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Any show titled How To Build A Sex Room was naturally going to elicit some online pandemonium, but we’re not entirely sure the creators of the new Netflix series realised just how many thoughts viewers were going to have after watching everyday-people get home makeovers of the sexy kind.
Or, look, maybe they did. How To Build A Sex Room definitely has plenty of fans wholly embracing the genius of this television concept – marrying our love of renovation shows with our curiosity around other people’s sex lives. There’s also a lot of love for host Melanie Rose, who one star calls “the Mary Poppins of sex rooms”, and her unbridled, wholesome enthusiasm for all things sensual.
But whenever you have a series that takes a voyeuristic look into other people’s living spaces and personal lives, you’re going to have plenty of observational viewers picking up on elements that the creators probably weren’t intending to be the focus. This is the beauty (and, sometimes, the hell) of the internet – reading other people’s reactions to a show you’re watching feels like you’re with a million friends, all eating popcorn on the couch and talking over the top of each other.
These are our favourite online reactions to How To Build A Sex Room.
Wait, Aren’t These People Freaking Out About Their Parents Seeing This?
A world in which sex was no longer taboo would be wonderful, but the reality is that the majority of us don’t exactly want our parents, grandparents and other older-generation relatives (also, bosses? Colleagues?) knowing the intricacies of what we get up to behind closed doors.
So how did Netflix find so many couples, groups and individuals who were completely chill about discussing butt plugs and being filmed getting flogged on global television? There is an actual Sheriff’s deputy in this series! Someone works in real estate! These aren’t exactly the most sex-positive workplaces.
“They speak so openly about their likes. Omg how can you say that on Netflix. Introvert people could never,” Twitter user @HoraGenio mused.
At the end of the day it’s refreshing to see such open conversations around kink and sex preferences happening on streaming TV – and removing the taboo around sex is definitely where we should be heading.
Everyone Loves Melanie Rose
The foundation of How To Build A Sex Room, and why it works so well on mainstream television, has to be host Melanie Rose. Her British charm (she’s like your sweet grandma except she tells you a story about a threesome she had) is just so beyond what you’d expect from a sex-based series – and it totally works.
“Imagine a lil British grandmother coming to your house and bringing you all the sex toys you’ve never even thought of,” Twitter user @ughyall writes, as @lilydsmith muses “watching how to build a sex room on Netflix and cackling, it’s this tiny old British woman building these absolute dungeons.”
Rose’s sweetness clearly also makes some of the less sexually confident couples feel more comfortable talking sex toys and restraints, and it’s really heartwarming seeing people reignite their sex life under her guidance, or finally talking clearly about what they want to explore with sexual partners. Her warmth and passion creates a safe space for both the people on screen, and the people watching from their lounge rooms, to explore their desires in a way they likely haven’t before.
The Design Is, Um, Interesting
Look, don’t watch this show if you have an aversion to white leather couches, because you’ll be confronted with plenty of them. Rose might be an established designer, but her aesthetic is more Selling Sunset than Grand Designs. “So many fake fur blankets,” writes @NikolHasler. See also: garish wallpaper, lots of dollar-store satin ribbon, and red pillows everywhere.
Viewers were also alarmed at the lack of design in the star’s houses to begin with. “Im watching how to build a sex room and all these straight couples have no taste WHERE IS THE ART WORK THE WALLS ARE BARE BUT YOU WANT A SWING ON THE CEILING??” wrote @Poniiboi. Well, we finally know why all the homes looked so bare – one of the stars responded, saying “They made us take everything off the walls to avoid copyright issues.” So there you go, it turns out these people weren’t just living in clinically-bare homes.
Build A Sex Room? How About Buying A House First
One of the loudest conversations online about How To Build A Sex Room is “how did these people even own property in the first place?” The global housing crisis is bad and only getting worse, so for Millennial and Gen-Z viewers, the glaring issue with this show is, well, we need a home in the first place if we’re going to build a sex room in it.
“I would say my biggest fantasy after watching How to Build a Sex Room is getting to own a house,” writes @persbaderse. Twitter user @CaseyMalone concurs. “Frankly the hottest part is the idea of owning a piece of property I’m allowed to alter in any way at all,” they muse.
Rose’s enthusiasm might have us wishing for our own private, sensual space – but the reality is most of us live in rental properties where nailing handcuffs to the wall would absolutely result in us losing our entire bond – not to mention the fact that having a spare room or basement is a luxury in and of itself for all of us living in apartments.
Is This The Most Wholesome Show On TV Right Now?
The beauty of How To Build A Sex Room is how naturally it approaches all things sex – and we mean all things. Golden showers are discussed alongside butt plugs, flogging alongside polyamory. This normalising of sex and the enjoyment of sex is why viewers are falling in love with the series. We’ve been so conditioned to see sex as a taboo subject, something discussed in hush whispers behind closed doors, but the reality is sex is a wonderful part of life and also a really important part of many romantic relationships.
In this way, viewers are surprised to find themselves crying at the end of episodes, and feeling all warm and fuzzy as couples try out their new bondage tools. Who knew How To Build A Sex Room would be giving shows like Masterchef a run for their money when it comes to wholesomeness.
Here are some other standout reactions roaming the Twitterverse:
Jokes aside, this show is such a positive addition to Netflix. Here’s to more of this – normalising conversations about sex, and embracing our sexuality without shame.
