Ok, so we might not be able to get dressed up and go to dinner and the cinema in town at the moment, but there’s nothing stopping us getting a little creative for date night. Last weekend we wanted to make another evening on the sofa a little more interesting, so decided to build an indoor den like back in the days of our childhood.
The corner sofa in the lounge was the perfect starting point, then using two camera tripods we were able to lift the middle without too much obstruction inside. Another key element to consider when creating a den is what will secure the sheets together and onto things. For this I would recommend having pegs and elastic bands handy as well as using elements of your furniture to secure it, such as tucking it behind the sofa cushions or trapping it inside the fastening of a tripod.
It does take a bit of trial and error to get it right, but this is all part of the fun and tests your ability to work together of course. Once the skeleton of our den was complete, I went about making all the finishing touches using plenty of blankets and cushions for a super cosy interior. I also had a few strings of fairy lights which gave the perfect ethereal mood lighting for our dreamy den.
Ready with a bottle of wine, popcorn and a movie, I was so chuffed with our awesome date night setup. We had envisioned sleeping in our creation for the night, however we realised that the tripod legs would be too much of an obstacle when trying to sleep! Instead we left it up for a couple days and enjoyed the change of scenery for a few evenings in front of the TV.
Whether you do this with your partner, family or even housemates, it really is a fun way to shake up movie night at home during lockdown. I definitely felt like a kid again as we cosied up and escaped the madness of the outside world in our fairytale fort.
Dani Aneka 