Since the 1950s, single living, for men, has been dominated by the cultural fantasy of the bachelor pad. No equivalent space, devoted to hedonism, seduction, and style, exists for women. (Attempt to Google it, and the plaintive question “what is a female bachelor pad called?” shows up as an early autocomplete option. Sorry, ladies. You don’t get to be that groovy.) Rooted in midcentury aesthetics and midcentury attitudes, the swinging bachelor pad eclipsed all later efforts to create space for single men in the world of design. Today, increasing numbers of men live alone, and they certainly aren’t all channeling Hugh Hefner in penthouses with sunken living rooms and circular beds. Why, then, are there still so few visions of comfortable, livable interiors for men?
