@Kgaff:
So, worked on the living room, the master bedroom, and the little girl's room for a while. Forgot to take pictures of the master bedroom, and my game was starting to glitch, so I closed it before it crashed. (I wanted to save my presets.)
First, living room
I think I like the way the couch is working out, but if you want me to change anything about it, let me know. Curtains, however, are a problem when we've got three spaces like this. I had the same problem with Addy's build; with loooong stretches of windows, it's hard to find curtains that look right. Here are some options:
My favorite is the third or fourth. Frankly, I don't think most of these work very well, but I'm offering them because... well, other options looked even worse. I can't stand window-curtain clipping, and unfortunately, you often have clipping when using the non-ornate curtains. Since ornate is definitely wrong for this build (besides which, all those curtains aren't wide enough), it limits what we can do.
Edit: Found some that actually look good! You may decide you don't like them, though.
Master bathroom tile options. I wanted to do something different from the normal tile in the bathroom, so tried a few things with rock and masonry. I was going for neutrals, because I personally prefer neutrals in a bathroom. (My best friend - who is an artist - got me into noticing how elegant true neutrals can be.) If you hate it, let me know. If you have other things you'd like me to try, go ahead and suggest away. Btw, if you want me to pull out those windows on the walk in toilet, that's fine. I only did that to make it match the shower, and also because it amused me a bit.
Little girl's room. Wanted to try the different wall colors the way it shows in that inspiration pic you posted for the girl's room. I also wanted to use the castle wallpaper set. I chose that puppy bedspread pattern because you mentioned that the mother was going to have the canine LTW, and I thought the little girl might love dogs too. Most little kids do. I guess I took these pictures before changing her floor pattern. That was when the game started to glitch, right after I had it set the way I wanted it. Too bad, because I had wanted to ask you what you thought of it. (I pulled in the colors of the walls to the puzzle carpet pattern.)
Don't forget, if you don't like anything, let me know. As you've probably been able to discern when building for you, Ciane, and Addy, I don't take offense at criticism. This build is for YOU, and it should be what you want it to be.
Btw, that red brick on the outside... just seems so bland to me. Would you like me to try a different masonry type? Or do you absolutely love what it is right now?
@MiaSkywalker That dream-inspired build is looking amazing!! I love it!
Everyone is doing such beautiful work
Thank you, CM.
Oh, I had wanted to suggest to you, when you were mentioning that you couldn't get the EPs to stick, something to try.
Obviously, deleting the cache files is a must (except social, if you do achievements), but I don't think they're the problem here. I would suggest renaming the .ini file. That file holds information like what EPs and SPs you selected in your last launch, your screen preferences, etc. If something in that got corrupted - or if the file got set to read-only, or admin-only - it could cause a problem. Renaming it might fix it. (I wouldn't suggest deleting it, because if it DOESN'T fix it, then losing all those settings is a PAIN.) It also holds the information you can add to get the 4GB tweak, so once again, don't delete, just rename the extension to something like .backup.
It would mean you'd have to redo all your options like screen resolution, what seasons you turn on, your default lifespan, what supernaturals are turned off (I always turn off celebrities - hate that whole system), whether the obnoxious interactive loading screens turn on, etc. But, if it fixes your problem, it could be worth having to reset all of those.
If that doesn't work, I'm not sure, but it's something to try. Not sure the name of the .ini file, but it's in the base Sims 3 directory in your Documents folder, so shouldn't be hard to find.
Got back into game, took some shots of the floors I've set, while I'm thinking about it. Those dark brown floors are only my default while I'm building walls, so I can see the gridlines better. (My eyes ain't what they used to be!) The dark brown also matches the roof, so I leave it as default tiling right under the roofs, just for blending in purposes.
Side note: Tinypic renamed the first image "2ugly78.jpg". Guess that means tinypic doesn't like that floor of mine!
Some armchairs for the living room. I kind of prefer the first and third, but it's up to you. These are the ones that seem like they have that comfortable feel that I think we're going for.
Playing around with CASting them to match the sofa and walls. Let me know any preferences. Even if you hate them all.
Worked on the little girl's bedroom. I got rid of the red, and made the room just four colors instead of five. These four went together the best, I think. I'm rather happy with the CASting I've done of things, but if you'd like changes in anything, just let me know.
Note that there are actual skilling items in her room. I wish I could make her bedroom slightly bigger to fit in a desk. Unfortunately, I can't. I might move things around to try to get one in.
Now, I was making this a mud room, because it looked to me that that's what the floor plan had in mind. The problem is, because I don't have the front patio actually going into the yard, a mud room here is kind of pointless. I'm thinking of removing this room completely, and making that front porch larger. I will, however, make a small mud room from the back porch area, I think, if you like the idea. In that case, the door to the porch won't be coming directly from the kitchen. Let me know if you like/hate that idea at all.
Edit: Moved things around, I think this works well. Dunno why I didn't try it before. Now she has a place to do her homework. (Although if she's like my Sim kids, she'll just do it on the floor, or at the dining table, desk be darned.)
Edit 2: I need to change out the doors; right now I'm using the cheapest, sort of default doors. Do you have any specific doors you might like me to use in this? I'm not really sure what would go best, tbh, so if you have suggestions, I would be grateful.
Also, found some curtains that I think work well for some of the rooms. The ones for the master bedroom need to be CASted, but I already did the little girl's room curtains.
Holy cow!! I will try to take these one question at a time
Living room - I see 4 different patterns, wallpaper, floor, and 2 plus a solid on the sofa. It's a bit busy. Love the sofa but I think you could try to make the sofa all one color, like the white and then make the pillows a solid color drawn from the wall paper. The carpet is fine the way it is.
Curtains- that last one you put up looks good but I would still take away the pattern and make them a solid color drawn from the wallpaper and maybe make the valance part a tad darker than the curtains for some contrast.
Bathroom tile - I'm not a fan of the gray but I do like the tile pattern. We need to play with this one. Isn't the bedroom a green color? Maybe you could add a hint of green, see how that works.
