Laura Jones Writing

I don’t know about you but there’s honestly nothing I love more than a night in when it’s done right. If it’s a choice between a crowded bar with eye-wateringly expensive cocktails or a date night at home, there’s a clear winner every time. That’s not to say I want to stay in and veg on the sofa mindlessly watching whatever’s new on Netflix (okay, sometimes this is exactly what I want), instead, I want the luxury of being cosy in my own four walls, with a bit of jazz thrown in. 

And with the last few years meaning we’ve all become slightly more used to staying in, I’ve had a lot of practice when it comes to creative dates at home. So, after a little trial and error, here are five of my favourite indoor date night ideas:

1) Paint happy little trees with Bob Ross 

If you’ve not spent the night at home with a glass (bottle) of red and the pleasure of Bob Ross’ dulcet tones, I feel sorry for you; because that’s no way of living. We first discovered “Bob Ross – The Joy of Painting” during the ‘lost years’ (I’m really trying hard not to use the C word), and we were hooked. For those not in the know, Bob Ross was a famous painter and TV host back in the 80s and 90s. His tutorials are having somewhat of a comeback and make for the perfect date night at home. 

Over the years, we’ve turned this activity into a poor man’s imitation of a competition, sharing our final results on Instagram and at the mercy of a public vote. We also have the added bonus of some pretty questionable wall art proudly displayed in our hallway, so the benefits of this date night at home are starting to rack up if you’re not too houseproud. You’re welcome. 

What you’ll need:

For your painting date, you’ll have some initial costs but once you’ve made your purchases, you can repeat the date a few times and make the most of your money. For a basic setup, you need to buy:

• Canvas – The size completely depends on your preference but we just opted for small and cheap. 
• Paints – Bob Ross famously used only oil paints. When we first attempted a Bob Ross date night we used acrylics but later purchased oil.
• Brushes – You could buy 15 brushes and it never seems enough but there are some key ones I’d recommend. You’ll want a fan brush, a thin pencil-like one, a square-tipped one and a general painting brush; remember to factor in your canvas size when purchasing brushes. 

2) Crazy golf but make it DIY 

I should start this date night idea off with a disclaimer – if you have nice things that you don’t want to ruin, this option might not be for you. Especially if you opt for the DIY version. But if you’re looking for a fun, silly date night idea and you don’t have expensive heirlooms lying around, it’s a winner. 

You can approach this in two different ways:

1 – Purchase an at-home crazy golf kit 

2 – Make your own 

We voted for the latter, making the creation of the kit part of the date night. Using some wood we had lying around in the garage we made a club that more closely resembled a hockey stick, wrapped a lime in tape, and used a beer pong cup as our target. Simples, right? 

To play we set the beer cup up in precarious situations around the house and we were off. From bathtub sandpits to technical tests using the stairs, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. Extra points if you dress up for the occasion, using only what you already have. 

What you’ll need:

If you’re opting to purchase your golf kit, there are plenty of options here. Going DIY? You’ll need:

• Golf stick – Two sticks of wood or anything that won’t bend if you whack it.
• Ball – A lime, lemon or even an egg if you’re feeling like risking it all.
• Ball part 2 – Cellotape (the stronger the better depending on how you answered the above).
• A cup – A beer pong cup or anything with a hole will do.
• Outfits – A vest jumper, cream chinos, or just anything that screams ‘FOUR’. 

3) Wine tasting without breaking the bank

Confession; we’ve never actually been wine-tasting. It’s something we’d love to do but we’ve never visited somewhere worthy of doing it, yet. So it seemed the perfect idea to dip our toes in with our own, slightly bastardised, version of wine tasting. This is probably the easiest, least fuss, date night option of all of them. 

All you need is a selection of mini wines, to create a tasting notes document (okay fine, we just scribbled on a piece of paper ‘notes of vinegar’, and ‘gravy-like consistency’ but you could do it much more professionally, if so inclined), and Netflix’s fake fire on the TV to set the ambience. We also chose to dress a little bit fancy for the evening making it our boujie-est date night at home so far. 

