Every part of Simon Russell’s man cave was chosen for a reason, down to the sizing of his purpose-built shed.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Photo by
Megan Fisher
When Simon Russell and his family moved into his Tatura home, he already had a vision for his man cave.
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“When we moved in around five years ago, the house didn’t have the front lounge room, so we wanted to find a bit more of an entertaining area,” he said.
“When I first started building this, it wasn’t anything like it is now.
“I probably just had eight stools and a tall breakfast bench [for the bar]. I didn’t have any couches out here yet.”
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Over the past four years, Simon and his partner Kim have been curating and sourcing this man cave, turning it into their own sports bar that’s become the envy of family and friends and a big hit for their three teenage sons Will, Connor and Harrison.
“I suppose I just hunted around, like the fridge; I wasn’t going to go and buy one like that brand new,” he said.
“So we searched on Facebook Marketplace and went right down to Geelong to get that fridge.
“We got the bar from Bendigo, the pool table here in Mooroopna, picked up these two couches from Moama, the wood heater from Melbourne, and the pie warmer from a TAFE cafeteria, so we really were on the hunt to save a few costs. Otherwise, all of this would’ve cost us a fortune.”
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Every part of this man cave was chosen for a reason, down to the sizing of this purpose-built shed.
“We built this shed. Not me personally, but we paid for it,” Simon said.
“I knew I wanted it to be wider because a lot of sheds are rectangular.
“I knew I wanted a square because, being a keen pool player, I didn’t want any obstacles around me; I didn’t want to have to avoid something when I play.”
Sports memorabilia cover the walls, including frames from his two loves, cricket and the Essendon Football Club. Featured throughout is Jack Daniels merchandise, including on the pool table, which he upgraded in March with the branded felt.
“For the pool table, I was open to whatever design it could be, but I knew I wanted a brand, and this was one of the brands I found,” Simon said.
“Had Essendon been a choice, I might have chosen that, despite the 20 years of misery.”
There are even some handmade elements, with the dart board made by Simon’s father and the bar shelving built by Simon.
Nights here include time spent around the new wood heater, playing a few rounds of pool and watching the footy or cricket, depending on the time of year.
Simon says his boys also love to bring their friends around, and with three TVs, they love to bring their Xboxs into the shed and play a game on a TV each.
“The family gets the most use out of it,” Simon said.
“We all love playing pool, so me, my partner, the boys, and even my Dad will have a game.”
Friends and family love spending their weekends in Simon’s backyard, with the cave being their go-to spot to share a meal and catch a game.
“This is what the shed is for; it’s a lounge room; you won’t find a lawn mover or anything like that in here,” Simon said.
“There’s been many good times already spent in our man cave, with many more yet to come.”
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