Girls room - Oh my, sensory overload!!! There's so much going on here, puzzle rug, puppies, a castle and each wall a different color, I don't know what to look at. Since the girl is a tomboy, I would go with the puppy theme. Choose two colors for the wall, one wall yellow and the rest the green you have. And a solid color rug with some texture. I see in the next group of pictures you added a bunch of clutter, you could cut down on that a bit as well. (Edit - see second answer below)
As far as the outside brick, the only think I could think of is maybe try one of the ones that has a brick detail that goes up the left or right side. You could try it on the part with the three windows to make it stand out and at either end of the front of the house to finish it off.
Moving on to the next batch you posted...Wow you've been busy
The rug in the living room and master bedroom looks great.
In the kitchen I would like to have a solid color tile floor and tile backsplash around the counter areas. In the other area, the same tiles as the kitchen, the wallpaper is fine.
Living room chairs - hmmm, I'll have to look and see what I have that goes well with the sofa, I'll get back to you.
Girls room - okay, the walls are much better without the red but still change the rug. Also please make the bathroom one color and a solid tile floor
The mud room- I can't tell where that is in the house, is it in that little covered area to the right of the front door? If so, go with the idea you had, that sounds good.
Doors - any of the doors that have raised panels are good with me.
Curtains - I'll get back to you with the names of some later.
@KaytayRoall I worked on the changes you suggested, here's a rundown of what I've done so far.
Exterior -
I agree about the protruding bits of the roof decoration being awkward. If you can't finagle the gable in such a way as to hide those, there are some creative things you can do with wall-coverings to add a bit of decor to a place like that.
I decided to do away with the decor item. I couldn't get it to work but I think I finally got that part of the roof line the way I want it. You will see it in the pictures of the windows. Please give me a suggestion on how to make this more ascetically pleasing.
The shutters being longer than the windows makes my OCD twitch a bit. A quick look through my window catalogue shows me that EA completely and utterly failed in regards to a simple, rectangular shuttered window. The camelback shutters you are using don't seem to actually fit any of the windows, which is just ridiculous (silly EA... sorry for the rant). The options I did find were two rounded windows--"Summer Window With Shutters," $240 (from I don't know which store set), or "Shuttered Window - Open," $220 (WA EP)--or the matching window/shutter set from the store mansion set--"Colonial Mansion Window," $275, and "Shutters of Timber," $120. If you don't have any of those, I think I'd prefer if the windows just didn't have shutters.
Here are pictures of each window you mentioned. I also did them (randomly) in different colors and textures. Is there one you like better than the other?
No shutters Summer Window with shutters Shuttered Window Open Colonial Mansion Window with Shutters of Timber
I also find the color of the wood used to be a bit overpowering. It is the same tone as the shutters and since green and red are complimentary colors, they draw the eye and distract from the softer, more subtle shade of the siding. I think de-saturating it a bit (moving closer to the middle of the color wheel) will help balance it out. The same goes for the shutters, if you end up keeping them. Alternately, you could try making the siding a bolder color so it doesn't get overshadowed, but I like that minty green an awful lot...
I made the wood of door, floor and stairs a more neutral brown, sort of like oak. If you would like I can play with the red tones again and see what we come up with.
And finally, the training track. At first I was going to say that it wasn't necessary, since I'll have a fully equipped horse ranch next door for training purposes... But it's such a lovely bit of landscaping and using the grandpa's grove track that way is so clever! I can't stand to see it go to waste. Would you switch one of the cavaletti jumps out for the race training posts, please? Having the basics at home never hurts and I fully intend to re-use this lot in multiple games, so I might not always have training facilities next door.
I tested the track with jumps today and it doesn't really work out so well. The horse has to back up, line up with the jump, then it jumps that one and starts the lining up process all over again. Kind of a pain. But, when I changed the jumps out for the race training posts it worked perfectly. My horse ran the course three times just like he was supposed to. So I changed everything to racing posts.
Barn -
Still loving that shape and appreciate the amount of space you were able to make for the tack room/office space. I'm not sure about the roof decor piece(s?), though. What about something along the same lines as the house roof has?
I will try a copula but I'm worried it might have to be quite long, or, I could just put one small one where I now have the decor. I put those other things in back because they reminded me of the fans that I see on real life barns but I will remove them.
Interior -
I like that big, open kitchen/dining space! The central living room is great, too. Would you mind switching the master bedroom to the front left room, though?
The way the floor plan is now, the master has a huge walk-in closet attached to the master bath. When I move it to the front it will have only a small bath because it will be up against the kitchen wall. Perhaps we could move it to the right side and keep the larger master bath while keeping the smaller one near a smaller bedroom. Then what should I make the extra room? I'll show you in a picture.
I also started working on the yard. I started a pool but now I am wondering if you want one since this lot is right on the beach. If you don't what would you like in the yard, we have a lot of empty space to fill
Quick Question:
Which of the following kitchen counters do you like?
CASting needs to be done on appliances, counters & such
Walls and floors are in the palette I've been working with
If you have a preferred counter that I haven't shown, please let me know
No. 1
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5
No. 6
No. 7
Will share images of the ground floor as soon as possible.
Then you can see the whole palette & get a better idea of where I'm going with this ... hopefully!
Holy cow!! I will try to take these one question at a time
Living room - I see 4 different patterns, wallpaper, floor, and 2 plus a solid on the sofa. It's a bit busy. Love the sofa but I think you could try to make the sofa all one color, like the white and then make the pillows a solid color drawn from the wall paper. The carpet is fine the way it is.
I was playing with different patterns, so there's a bit of a mismatch. Originally you had suggested having pops of color from the cushions, so I was doing them with a pattern. But I suppose solid pops of a color used in the wallpaper would be good, I'll do that.
Curtains- that last one you put up looks good but I would still take away the pattern and make them a solid color drawn from the wallpaper and maybe make the valance part a tad darker than the curtains for some contrast.
Yeah, was trying to get all matchy-matchy. I don't like flat solids when it comes to fabrics, but I'll use something with a bit of texture and make it a single color. (Sometimes I actually use rock patterns on couches and curtains. Those work surprisingly well! Particularly when you give them just a bit of color.)
Bathroom tile - I'm not a fan of the gray but I do like the tile pattern. We need to play with this one. Isn't the bedroom a green color? Maybe you could add a hint of green, see how that works.
