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Safe at Home
Home smoking rooms are the closest thing to paradise for serious cigar smokers
Michael Marsh
From the Print Edition:
Edgar Bronfman Jr., Mar/Apr 03
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Indeed. DiRocco's collection is staggering, with hundreds of items filling the basement. Some of the items on display include authentic jerseys signed by Tiki Barber and Latrell Sprewell, football helmets signed by Troy Aikman and Johnny Unitas, and a pair of spikes signed by Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter. It doesn't stop there. DiRocco has baseballs autographed by everyone from Willie Mays and Hank Aaron to Pete Rose and Carl Yastrzemski; Ted Williams and Barry Bonds to Harmon Killebrew and Nolan Ryan. He says his goal is to collect the autographs of all the players to hit 500 home runs, collect 3,000 hits and win 300 games. He is well on his way. Another prized item that stands out in the smoking room is a photograph of Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and Babe Ruth posing with their lumber. The photo includes the signatures of all four Hall of Famers.
McDonagh, too, has a number of sports items, but his room is not entirely dedicated to memorabilia. It's much more eclectic, furnished with leather couches for more of a living room feel, and a home entertainment system that includes a stereo, DVD player and flat-screen television with a DirecTV hookup. The room has a cigar-store Indian, cigar art, and a number of other trinkets dedicated to his family, his love of sports and, of course, cigars.
So is there a key to decorating a home smoking room? "I think it's important to go with what's in your heart," says Elissa Cullman of Cullman and Kravis Inc., an interior design firm in Manhattan that devised the layout for General Cigar Holdings Inc.'s Club Macanudo, an upscale cigar bar in New York City. "The room should reflect a certain aesthetic that represents a person's personality and what appeals to them. You also want a warm and cozy atmosphere, but with a masculine feeling."
Both DiRocco and McDonagh have achieved this with their smoking rooms. Their fully functioning havens reflect their personalities and have a masculine feel. But most important, the rooms provide them with a place to smoke freely, to relax and to entertain. They have proven that with a little bit of imagination (and a skilled contractor), a home smoking lounge is worth the price, and that the benefits of having one are like nothing a cigar smoker has ever experienced.
"I'm always trying to maximize my leisure time with family and friends," says McDonagh. "My smoking room allows me to do that, and since putting it in, I've never been more comfortable in
my home."
"It is my own sanctuary," says DiRocco. "My escape room."
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