Photo by Bradley Wheeler.
Never mind the she-shed. Man caves are coming into their own. The descriptive phrase first emerged in the early 1990s, referring to basement rec rooms where beer could be quaffed and games enjoyed with buddies, or garages that invited car talk and tinkering. Fast-forward more than three decades, and the man cave has evolved into a stylish, design-driven retreat, featuring everything from cocktail bars, weight rooms and saunas to luxe garages equipped with sophisticated turntables and lifts. Here are just a few we love.
Manland
In Gilbert, Ariz., a mansion built for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier is on the market for a cool $20 million. This prized property not only includes the original 9,300-square-foot main house, but also more than 4 acres of guy-friendly amenities—a veritable manland—some added by the subsequent owner, says listing agent Frank Aazami of Compass. “We call one of the buildings on the property ‘The Hideaway,’” Aazami says. “It looks like a barn, but there’s more than 6,000 square feet of entertainment amenities in there, including a batting cage, golf simulator, an arcade, pool table, fitness room, full kitchen and bar, plus a dance studio. There’s also a fireman’s pole from the upstairs apartment for quick entrances.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: COLLECTORS’ PIECES | WHERE LUXURY MENSWEAR BECOMES ART
Photo courtesy of Andre Ethier.
An adjacent building houses six electric go-karts for zipping around on a loopy track, while another structure shelters the basketball court, complete with a scoreboard and stadium seating. For chilling out, the property also has a freestanding 5,600-square-foot spa building that boasts treatment rooms, a sauna, steam room, hot tub and more. Don’t want to chill? The underground shooting range might do the trick. If that’s not enough, Aazami has a friendly tip: “The 2.5-acre lot next door is also available,” he says. “You can build whatever else you want.”
Driving The Design
When architect Scott Carson of Cosan Studio met clients for a new-build home on Camelback Mountain, the husband had a specific request. “He said he wanted a living room for his cars,” says Carson, principal of Scottsdale-based Cosan Studio.
Photo by Bradley Wheeler.
“This client’s life is driven by his passion for cars,” notes builder Jason Boysel, president of Symmetry Construction. “We didn’t really know what that might look like until we dug into the details. He also said he wanted his office in the space, plus a place to hang out with friends.”
Collaborating with Boysel and his creative director, Adam Kostis, Carson designed a three-level, 9,600-square-foot contemporary home that steps down the side of the mountain. Boysel says the hillside project took eight months of site work just to get to a level building pad.
The final design includes a 1,900-square-foot “living room for cars,” accessible through a massive multi-slide door, and a 700-square-foot mezzanine man cave that overlooks the cars and features a lounge area, office and powder room, as well as golf and racing simulators.
“[The client] can park up to nine cars in the space,” Kostis says. “There’s a projection TV screen along a wall so the client and friends can watch baseball or F1 races.” The car living room, visible from the home’s main living space, is detailed with dark-wood wall cladding and an exposed concrete floor, sealed with slip-resistant epoxy so that the space can double as an indoor pickleball court.
Photo by Bradley Wheeler.
Exposed ductwork is painted a Ferrari red as an homage to one of the luxury cars the owner collects. He also has a custom McLaren, which the car manufacturer personalized into his racing simulator. For the everyday drivers, the design/build team also crafted an adjacent two-car garage, but even that has a designer’s touch. “That garage has a great view,” Carson says. “The back wall is all glass.”
Lair Guitar
The ghost of Jimi Hendrix guards a guitar vault in the basement of a Paradise Valley home—or at least a black-and-white photo of the late Purple Hazer gazes across this special room in a residence built by Jeremy Meek’s Desert Star Construction.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: THE MEN’S ISSUE, FOUR INFLUENTIAL VOICES DEFINE WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE BEAUTIFULLY
Photo by Dino Tonn.
“The gentleman of the house is a retired professional athlete with a keen passion for music,” Meek says, who worked with architect Erik Peterson, interior designer Colleen Pawling and lighting designer Walter Spitz on the project. “The guitar vault and display room are hidden in an alcove of the home’s basement.”
The rotating collection of famous guitars makes a statement against black-plastered walls, marble flooring and theatrical lighting. A Fort Knox vault door and a display pedestal amplify the high-stakes ambiance. This lair for guitars is part of a larger lower-level man cave that includes a private stage, soundproof room and recording studio perfect for jam sessions, not to mention a billiards room and a 20-person movie theater with velvet drapery and a flashing marquee entrance.
“This project was the largest home we’d ever done up to that point in the history of Desert Star Construction,” says Meek of the 40,000-square-foot-plus abode. “There were days that we had 150 people working on that home.”
Photo courtesy of Toybarn.
A Place For Your Toys
Love to collect cars, but your neighbors are muttering that your property is starting to look like the grounds of the Barrett-Jackson car auction? Consider a car condo. Toy Barn is a luxury garage condominium concept for secure, premium car storage. With deeded, individually owned units that range in size from 960 to 3,000 square feet, the seven metro Phoenix locations (with two more in the planning stages) offer 24/7 access to your rides as well as the use of the clubhouse at each location, which has a full kitchen, big-screen TVs and lounge seating.
Photo courtesy of Toybarn.
Since you own your condo, you’re free to decorate to your heart’s desire or add optional amenities like a half bath, an epoxy floor, or a mezzanine. And, it’s not just cars that are welcome at Toy Barn. You can also store boats, jet skis, motorcycles and RVs. Best of all, the concept puts you right in the midst of a car community, with informal gatherings in the clubhouses or the monthly Cars & Coffee events, when the locations are open to the public to check out what’s under the hood.
©2026 ICONIC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
"*" indicates required fields