Ok, I can try it. Do you want me to leave the rough brick pattern in the lower part, or change that instead? Would you prefer the tile in the upper part, or the lower? I'm thinking either tile in the lower and solid in the top, or the rough brick (or something like it) in the lower, and tile in the top. But, up to you.
Girls room - Oh my, sensory overload!!! There's so much going on here, puzzle rug, puppies, a castle and each wall a different color, I don't know what to look at. Since the girl is a tomboy, I would go with the puppy theme. Choose two colors for the wall, one wall yellow and the rest the green you have. And a solid color rug with some texture. I see in the next group of pictures you added a bunch of clutter, you could cut down on that a bit as well. (Edit - see second answer below)
Girls room - okay, the walls are much better without the red but still change the rug. Also please make the bathroom one color and a solid tile floor
Awww... I had fun with that room. Actually, it's LESS busy than the inspiration shot you showed. That one had oranges, reds, yellows, greens, blues... It was much more colorful, so I assumed that's what you wanted. My colors aren't even as bright, because I couldn't stand the really bright colors once I had placed them, so I desaturated most of them, and didn't use the really bright oranges and neon pinks.
Hm... if you want just two colors, how about blue and purple, or blue and yellow? We've already got the greens going in several other places in the house. Knowing children, they usually want something different as compared to what the "adults" use. (Edit: I realize now that you were talking about the teal. I decided when I looked at it in game that the blue and teal worked best together, so I got rid of the other colors. I'm using a couple of bits of yellow here and there, but that's it. At least, I think it's teal. I've never been all that good at naming colors.)
Most of the clutter is actually usable toys. Tell ya what; once I move a Sim in, I'll move whichever of those I can into the toybox for the kid to play with, and remove the shelving. But you know, little kids LIKE having lots of toys around them. I don't think I've ever seen a kid's room that wasn't filled with toys. Yes, I know, in Sim houses we all tend towards the austere (at least, I often do), but that's not really how people live. Particularly children.
As far as the outside brick, the only thing I could think of is maybe try one of the ones that has a brick detail that goes up the left or right side. You could try it on the part with the three windows to make it stand out and at either end of the front of the house to finish it off.
Not entirely sure what you mean. Maybe I can try some different brick types, and see which ones you like best. I have this brick as a preset (it's a slightly darkened and desaturated "foundation brick"), so I won't lose it if I try other things.
Moving on to the next batch you posted...Wow you've been busy
The rug in the living room and master bedroom looks great.
In the kitchen I would like to have a solid color tile floor and tile backsplash around the counter areas. In the other area, the same tiles as the kitchen, the wallpaper is fine.
Ok, I was thinking something similar. Since I don't like small tiles on floors, I may do some large, full square (or quarter square) tile patterns, and see which ones do it for you. Do you want a dark color, a light color, or something with a bit of variation? Would you want a subtle pattern in it, or solid colors? Hm... I still think I'll try some things first. Sometimes you might THINK you won't like something, then you see it and realize it works well.
Living room chairs - hmmm, I'll have to look and see what I have that goes well with the sofa, I'll get back to you.
Ok, I'll hold off on those. I think the one to the far right is the one that goes with the sofa. If we do solids on the sofa and chair, then we're good.
Btw, we can always do the splashes of color using a painting or two on the walls, and keep all the furnishings fairly solid. That's always an option, and often works well.
The mud room- I can't tell where that is in the house, is it in that little covered area to the right of the front door? If so, go with the idea you had, that sounds good.
Yes, exactly, that's where it is. I'm not REALLY familiar with the idea of a mud room (we definitely don't need them in SoCal deserts), but I've seen them in some builds, and I can see how in wetter areas of the world they would be useful. Particularly if one has a garden. (Or pets.)
Doors - any of the doors that have raised panels are good with me.
Curtains - I'll get back to you with the names of some later.
@Kgaff The new roofline does look nice! I like it.
For the windows/shutters, I think the Colonial Mansion Windows with the darker green shutters. I really like the first "Shuttered Window - Open," too, but the bigger windows just suit this better, I think.
I like the oak wood look, too. Thank you.
Getting jumping courses to work right can be a pain. I'm glad you were able to work it out without too much issue, from the sound of it!
A small copula in the same spot is what I had in mind. Sorry I didn't explain it well... The fans were okay, I think? I honestly couldn't tell what they were at first. I had to go in game and find the piece you used and then had an "oh, now that make sense" moment.
Oooh, a walk-in closet! Now I see. No, your original plan was fine, nevermind. The master bedroom looked small in the previous picture because it wasn't directly overhead. And I didn't know what the other room on that side was for. Also, if you'd rather do one of the other bedrooms as a study/office, I'm fine with that. Or if you'd rather do a second bedroom because there is going to be the barn office, that's fine too.
The pool I could take or leave, since like you said, I'll be right next to the beach. Open yard space isn't a bad thing with horses on the property. It's nice for them to have open space to gallop around. Especially since I will probably have a full six of them at times. A couple other possibilities for the yard I thought of. I'd like a small area for gardening (5x5 or slightly bigger). Nothing too big. Horse-care takes a lot of time, so I don't like my sims spending half of the day in the garden. And a hot tub might be nice? If there's room...
Here's how the front is looking right now. I think I'm about done with the exterior and started to work on the interior, but I was wondering if you wanted any greenery. Bushes? Hedges? Flowers?
Moving inside, I don't know why I started with the bathroom, but I did, so here's that. It's too small to get pictures from inside of, unfortunately.
Which brings me to my other question... How do you feel about having buydebug lights in a completed build? I have a bunch in right now for building purposes, but they also help hide the lighting discrepancies caused by CFE. Are you okay with me leaving some in the completed project?
Yes, buy debug lights are fine. The bathroom looks great though maybe you could lighten the brown in shower to be more creme or beige to lighten it up a bit.
A few flowers and/or bushes usually add to the curb appeal, but aren't essential for me. I can add those later when my sim has more money. I think I'd probably add a flower or shrub in front of the "seam" with a medium-sized rock on one side and a smallish one on the other side, so it would blend nicely with the rock formation already there.
@MiaSkywalker thanks for the suggestion on the .ini file, I'll give that a try if I run into it again. Was able to play last night for a little bit but didn't have much time to devote anyway so...
