What other room tells the story of our society like the kitchen? From an overheated, cramped outbuilding relegated to servants, it became increasingly civilized, integrating into the home and gaining status as an independent realm ruled by the “little woman.” Today, with celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain wielding knives and mallets like knights at a joust, it’s no wonder men are now enthroning themselves in this culinary kingdom.

Dark cabinetry gives presence to this small galley kitchen and marks it as the likely domain of a male. Light-reflecting glass tile in “stone” colors provides balance.

A contrasting border in the marmoleum floor adds to the graphic punch of this man’s kitchen.

The red range takes center stage as the kitchen’s “showpiece”

So what’s different when a man stakes a claim (or claims a steak) in the home kitchen? How it’s used, for one. Women traditionally feel the social pressure to feed the hungry masses while simultaneously entertaining them, and their kitchens reflect that, tending to an open, generous feel with ample work space and room to circulate and lounge. Men, say marketers and sociologists, generally see the kitchen as a venue for exhibiting their social status or kitchen-torch bravado. For them, the size and configuration of the space is often less important than its overall impact.

In a recent remodel of a kitchen previously “updated” in the 1950s, designer Chelly Wentworth helped her young male client find maximum impact in his small galley kitchen. “He’s young and not really into cooking, but he still realizes how central the kitchen is to the overall feel and value of the house.”

Wentworth, of Portland remodeling firm Craftsman Design and Renovation, says her client wanted a masculine kitchen with a few dramatic elements that would also resell well, since the 1911 craftsman bungalow house was his starter home. “Men tend to like graphic patterns and super-clean lines with one or two bold statements,” she says.

This “bachelor” kitchen has a geometric glass tile mosaic in a contrasting palette of grays, browns, and white. It’s the perfect backdrop for a strong shot of color. “Red is (this client’s) favorite color, so we brought in a high-performance range in red as a focal point,” says Wentworth. Even if the client only boils water on the cooktop and heats up frozen pizza in the oven, the “trophy” range has excelled in its role as a showpiece.

While women lean toward white-painted or lighter wood cabinets, men often tend toward darker stains. For her project, Wentworth helped select espresso-stained maple cabinets. “Men aren’t afraid of dark colors or bold contrasts,” she says. She points another difference between the sexes in the kitchen: Women typically like glass in their cabinetry to exhibit their collections of china and glass, while men often eschew glass to keep the focus on the larger picture.

While women like their glass-fronted cabinetry with all its detailing to take center stage, it’s all about the appliances for men. And typically, the latter go for the industrial look of stainless steel. (In fact, when noted car designer Porsche Design Group and Germany’s oldest furniture brand Poggenpohl Mobelwerke introduced the first official “man’s kitchen” in 2007, it was virtually all metal.) True to form, Wentworth’s client went for the all-stainless approach in the selection of sink, fridge, and dishwasher. Many women, on the other hand, go the opposite route, incorporating appliances into the cabinetry: for instance, disguising the fridge as a pantry door.

Of course, some things aren’t so different between the bachelor kitchen and the family kitchen. While a woman would likely want a state-of-the art dishwasher for her family’s needs, the single guy would also appreciate its superior cleaning ability, especially if he’s not into rinsing. Wentworth’s client benefitted not only from a high-capacity dishwasher for his very social lifestyle, but also a larger fridge than usual for a kitchen its size. “Men who don’t cook typically need more space for packaged beverages and foods and larger freezers for convenience foods,” she says.

Low maintenance is generally a priority with men. Wentworth incorporated an undermount sink so countertop debris could be wiped directly into the basin. Easy to clean, a gray Marmoleum floor also hides any dirt that isn’t instantly swept up. A stainless steel sink requires less care than a porcelain or enameled model.

Undoubtedly men and women have some different tastes in kitchens. Considering that women have had centuries of tending, and choosing, the hearth, who could argue with finally catering to masculine tastes as well?

Stacy Green is the writer behind Green Ink and writes about home improvement, small businesses, the environment, and travel. Contact her at sgreentag@aol.com.

A Room of His Own How many men feel the floral wallpaper closing in on them while they shave at a double-sink pink vanity? Let’s face it, in a world of “his and hers,” bathrooms are all about “her.” So how does “he” get “his”? Wentworth notes a new but growing desire for completely separate baths for men and women. In these rooms, just as in the kitchen, priorities and tastes differ. In a man’s bathroom, Wentworth might raise the sink and vanity to 36 inches for his typically greater height and likewise consider adjusting the showerhead placement or bathtub length. Electric shavers can use an outlet inside the medicine cabinet. A man might want a steam shower or sauna for relaxation rather than the soaking tub that appeals to women. For the man of the house, deeper colors and richer woods are often the way to go, says Wentworth. In her recent remodel for a young single male, Wentworth carried the same colors and finishes from the kitchen into the bath in the small house. As with his kitchen, the bathroom emphasizes a single statement, in this case, the clear frameless-door shower with porcelain tile and a glass-mosaic niche. On the opposite wall, a dark-stained maple medicine cabinet and chest-like built-in frame the sink. “Bathrooms have become more spa-like,” Wentworth says, “and what’s more conducive to relaxing than a space designed specifically for you?”

Rich wood and gleaming glass tile used elsewhere in the house also add masculine elegance to this bath.

Absence has a presence, as demonstrated by this attention-grabbing Euro-style frameless shower.