one very spanish detail from carlos' living room I've seen no one talk about is: the table. specifically, the kind of table it is. because that's no regular coffee table no, that's a mesa camilla
are you familiar with the japanese kotatsu? brilliant invention. the spaniards had the same idea around the 16th century
beneath that plastic tablecloth there's another one, of thick fabric that reaches the floor. if you lifted that up, you'd see an electric heater inside. although traditionally, a mesa camilla (also known as a brasero) is heated with hot charcoal
that's why their table is too tall to be a normal coffee table. you're meant to place your legs under the covers to get warm, during the winter :)
it's a very family-oriented thing, yk. because it invites the whole family to sit around the table and spend time together while you're super comfy and toasty. really, the mesa camilla is addictive, you don't want to get up once you're in
nowadays it's way less common to have one, and you'd see it more in the south, in old people's houses, or in rural areas