@KaytayRoall Looking great! Just so you know, your shower isn't oriented correctly - Sims have to get into the stand-alone showers from the left side, not straight on. So you'll have to turn the shower to either be against the window or flip the whole shower around so the door is on the other side.
Quick Question:
Which of the following kitchen counters do you like?
CASting needs to be done on appliances, counters & such
Walls and floors are in the palette I've been working with
If you have a preferred counter that I haven't shown, please let me know
No. 1
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5
No. 6
No. 7
Will share images of the ground floor as soon as possible.
Then you can see the whole palette & get a better idea of where I'm going with this ... hopefully!
I like the top one the best. Yes, it's the simplest, but if you use rock tones for the CASTing, it works very well. Another counter that works well if you use rock CASting are the haute hacienda counters. The fancy tile on the top is totally appropriate for this, but the problem I run into with those is that if you have to angle a counter, then those patterns don't line up. Basically, if the thing looks like it has wooden panels or drawers (like the second, or the fourth one onward), then while it might be great for a European medieval build, it won't work for a desert build.
The colors you're using are really good for a desert build. Earth tones (like the one you're using on the wall), and other textures that appear to be rock or stone, tend to work well. They don't have a lot of wood in a desert, so they're not going to waste it on furnishings, particularly since wood furnishings don't last as long as stone. (Maybe some chairs might be in wood for ease of portability, but not much else.) On that note, use a stone or tile floor, not wood. They certainly wouldn't have wasted expensive wood on flooring. If you use tile, make them the bigger tiles, and intersperse plain tiles with some elaborate ones in dots here and there. If you make a fountain or two, then put smaller tile around that, but small tile in walking areas would just break constantly. (Which is why I don't use small tile in bathroom floors in my builds. It wouldn't work in real life.)
I like that tile pattern in the kitchen. Once again, because of certain limitations in materials, people in those cultures liked to paint elaborate patterns on walls and furnishings. It's a completely different style from what we're used to. You can see examples if you Google (or Bing) India architecture or Arabic architecture. On the outside the house may be almost austere (in the desert they can have severe desert winds that will scour the outside of buildings), but on the inside you'll find beautiful and elaborate painted and enameled walls. Now that I think of it, the dado and borders I tend to like on wall options aren't really appropriate here. Once again, it has to do with how expensive wood would be.
Not too sure about either that stove or that refrigerator in this case. If you CASt them in rock tones, they might work. Actually, the pizza oven (did I put that on my list of "must haves"? If not, I would love to add it!) would look VERY right in this sort of build. If you can find a stove that looks good CASted in rock, go with it. If it doesn't, try another. Metals are too modern for the life this Sim leads.
@MiaSkywalker the fridge for your build from @ADWilson might look good with a stucco/clay looking texture from the masonry tab. Might break up the stone in the kitchen a bit.
I've also seen a fantastic build that @aricarai did where she recessed the fridge into an alcove, so that might hide a lot of the non-desirable surfaces/textures - and maybe curtains over the front to make it look more like a pantry than a fridge? I don't believe curtains cause any issues with Sims walking through them. I've even used a wall-hanging to cover an entire doorway and the Sim walks right through so there might be a few options for covering "necessary evil" appliances.
@Kgaff:
I'm trying to post some of the changes I've made, but tinypic won't let me upload some of the images. The ones it does upload, it won't display. I have the feeling the problem is at their site. I believe I may have to post these on my own website and create slideshows for you, although that means deleting old ones as I go.
I'm very cross right now, because I wanted to check some things with you, and now I can't.
@MiaSkywalker
Before making any changes to the palette or textures etc, I guess I need further clarification.
We discussed making a vacation home in Egypt for a VERY rich sim, but ... what you're mentioning above sounds like you want a more realistic build than opulent/make-believe. It also sounds like it shouldn't be contemporary/today in regards to decor/style. Most of the furnishings in the living, kitchen/dining, half bath (main floor) are from the Cambodian ~ Indian ~ Moroccan sets and I've been mixing/matching to give it a world traveler theme instead of one style over another in each "living space".
Let me show you what is currently in place and we'll go from there ...
Reminder: The kitchen/dining space has not been fully CASted
FRONT
INSIDE
note ~ not necessarily using everything, I tend to place what I think I might need and either use or discard as I go
Also, haven't done anything to ceilings.
Okay, now that you can see where I've "been" please let me know if you like any of this or if I've been going at it all wrong like I'm beginning to think I have been.
@Kgaff:
All right, since tinypic was being irritating today, I posted these to a slide show on my website. I'm lazy, and only made one slide show, so you'll just have to scroll through them in order. I've made it so you can move through the slideshow with thumbnails, and it won't force you to move from image to image, so should give you time to look at things. Unfortunately, these pictures are smaller than what I can post to tinypic, so details may be harder to make out.
Recasted sofa and living room curtains. I don't know if you like this better. This is one of the only pictures that uploaded to tinypic today. I don't know if it will show properly or not, though.
Little girl's room. The pictures are WiP, so things are changing even as I'm taking pictures. (I probably should just retake all of them, but lazy.)
I moved her toys into another small room. Nothing is CASted or done anything with here, or even moved to reasonable places, I just wanted to show you that the toys are still there (btw, the small toys are now in the chest - I moved a Sim in so I could do the technique I learned from Ari to move the drum onto a shelf), just not in her bedroom. Now if her parents tell her to go to bed, she won't have anything to play with. (Other than reading; the bookshelf has a bunch of toddler and children's books in it.)
Also redone her bathroom. Let me know if you want any further changes to either of these rooms.
Tried something with the master bathroom wall. Let me know if this pleases you, or if you'd like something different. If you want me to remove the rock completely - or if you like the idea of rock, but want a different one - just let me know.
Went with a simple large green tile for the master bathroom, and smaller tiles for the shower. Not sure what would work in the walk in toilet. Let me know if you like any of these at all, or have another suggestion.
I don't know if you want any rugs in the bathroom. I've seen rugs used in bathrooms extremely well, but I don't really know what would look best. I've tried a bunch of things, and would like your input. Do NOT look at colors or patterns; I'm using the default presets, so that would obviously change. I just want to know if you like the placement and/or shape of ANY of them in ANY of these positions.