Accompanied by a cheese board or a share bag of Walker’s salt and vinegar you’ve got a classy night in, without the price tag. And while you might not have views of a vineyard or a sommelier explaining which notes you’re tasting and why, I can guarantee you’ll laugh regardless. 

What you’ll need:

It’s a pretty simple purchasing list for this simple date night idea:

• Wine – we went for eight different wines which was way, way too many. Try to get a mix of different grapes and different regions. Push the boat out and try flavours you might not normally, it’s only a mini after all. 
• Snacks – I wasn’t joking about the crisps, if you make your way through eight mini’s of your local’s finest vintage, you need to soak it up with something. 
• A Netflix account – Or just use YouTube if you can bear the ads. Having a roaring fire on the big screen does tie the whole date together.

4) Get crafty with a pottery night

This is one of our personal favourites. So much so that we’ve done quite a few variations of this particular date night. Unlike the other options, you will need to purchase a proper kit to do this date justice but it’s worth every penny.

If you fancy trying your hand at candle making or you want to replicate that Etsy vase you’ve been longing for, this is the perfect night in. We’ve made an eclectic mix of items, including some quite awful candles, one wonky octopus and one mushroom that if you showed Freud he’d have a lot to say about it. With the candles a roaring success, or disaster depending on your outlook, we set our sights on creating vases we could pass down for generations. 

While the final products didn’t live up to what we envisioned, we loved every minute of these dates. And if you weren’t sold already this acts as an extended date night or a weekender, as you have to allow time for the clay to dry before the really fun bit – decorating. A winner all round. 

What you’ll need:

There are lots of different options out there if you just Google ‘pottery at home’ but I can only personally recommend ‘Sculpd’. The quality is crackers and you get very generous amounts of clay, paint and sculpting tools. 

• Candle making kit 
• Pottery making kit
• Extra paints (don’t skimp on this one!)

5) Bring the beach to your living room

Yes, I’m being serious. I can’t take credit for this one and I’ll be honest, it’s a little out of left field which is why I’ve left it until last. We always try to make our Valentine’s night at home as creative as possible and my husband went to town on this one. Our beach in the living room has gone down in history with our friends and, frankly, I don’t think we’ll ever top it. 

We were about a year into various lockdowns and I was craving some beach time but with any kind of travel still not on the cards, my husband did the next best thing and turned the living room into a beach. With real sand, a Tiki bar, heaters, inflatable palm trees and the ocean on the TV – it was perfect. Words don’t do justice to this one, so I’m going to leave the photos to do the heavy lifting. 

But if you want a date night at home that you’ll be dining out on for the rest of your lives, this is the one. What’s more, if you’re looking to make your special someone feel love – it’s unbeatable.

What you’ll need:

Only you can decide how extra to go with this. Real sand or not? That’s up to you, but I’m going to list everything my husband did and you can make a judgment call on whether real sand would be appreciated or cause a bit of a scene with your other half.

• Tarp – If you’re committing and going for actual sand, you need to protect your floor (and future) with a tarp. 
• Sand – Husband used 50kg of sand. We could have used more but there’s probably a fine line between an authentic experience and serious regret the next day. 
• Tiki bar – Husband made this himself out of leftover wood we had in the garage. If you don’t have a random stash of wood just use any table you have and decorate it with flowers, drinks and a menu. 
• Inflatables – Having some palm trees, beach balls and flamingos tied the entire scene together and our dog loved biting them when we were done. 
• Deck chairs – Well you need somewhere to hang out and drink your rum punch, don’t you? 

Date nights at home don’t have to be dull

Staying in has become increasingly popular in a post-C-word world. As I grow older, and my friends around me do too, we frequently choose to spend a night indoors instead of venturing into town. But, that doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to a life of shitty Netflix Rom Coms or early nights. Your home is your kingdom, so they say, and your date nights at home can be as crazy, fun and silly as you want. 

What are your favourite indoor date night ideas?