For the hibernating male

'Man caves' inspired by three famous Marylanders are part of fall home show

The fall Maryland Home, Garden & Living Show is traditionally about getting the home and garden ready for winter, the season of hibernation.

How perfect, then, to feature "man caves" - comfy, cozy spaces designed with the hibernating male in mind.

Three interior designers were asked to choose a Maryland man of distinction as inspiration for the design of a man cave. Paula Henry chose baseball icon Cal Ripken Jr.; Laura Kimball chose author Edgar Allan Poe; and Karen Walters chose filmmaker John Waters.

Their designs, executed in identical 12- by 20-foot sheds, will be on display beginning Friday during the show at Timonium Fairgrounds.

"Even though the Orioles are not so hot these days, Cal Ripken is legendary," said Henry of Simply Put Designs in Reisterstown.

Her design will capture the Orioles' colors in black and orange. There will be the requisite bar and big-screen television. And, of course, some Ripken memorabilia will be displayed on Henry's back-lit wall coverings, which will recall a baseball diamond.

Part of the challenge is time. The sheds went up Tuesday - studs and roof only. Wall, ceiling and floor treatments, plus electricity, have to be installed "before we even get to the fun stuff," said Henry.

Kimball of LCK Interiors in Perry Hall said Poe was the first Maryland man to come to mind, and she is executing a Ravens/"The Raven" theme in her man cave, complete with the colors of the football team and a four-stanza recasting of the famous poem.

"The poem is about a guy trapped watching a makeover show with his girlfriend, Lenore. He is dying for his own man cave where he can watch football."

The poem, which will be displayed outside the man cave, reads in part: "I need a space, a nest, a cave to watch the Ravens, I implore. This I ask and nothing more!"

The television in Kimball's design will be in a gilt picture frame - it is a mirror when turned off - and the tone of the room will be dark and somewhat Victorian. The only nod to modern times is an Andy Warhol version of Poe's portrait, replicated in shades of purple.

Walters, of Interior Designs by Grace in Linthicum Heights, is a huge John Waters fan and, although she has never met the filmmaker who put Baltimore on the cinematic map, she has grilled friends who have met him and been in his home.

She saw him interviewed in his living room and describes the space as "surprisingly traditional." She has tried to capture his style in her man cave.

"It will have a cigar room kind of feel, where he would entertain friends. John doesn't watch a lot of TV. He is more about going to the movies."

Waters, she said, has a thing for fake food, and it can be found all around his house. "There is going to be fake food in his man cave, too."

And a pink flamingo.

"He is such an interesting man to interpret," she said. "And of course there would be a pink flamingo."

The man caves are the centerpiece of the home show, but there is much more for the homeowner to see among more than 400 exhibitors: digital deadbolts - no keys required; lawn furniture made from recycled milk jugs; a spray resin that binds gravel in pathways so that it doesn't get kicked or washed away but still allows water to permeate; and an iPhone application to track the performance of your solar energy system from your phone.

In addition, celebrity antiques appraiser Dr. Lori will be on hand. Visitors are encouraged to bring her those mysterious family heirlooms and yard sale finds. Nearby, landscape designers will create 10 display gardens dressed in fall colors.

The Maryland Fall Craft Show will also be going on this weekend at the fairgrounds, featuring artists working in jewelry, pottery, wood and fabric, as well as painting, drawing and photography.

If you go