There's this REALLY strange line (two of them, actually) in this one room in the house, and I have no idea what's causing it. I tried deleting the floor and replacing it, but it's still there. I have MOO and CFE disabled; I haven't used MOO all that much in this build, and haven't used CFE at all. It kind of bothers me, because I don't know if it will affect anything else. It's easier to see in game, but what bothers me is that it might mean there are things like routing problems of which I'm unaware.
@MiaSkywalker
Before making any changes to the palette or textures etc, I guess I need further clarification.
We discussed making a vacation home in Egypt for a VERY rich sim, but ... what you're mentioning above sounds like you want a more realistic build than opulent/make-believe. It also sounds like it shouldn't be contemporary/today in regards to decor/style. Most of the furnishings in the living, kitchen/dining, half bath (main floor) are from the Cambodian ~ Indian ~ Moroccan sets and I've been mixing/matching to give it a world traveler theme instead of one style over another in each "living space".
Let me show you what is currently in place and we'll go from there ...
Reminder: The kitchen/dining space has not been fully CASted
FRONT
INSIDE
note ~ not necessarily using everything, I tend to place what I think I might need and either use or discard as I go
Also, haven't done anything to ceilings.
Okay, now that you can see where I've "been" please let me know if you like any of this or if I've been going at it all wrong like I'm beginning to think I have been.
Oh, no, that's gorgeous! No, that's exactly the type of thing I'm looking for. Exactly! The only objection I have is the metals of the refrigerator and stoves/ovens. The other stuff is great! I really love how you mixed things in there, and gave the idea of a truly rich Sim. (Which she is. Probably a bit TOO rich. But since I'm not, I like a little fantasy.)
Man, I'm so drooling over this build! You've gotten the opulence and plushness just right!
Btw, I know what you mean about the misc deco stuff. Since I really HATE having to load that category, I often plonk everything I think I might want from it in some place like, say, the yard, so I can grab something if/when I need it, without having to go back there again.
@Kgaff:
I created a new slideshow (same URL, just scroll down), with some changes I've made to the outside. I wanted to add windows finally, so needed to figure out how to work them in.
Made some changes to the shell. Extended the front porch and moved the door to that area to the side, so I could put three chairs in the back, facing towards the front. I don't know if you prefer keeping the wall where it had been, or extending the fencing; I'm inclined to go with how it works in image 4, myself.
Then I worked on the other side. I dislike imbalanced windows, both on the inside and the outside, so... I like how it is in the fifth image (the first of that side), but I don't know what you prefer. The last three show that when trying to balance it the other way, I had to MOO a window behind the shower, and I dislike that intensely. So I'm going back to what it had been, when the brick wasn't as far inward and there were fewer windows.
The back I had no problems with; the windows balanced extremely well, with no problems, fortunately.
@MiaSkywalker
Whew! **makes wiping forehead motion** Super GLAD you like how it's coming along.
Will add pizza oven to the kitchen.
I'll try rock or stone with the kitchen appliances.
The wood flooring ... would you like it changed out to marble or large tile?
Any other changes?
Tentative backyard is a fountain piece and maybe a pergola structure mimicking the porches for the canning station and nectar maker unless you'd prefer that I make a basement w/exterior entry <= if so, I could add a nectar cellar down there as well and possibly a faux food storage area. I figured that your sim wouldn't want a barbecue area or outside dining since desert sand isn't an acceptable condiment. Hmm ... maybe I should do the basement instead of a pergola structure so the canned goods and nectar are sand free as well
With a basement, would you want a pool? If so, I could play around with fountains and pools to make a combination piece.
Do you want the backyard fenced in? I don't know about your game, but in mine the yard must be fenced because the newspaper delivery kids and the mail carriers always attempt to go for a quick swim after stopping by.
As for the decor category, I try to grab everything I think I might need as well. Yard, upstairs, wherever there is a spot. However ... I have yet to do a build where I haven't either deleted something I later decide I want or I think of something I didn't get on the first attempt. Or the second. I wish we could simply scroll over said item and see an enlarged image or if clicked, get enlarged image with arrows leading to the next item much like the way the store has. If I open the 'all' tab and browse through it, I get scrolling rows which bothers my eyes so I look away while it does its thing.
Between your kind words along with those from @creativemetaphor and @MiaSkywalker I am now breathing easier. I was concerned that I'd totally walked down the wrong road and would have to do a major do-over. Sooo relieved that isn't the case after all.
Comments
Everyone is doing such beautiful work
So, worked on the living room, the master bedroom, and the little girl's room for a while. Forgot to take pictures of the master bedroom, and my game was starting to glitch, so I closed it before it crashed. (I wanted to save my presets.)
First, living room
I think I like the way the couch is working out, but if you want me to change anything about it, let me know. Curtains, however, are a problem when we've got three spaces like this. I had the same problem with Addy's build; with loooong stretches of windows, it's hard to find curtains that look right. Here are some options:
Edit: Found some that actually look good! You may decide you don't like them, though.
Master bathroom tile options. I wanted to do something different from the normal tile in the bathroom, so tried a few things with rock and masonry. I was going for neutrals, because I personally prefer neutrals in a bathroom. (My best friend - who is an artist - got me into noticing how elegant true neutrals can be.) If you hate it, let me know. If you have other things you'd like me to try, go ahead and suggest away. Btw, if you want me to pull out those windows on the walk in toilet, that's fine. I only did that to make it match the shower, and also because it amused me a bit.
Little girl's room. Wanted to try the different wall colors the way it shows in that inspiration pic you posted for the girl's room. I also wanted to use the castle wallpaper set.
Don't forget, if you don't like anything, let me know. As you've probably been able to discern when building for you, Ciane, and Addy, I don't take offense at criticism.
Btw, that red brick on the outside... just seems so bland to me. Would you like me to try a different masonry type? Or do you absolutely love what it is right now?
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Oh, I had wanted to suggest to you, when you were mentioning that you couldn't get the EPs to stick, something to try.
Obviously, deleting the cache files is a must (except social, if you do achievements), but I don't think they're the problem here. I would suggest renaming the .ini file. That file holds information like what EPs and SPs you selected in your last launch, your screen preferences, etc. If something in that got corrupted - or if the file got set to read-only, or admin-only - it could cause a problem. Renaming it might fix it. (I wouldn't suggest deleting it, because if it DOESN'T fix it, then losing all those settings is a PAIN.) It also holds the information you can add to get the 4GB tweak, so once again, don't delete, just rename the extension to something like .backup.
