same sort of warmth — with a 21st century sensibility.”
All the key elements are here; deep hued walls, generously sized, nail studded leather chairs, richly patterned rug and substantial furniture give the room the requisite masculine appeal. But the space is uplifted and modernized by the metallic gleam of a trio of arrestingly graphic hubcaps, a pressed tin backsplash behind the dry bar tucked into the armoire, and the glow of outdoor grade, galvanized steel shed lights which illuminate artful photographic images of classic boy stuff — gas pumps, and the like.
Stationed near the window, a small rustic twig and bark table provides the perfect workspace for tying fishing lures, setting the stage for feral fantasies of landing the big one. “You can imagine the men sitting around and talking about NASCAR or fly-fishing,” says Mary. “They can be whatever they want to be down there.”
“That’s what we wanted,” she continues, “a mix of rustic and elegant, with some surprises thrown in — sort of country-boy-meets-English-lord.”
And so it is…God Save the Queen, pour me a Jack Daniel’s and let me tell you about the one that got away…
