ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with an investigation of men's engagements with day-to-day interior design and decoration, with the arrangement, appearance, colour and texture of domestic interiors, including fixtures, furnishings and ornamentation. Men's everyday homemaking practices have been marginal in research endeavours not only in geography but across design, and social science disciplines. Moreover, the gendering of home has been complicated since the late-twentieth century by men's uptake of particular domestic practices, such as cooking. A range of themes was explored: work/home relations, work at home, leisure at home, interior design, home maintenance, neighbourhood involvement, and the ideal home. In working-class families, for instance, wives have often participated in the labour market to ensure sufficient financial provision for their families. Michael and Sean, for instance, watched the show with their wives to glean creative ideas for their homes. These men, like most in the study, felt they should be equally involved in interior design, and found information and inspiration through lifestyle programmes.