It would mean you'd have to redo all your options like screen resolution, what seasons you turn on, your default lifespan, what supernaturals are turned off (I always turn off celebrities - hate that whole system), whether the obnoxious interactive loading screens turn on, etc. But, if it fixes your problem, it could be worth having to reset all of those.
If that doesn't work, I'm not sure, but it's something to try. Not sure the name of the .ini file, but it's in the base Sims 3 directory in your Documents folder, so shouldn't be hard to find.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Got back into game, took some shots of the floors I've set, while I'm thinking about it. Those dark brown floors are only my default while I'm building walls, so I can see the gridlines better.
Side note: Tinypic renamed the first image "2ugly78.jpg". Guess that means tinypic doesn't like that floor of mine!
Edit: Maybe this one looks better, at that!
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
More choices for you!
Some armchairs for the living room. I kind of prefer the first and third, but it's up to you. These are the ones that seem like they have that comfortable feel that I think we're going for.
Playing around with CASting them to match the sofa and walls. Let me know any preferences. Even if you hate them all.
Worked on the little girl's bedroom. I got rid of the red, and made the room just four colors instead of five. These four went together the best, I think. I'm rather happy with the CASting I've done of things, but if you'd like changes in anything, just let me know.
Now, I was making this a mud room, because it looked to me that that's what the floor plan had in mind. The problem is, because I don't have the front patio actually going into the yard, a mud room here is kind of pointless. I'm thinking of removing this room completely, and making that front porch larger. I will, however, make a small mud room from the back porch area, I think, if you like the idea. In that case, the door to the porch won't be coming directly from the kitchen. Let me know if you like/hate that idea at all.
Edit: Moved things around, I think this works well. Dunno why I didn't try it before. Now she has a place to do her homework. (Although if she's like my Sim kids, she'll just do it on the floor, or at the dining table, desk be darned.)
Edit 2: I need to change out the doors; right now I'm using the cheapest, sort of default doors. Do you have any specific doors you might like me to use in this? I'm not really sure what would go best, tbh, so if you have suggestions, I would be grateful.
Also, found some curtains that I think work well for some of the rooms. The ones for the master bedroom need to be CASted, but I already did the little girl's room curtains.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Holy cow!! I will try to take these one question at a time
Living room - I see 4 different patterns, wallpaper, floor, and 2 plus a solid on the sofa. It's a bit busy. Love the sofa but I think you could try to make the sofa all one color, like the white and then make the pillows a solid color drawn from the wall paper. The carpet is fine the way it is.
Curtains- that last one you put up looks good but I would still take away the pattern and make them a solid color drawn from the wallpaper and maybe make the valance part a tad darker than the curtains for some contrast.
Bathroom tile - I'm not a fan of the gray but I do like the tile pattern. We need to play with this one. Isn't the bedroom a green color? Maybe you could add a hint of green, see how that works.
Girls room - Oh my, sensory overload!!!
As far as the outside brick, the only think I could think of is maybe try one of the ones that has a brick detail that goes up the left or right side. You could try it on the part with the three windows to make it stand out and at either end of the front of the house to finish it off.
Moving on to the next batch you posted...Wow you've been busy
The rug in the living room and master bedroom looks great.
In the kitchen I would like to have a solid color tile floor and tile backsplash around the counter areas. In the other area, the same tiles as the kitchen, the wallpaper is fine.
Living room chairs - hmmm, I'll have to look and see what I have that goes well with the sofa, I'll get back to you.
Girls room - okay, the walls are much better without the red
The mud room- I can't tell where that is in the house, is it in that little covered area to the right of the front door? If so, go with the idea you had, that sounds good.
Doors - any of the doors that have raised panels are good with me.
Curtains - I'll get back to you with the names of some later.
I decided to do away with the decor item. I couldn't get it to work but I think I finally got that part of the roof line the way I want it. You will see it in the pictures of the windows. Please give me a suggestion on how to make this more ascetically pleasing.
Here are pictures of each window you mentioned. I also did them (randomly) in different colors and textures. Is there one you like better than the other?
Summer Window with shutters
Shuttered Window Open
Colonial Mansion Window with Shutters of Timber
I made the wood of door, floor and stairs a more neutral brown, sort of like oak. If you would like I can play with the red tones again and see what we come up with.
I tested the track with jumps today and it doesn't really work out so well. The horse has to back up, line up with the jump, then it jumps that one and starts the lining up process all over again. Kind of a pain. But, when I changed the jumps out for the race training posts it worked perfectly. My horse ran the course three times just like he was supposed to. So I changed everything to racing posts.
I will try a copula but I'm worried it might have to be quite long, or, I could just put one small one where I now have the decor. I put those other things in back because they reminded me of the fans that I see on real life barns but I will remove them.
The way the floor plan is now, the master has a huge walk-in closet attached to the master bath. When I move it to the front it will have only a small bath because it will be up against the kitchen wall. Perhaps we could move it to the right side and keep the larger master bath while keeping the smaller one near a smaller bedroom. Then what should I make the extra room? I'll show you in a picture.
I also started working on the yard. I started a pool but now I am wondering if you want one since this lot is right on the beach. If you don't what would you like in the yard, we have a lot of empty space to fill
Quick Question:
Which of the following kitchen counters do you like?
Walls and floors are in the palette I've been working with
If you have a preferred counter that I haven't shown, please let me know
No. 1
No. 2
No. 3
No. 4
No. 5
No. 6
No. 7
Will share images of the ground floor as soon as possible.
Then you can see the whole palette & get a better idea of where I'm going with this ... hopefully!
Sims 3 Blog: Have I Got A Story For You!
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Yeah, was trying to get all matchy-matchy.
Ok, I can try it. Do you want me to leave the rough brick pattern in the lower part, or change that instead? Would you prefer the tile in the upper part, or the lower? I'm thinking either tile in the lower and solid in the top, or the rough brick (or something like it) in the lower, and tile in the top. But, up to you.
Awww... I had fun with that room.
