Staying Inside? Prepare Everything to Binge Watch a Series at Home

We already love to binge watch a series on television, and due to Covid-19 we spend even more time inside the house. Even though Barcelona enjoys many sun hours throughout the year, temperatures still drop in autumn and winter, and that’s when we feel more comfortable in a warm home. If you want to know how to get your home ready for those cold months spending more time in front of the television, then keep on reading this article.

So now: Have you found a comfortable spot on your couch? Then grab a warm blanket, take a deep breath and forget about everything that’s going on in the world. Stretch out your arm to pick up the remote control, press Play and start enjoying a good series.

 

1. Important fabric items when you binge watch a series or movie in your own living room ✅

Your own living room is the perfect place to watch a marathon series, and if you are looking to rent an apartment in Barcelona, make sure you are pleased with the size and layout of the living room. You will probably spend a lot of hours here.

So pay attention to details when it comes to this part of the house. You don’t want to end up with a cold and uninviting living room. You’d better take plenty of time to prepare the house when it concerns the part where you plan to binge watch one episode after another of your favourite series.

The three classic items in every good living room are: a couch, blankets and cushions. The fabrics of these three can match in colour, but above all, they should be comfortable.

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Your best friend when enjoying a good series at home: your couch

The couch can be a sectional one, a loveseat or a sofa that turns into a bed. If you plan on having many friends over regularly, the bigger, the better. What truly matters is that it’s comfortable, and that it supports the body.

A good couch can be hard to find though, especially if there’s more than one person in your household, so you’d better take good care of it once you do. A relaxed place to sit definitely helps when you are in the mood to binge watch a marathon series!

Cushions: the ideal companion for physical and emotional support

Cushions on your couch will help when watching a good series at home. They are there:

• For comfort: Putting a cushion between your body and the couch will give you that extra bit of comfort
• For releasing tension: If an episode is too scary for you, just squeeze the cushion really hard or cover your eyes with it. It will prevent your eyes from seeing the worst scenes, and this will help you get to sleep at night.
• For resting your head on: If you’ve eaten too much and your eyes a getting drowsy or the series is not that exciting at one point, just use the comfort of a cushion to take a nap. If your partner tells you you’ve missed too much to follow the story, just watch the whole episode again.

A soft blanket to keep you warm

The other item you need is a warm blanket. Just snuggle up with your blanket and enjoy getting warm on the couch. You will benefit even more of a good blanket when it starts raining in Barcelona. It can get windy here, and some years there’s even snow.

If you are searching for that perfect combination of fabrics and other decorations, we can recommend using these 7 tips on how to decorate your home in autumn.

2. Don’t ruin your eyes – or the series – with bad lighting ✅

Most people turn off the lights to emphasize the tension in a horror series, but watching television without any lights could damage your eyes. So don’t completely eliminate lights, but prepare them to enhance the atmosphere of the series you are going to watch.

If you can, use a dimmer to change the intensity of the light. You can also add candles or light bulbs that switch colour. How about using red in the background when you start watching the series Dexter?

We will not give you a list of what series to watch, but if horror is your favourite genre, then Esquire has made a selection that could be worth checking out.

3. Watching a series is all about sound, but maybe even more about silence ✅

Imagine this: it’s the season finale and the main character is running towards the light at the end of the tunnel, after having spent over an hour staying out of the hands of the bad guys. Just at the end of the episode – HONK – a car in the street keeps pushing the horn, preventing you from hearing even your own heartbeat, let alone the end of the story. Season finale: ruined!

If you can, install a surround sound system and maybe even soundproof the living room with sound absorption panels or use other textile items, such as thick curtains for your windows. You will be able to discover the effect of the right sound at the right time in a series. And now you can rewind a few minutes of the last episode and watch the main character leave the tunnel and escape.

📌 With the surround sound of a Home Cinema multiple speakers will surround you with different sounds coming from various corners of the room.

4. What about snacks?

Snacks only between episodes, or during the entire series? When you go shopping – so before turning on that television for hours and hours – don’t forget to have popcorn on your shopping list. Healthier to nibble on are edamame, those soya beans you can get at Japanese restaurants. Edamame is a salty snack,  but as healthy as any vegetable, so what more could you ask for? You’ve even had an extra portion of your daily greens.

You can take the time to prepare some tapas before turning on the television. Try some chicken wings in a honey and mustard sauce or spicy prawns. Just be careful not to drop anything on the couch that leaves permanent stains on its fabric!

Related article: Types of Fireplaces to Warm and Decorate Your Home

Find an apartment that suits your passion for watching media marathons ✅

The team at ShBarcelona is passionate about matching each tenant with their perfect flat. Our real estate agents take care of every little detail, and every tenant should feel at home when entering his/her new apartment in Barcelona. Therefore, we also offer property owners advice on how to make the most of every room in an apartment that will be rented out.

All our monthly rentals are furnished and fully equipped, making them the ideal accommodation to start watching your favourite series from the very first day. You can find all available rental apartments in Barcelona here. Fill in the advanced search for a specific selection that meets your requests.

Start binge watching a new series today, unless, of course, your kids are asking for your time and attention.

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How do you prepare your home to watch your favourite series?
Leave your tips in the comment section below!