What's How to Build a Sex Room About?

Interior designer Melanie Rose uses her keen eye and sex positivity to create spaces that will enable her clients to explore and celebrate their sexuality. Along the way, she guides them through curated activities, from S&M workshops to erotic photo shoots, all designed to make them feel confident and liberated.

Who's involved?

• With her British accent, hip glasses, and penchant for brightly colored accessories, Melanie Rose has the vibe of an eccentric English auntie, which surely helps her clients relax as they open up about their bedroom fantasies. 
• Her clients, meanwhile, run the gamut. The first season features straight couples, gay couples, a single woman, and a entire polyamorous community. The message is that anyone can (and maybe should!) have a sex room

Why (and to whom) do we recommend it?

With some kind of reality television alchemy, How to Build a Sex Room manages to succeed as both a home renovation series and a relationship show.

Each episode features at least one "big reveal" of a beautifully designed room, and even viewers who aren't looking for a full-on pleasure palace will likely find themselves inspired by the way Rose creates a sense of intimacy with just a few well-placed light fixtures and sensual photographs.

At the same time, the series lets Rose's clients speak honestly about their sex lives, from a long-distance gay couple trying to make their time together more special to a jazz singer who wants to help her entrepeneur husband be more spontaneous. And while many of them have kinks they want to explore, the show takes care to frame each of their desires as healthy, loving, and joyous. In fact, its focus on honest and meaningful communication often makes How to Build a Sex Room feel more genuinely romantic than most dating series.

None of this would work without Rose herself, who listens to her clients with care, responds to all their desires with equal enthusiasm, and makes plenty of cheeky jokes to keep things light.

Pairs well with

• Couples Therapy, Showtime's critically lauded docuseries that follows a therapist as she works with couples trying to solve their problems.
• Tiny House, Big Living (available for purchase on Amazon), another home renovation show about the appeal of a space that most of us haven't considered.
• Bonding, Netflix's Emmy-nominated comedy about a dominatrix who hires her gay best friend to be her assistant.