Hm... if you want just two colors, how about blue and purple, or blue and yellow? We've already got the greens going in several other places in the house. Knowing children, they usually want something different as compared to what the "adults" use. (Edit: I realize now that you were talking about the teal. I decided when I looked at it in game that the blue and teal worked best together, so I got rid of the other colors. I'm using a couple of bits of yellow here and there, but that's it. At least, I think it's teal. I've never been all that good at naming colors.)
Most of the clutter is actually usable toys. Tell ya what; once I move a Sim in, I'll move whichever of those I can into the toybox for the kid to play with, and remove the shelving.
Not entirely sure what you mean. Maybe I can try some different brick types, and see which ones you like best. I have this brick as a preset (it's a slightly darkened and desaturated "foundation brick"), so I won't lose it if I try other things.
Ok, I was thinking something similar. Since I don't like small tiles on floors, I may do some large, full square (or quarter square) tile patterns, and see which ones do it for you. Do you want a dark color, a light color, or something with a bit of variation? Would you want a subtle pattern in it, or solid colors? Hm... I still think I'll try some things first. Sometimes you might THINK you won't like something, then you see it and realize it works well.
Ok, I'll hold off on those. I think the one to the far right is the one that goes with the sofa. If we do solids on the sofa and chair, then we're good.
Btw, we can always do the splashes of color using a painting or two on the walls, and keep all the furnishings fairly solid. That's always an option, and often works well.
Yes, exactly, that's where it is. I'm not REALLY familiar with the idea of a mud room (we definitely don't need them in SoCal deserts), but I've seen them in some builds, and I can see how in wetter areas of the world they would be useful. Particularly if one has a garden. (Or pets.)
I'll try a few different doors, and let you pick.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
For the windows/shutters, I think the Colonial Mansion Windows with the darker green shutters. I really like the first "Shuttered Window - Open," too, but the bigger windows just suit this better, I think.
I like the oak wood look, too.
Getting jumping courses to work right can be a pain. I'm glad you were able to work it out without too much issue, from the sound of it!
A small copula in the same spot is what I had in mind. Sorry I didn't explain it well... The fans were okay, I think? I honestly couldn't tell what they were at first. I had to go in game and find the piece you used and then had an "oh, now that make sense" moment.
Oooh, a walk-in closet! Now I see. No, your original plan was fine, nevermind. The master bedroom looked small in the previous picture because it wasn't directly overhead. And I didn't know what the other room on that side was for. Also, if you'd rather do one of the other bedrooms as a study/office, I'm fine with that. Or if you'd rather do a second bedroom because there is going to be the barn office, that's fine too.
The pool I could take or leave, since like you said, I'll be right next to the beach. Open yard space isn't a bad thing with horses on the property. It's nice for them to have open space to gallop around. Especially since I will probably have a full six of them at times. A couple other possibilities for the yard I thought of. I'd like a small area for gardening (5x5 or slightly bigger). Nothing too big. Horse-care takes a lot of time, so I don't like my sims spending half of the day in the garden. And a hot tub might be nice? If there's room...
Here's how the front is looking right now. I think I'm about done with the exterior and started to work on the interior, but I was wondering if you wanted any greenery. Bushes? Hedges? Flowers?
Moving inside, I don't know why I started with the bathroom, but I did, so here's that. It's too small to get pictures from inside of, unfortunately.
Which brings me to my other question... How do you feel about having buydebug lights in a completed build? I have a bunch in right now for building purposes, but they also help hide the lighting discrepancies caused by CFE. Are you okay with me leaving some in the completed project?
A few flowers and/or bushes usually add to the curb appeal, but aren't essential for me. I can add those later when my sim has more money. I think I'd probably add a flower or shrub in front of the "seam" with a medium-sized rock on one side and a smallish one on the other side, so it would blend nicely with the rock formation already there.
Store Install
Unlocked Stencils
random legacy
@KaytayRoall Looking great! Just so you know, your shower isn't oriented correctly - Sims have to get into the stand-alone showers from the left side, not straight on. So you'll have to turn the shower to either be against the window or flip the whole shower around so the door is on the other side.
I like the top one the best. Yes, it's the simplest, but if you use rock tones for the CASTing, it works very well. Another counter that works well if you use rock CASting are the haute hacienda counters. The fancy tile on the top is totally appropriate for this, but the problem I run into with those is that if you have to angle a counter, then those patterns don't line up. Basically, if the thing looks like it has wooden panels or drawers (like the second, or the fourth one onward), then while it might be great for a European medieval build, it won't work for a desert build.
The colors you're using are really good for a desert build. Earth tones (like the one you're using on the wall), and other textures that appear to be rock or stone, tend to work well. They don't have a lot of wood in a desert, so they're not going to waste it on furnishings, particularly since wood furnishings don't last as long as stone. (Maybe some chairs might be in wood for ease of portability, but not much else.) On that note, use a stone or tile floor, not wood. They certainly wouldn't have wasted expensive wood on flooring.
I like that tile pattern in the kitchen. Once again, because of certain limitations in materials, people in those cultures liked to paint elaborate patterns on walls and furnishings. It's a completely different style from what we're used to. You can see examples if you Google (or Bing) India architecture or Arabic architecture. On the outside the house may be almost austere (in the desert they can have severe desert winds that will scour the outside of buildings), but on the inside you'll find beautiful and elaborate painted and enameled walls. Now that I think of it, the dado and borders I tend to like on wall options aren't really appropriate here. Once again, it has to do with how expensive wood would be.
Not too sure about either that stove or that refrigerator in this case. If you CASt them in rock tones, they might work. Actually, the pizza oven (did I put that on my list of "must haves"? If not, I would love to add it!) would look VERY right in this sort of build. If you can find a stove that looks good CASted in rock, go with it. If it doesn't, try another. Metals are too modern for the life this Sim leads.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
I've also seen a fantastic build that @aricarai did where she recessed the fridge into an alcove, so that might hide a lot of the non-desirable surfaces/textures - and maybe curtains over the front to make it look more like a pantry than a fridge? I don't believe curtains cause any issues with Sims walking through them. I've even used a wall-hanging to cover an entire doorway and the Sim walks right through so there might be a few options for covering "necessary evil" appliances.
I'm trying to post some of the changes I've made, but tinypic won't let me upload some of the images. The ones it does upload, it won't display. I have the feeling the problem is at their site. I believe I may have to post these on my own website and create slideshows for you, although that means deleting old ones as I go.
I'm very cross right now, because I wanted to check some things with you, and now I can't.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Before making any changes to the palette or textures etc, I guess I need further clarification.
We discussed making a vacation home in Egypt for a VERY rich sim, but ... what you're mentioning above sounds like you want a more realistic build than opulent/make-believe. It also sounds like it shouldn't be contemporary/today in regards to decor/style. Most of the furnishings in the living, kitchen/dining, half bath (main floor) are from the Cambodian ~ Indian ~ Moroccan sets and I've been mixing/matching to give it a world traveler theme instead of one style over another in each "living space".
Let me show you what is currently in place and we'll go from there ...
Reminder: The kitchen/dining space has not been fully CASted
INSIDE
note ~ not necessarily using everything, I tend to place what I think I might need and either use or discard as I go
Also, haven't done anything to ceilings.
Okay, now that you can see where I've "been" please let me know if you like any of this or if I've been going at it all wrong like I'm beginning to think I have been.
Sims 3 Blog: Have I Got A Story For You!
Sims 4 Blog: Addy Plays Sims 4
All right, since tinypic was being irritating today, I posted these to a slide show on my website. I'm lazy, and only made one slide show, so you'll just have to scroll through them in order.
Here's the page with the slideshow for you. I have no idea how much space I have for uploading images, which is why I'm thinking I might have to delete things on occasion.
Recasted sofa and living room curtains. I don't know if you like this better. This is one of the only pictures that uploaded to tinypic today. I don't know if it will show properly or not, though.
Little girl's room. The pictures are WiP, so things are changing even as I'm taking pictures. (I probably should just retake all of them, but lazy.)
I moved her toys into another small room. Nothing is CASted or done anything with here, or even moved to reasonable places, I just wanted to show you that the toys are still there (btw, the small toys are now in the chest - I moved a Sim in so I could do the technique I learned from Ari to move the drum onto a shelf), just not in her bedroom. Now if her parents tell her to go to bed, she won't have anything to play with.
Also redone her bathroom. Let me know if you want any further changes to either of these rooms.
Tried something with the master bathroom wall. Let me know if this pleases you, or if you'd like something different. If you want me to remove the rock completely - or if you like the idea of rock, but want a different one - just let me know.
Went with a simple large green tile for the master bathroom, and smaller tiles for the shower. Not sure what would work in the walk in toilet. Let me know if you like any of these at all, or have another suggestion.
I don't know if you want any rugs in the bathroom. I've seen rugs used in bathrooms extremely well, but I don't really know what would look best. I've tried a bunch of things, and would like your input. Do NOT look at colors or patterns; I'm using the default presets, so that would obviously change. I just want to know if you like the placement and/or shape of ANY of them in ANY of these positions.
There's this REALLY strange line (two of them, actually) in this one room in the house, and I have no idea what's causing it. I tried deleting the floor and replacing it, but it's still there. I have MOO and CFE disabled; I haven't used MOO all that much in this build, and haven't used CFE at all. It kind of bothers me, because I don't know if it will affect anything else. It's easier to see in game, but what bothers me is that it might mean there are things like routing problems of which I'm unaware.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
Man, I'm so drooling over this build! You've gotten the opulence and plushness just right!
Btw, I know what you mean about the misc deco stuff. Since I really HATE having to load that category, I often plonk everything I think I might want from it in some place like, say, the yard, so I can grab something if/when I need it, without having to go back there again.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
I created a new slideshow (same URL, just scroll down), with some changes I've made to the outside. I wanted to add windows finally, so needed to figure out how to work them in.
Made some changes to the shell. Extended the front porch and moved the door to that area to the side, so I could put three chairs in the back, facing towards the front. I don't know if you prefer keeping the wall where it had been, or extending the fencing; I'm inclined to go with how it works in image 4, myself.
Then I worked on the other side. I dislike imbalanced windows, both on the inside and the outside, so... I like how it is in the fifth image (the first of that side), but I don't know what you prefer. The last three show that when trying to balance it the other way, I had to MOO a window behind the shower, and I dislike that intensely. So I'm going back to what it had been, when the brick wasn't as far inward and there were fewer windows.
The back I had no problems with; the windows balanced extremely well, with no problems, fortunately.
The only kind of garden I can grow is a virtual one.
Dragons - must haz dragons!
@MiaSkywalker
Whew! **makes wiping forehead motion** Super GLAD you like how it's coming along.
Will add pizza oven to the kitchen.
I'll try rock or stone with the kitchen appliances.
The wood flooring ... would you like it changed out to marble or large tile?
Any other changes?
Tentative backyard is a fountain piece and maybe a pergola structure mimicking the porches for the canning station and nectar maker unless you'd prefer that I make a basement w/exterior entry <= if so, I could add a nectar cellar down there as well and possibly a faux food storage area. I figured that your sim wouldn't want a barbecue area or outside dining since desert sand isn't an acceptable condiment. Hmm ... maybe I should do the basement instead of a pergola structure so the canned goods and nectar are sand free as well
With a basement, would you want a pool? If so, I could play around with fountains and pools to make a combination piece.
Do you want the backyard fenced in? I don't know about your game, but in mine the yard must be fenced because the newspaper delivery kids and the mail carriers always attempt to go for a quick swim after stopping by.
As for the decor category, I try to grab everything I think I might need as well. Yard, upstairs, wherever there is a spot. However ... I have yet to do a build where I haven't either deleted something I later decide I want or I think of something I didn't get on the first attempt. Or the second. I wish we could simply scroll over said item and see an enlarged image or if clicked, get enlarged image with arrows leading to the next item much like the way the store has. If I open the 'all' tab and browse through it, I get scrolling rows which bothers my eyes so I look away while it does its thing.
Sims 3 Blog: Have I Got A Story For You!
Sims 4 Blog: Addy Plays Sims 4
Between your kind words along with those from @creativemetaphor and @MiaSkywalker I am now breathing easier. I was concerned that I'd totally walked down the wrong road and would have to do a major do-over. Sooo relieved that isn't the case after all.
Sims 3 Blog: Have I Got A Story For You!
Sims 4 Blog: Addy Plays Sims 4