Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
LadyDaKare Builds UPDATED 3-02 LIVE LONG AND PROSPER
LadyDaKare
Posts: 212 Member
Hello Fellow Simmers:
I've created this thread to showcase some of my builds, but also to answer some of the questions I get like "Where do you get your inspiration?" I will answer all questions regarding any of my builds, architecture, interior design, landscaping, and why in all my builds there is always a tea maker in the kitchen.
I accept constructive criticism and artistic critique. I also accept requests for builds.
I hope you all enjoy!
Lady DaKare
I've created this thread to showcase some of my builds, but also to answer some of the questions I get like "Where do you get your inspiration?" I will answer all questions regarding any of my builds, architecture, interior design, landscaping, and why in all my builds there is always a tea maker in the kitchen.
I accept constructive criticism and artistic critique. I also accept requests for builds.
I hope you all enjoy!
Lady DaKarePost edited by LadyDaKare on
0
Comments
Tuscan Vineyard was inspired by the following picture:
The result in TS4 was:
I don't remember where I found the picture but I copied it and saved it to a folder I keep on my desktop of inspiring photos. I have a lot of pictures of architecture from around the world. But I had built two Tuscan inspired builds prior on smaller lots:
Small Tuscan Farm
Tuscan Farm - Medium
So, I was in a Tuscan mood you could say.
Based on the inspiration picture, I started with the buildings I could see, which turned out to be the office and art room to the building at the right, and the great room and entrance at the center. From there I worked the rest of the basic floor plan, starting with the kitchen. I added the guest room, which I thought was going to be the master at first and that was my basic build. I added the second floor to the building at the right and above the main entrance. Decided another story above the building on the left would look good and could be used as kid bedrooms and a jack/jill bath. I enclosed the courtyard and added a foundation so I could get the stairs outside the gate at the front. From there, I just built on those basics.
If you have any specific questions about this build or any of my others feel free to ask on this thread or email me directly. Happy to answer and I hope you all enjoy my builds!
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
They are very nice homes
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
(Italian for Modern Stone)
This is my most recent build and my inspiration came from the following photograph:
As with all my builds I started with a basic floor plan and added details and adjustments as I went along. What follows are descriptions of how I began, how things changed, what influenced me along the way, to result in the final build. Here are a few pictures of the overall floor plan.
First Floor
Second Floor
Once I had the basic floor plan completed I started decorating the kitchen first. This is almost always where I start as I find the kitchen anchors the house and it's where your Sims spend much of their time together, communing around food and socializing. Working with that concept I then moved on to the open great room, another area Sims spend a lot of time together. Did you see the tea maker?
Kitchen
Great Room
I then moved on to my favorite room in this house, the office. I love the colors, the layout, the textures, and the silly details like the 4 clocks for a bunch of different time zones. This is strongly based on my office at work, which is extremely modern and has lots of color (yup orange) and textures and stuff scattered all over the desk and credenza (meaning work). I have a great view out my office windows and I really tried to incorporate all of that in this room.
The Office
The next area I worked on was the Dining Room and what was suppose to be a Living Room but I made it a Sims skills area - Music. My favorite part in these rooms are the paintings, which is what inspired the color scheme. I placed the picture in the Dining Room on the floor because it felt like it was too big/heavy to be on the wall. Love how it looks.
Dining Room
Music Area
The Master Bedroom and en suite gave me a great deal of trouble because of the funky angles of the rooms. The bathroom I had a blast mixing it up and love the pinwheel design on the floor. The closets gave me a tremendous amount of grief until I saw Sherryd0 closet, a room she shared on the forums. I was in LOVE. MORE SHOES!!!!! Never can have enough shoes. I couldn't work Sherry's closet into my build so I asked her how she did the multiple stacked shoes and she was kind enough to share the cheat with me. God it took a while, but, was well worth it. I love the Ladies closet and all those SHOES!.
Here's Sherry's Closet
Here's my closet as inspired by Sherry, and with her SHOES cheat. Did I mention Shoes!
And because I love SHOES sssoooo much (in case you haven't guessed, here's another view...SHOES *sighs contently*
MORE SHOES
The Master Bedroom my husband actually laid out the furniture. The color scheme is inspired by the piano keys picture above the bed.
The Master Bedroom
The Master Bathroom
Time to move on to the second floor where I made a girl and boys bedrooms, an artroom, exercise room, and an outdoor balcony. At first I was going to have a jack/jill bathroom but I had soooo much room I decided to give each their own bathroom. I started with what became the boys bathroom. This is a room was created by another Simmer and I had finagle to fit the large space I had, but, I did my best to stay true to her room.
Olivkasims Nova
Boy's Bathroom
Boy's Bedroom
After I decided to give the boy and girl separate bathrooms I built the girl's bathroom and designed it completely around the sink, pulling the color scheme and the traditional feel from the sink.
Girl's Bathroom
Because the girl's bathroom wasn't overly girly, but feminine, I wanted to create a bedroom that reflected the same. Thus, it's not all pink!
Girl's Bedroom
I knew I wanted the room not attached to a bathroom to be the art room and because it was so spacious, I was able to really showcase the Sims 4 art skills and tools.
The Art Room
The boys room had actually been the entire side of the house, but I needed space for the exercise equipment, so I divided the space up and added the closets and exercise room area. I kept the archway because without it the roofs just pooped in all over.
Exercise Area
I was left with this funky space upstairs and I knew if we had the appliances I would make it the laundry room. Then I saw LynnLynn69's Laundry Room and all my fussing was over. Leave it to Simmers to make a washer and dryer despite none existing in the game! Love it. Her room did not fit in the space I had so more finagling was necessary, but, it's her creation.
LynnLynn69 LaundryRoom
The landing on the second floor was very spacious and very open to the outdoors. Since it also led to the outdoor balcony I wanted to bring the outside in and bring some different colors besides the color palettes I had used thus far. The picture, again, was the inspiration
The Second Floor Landing
Proceeding outside to the balcony. This was a tough area. What I originally imagined was a covered seating area and a lounge area. But this space is so huge that it looked silly. Outside the kitchen area downstairs I had a covered patio that I was going to make for outdoor seating leading to a pool area. That all changed when I decided to put a pool on the balcony. I attached the ground pool to the house, stacked the lights up the wall, and added a bunch of water features to give it the waterfall look. I tested it in game and it's not perfect, but I love the concept and it really gave dimension to the balcony. I even added color to the waterfall. (Oh, Ah) From there I decided to add the bar, grill and sink under the covered section and make the outdoor seating by an outdoor fireplace.
The Waterfall pool
The Balcony
Landscaping came last. Needed lots of trees and bushes to hide the Master Bath. Added the fountain and flowers in the front, which was originally all fenced in and the raised planters in the back for the Sims. The landscaping along the side of the house, from the garage to the great room were simple but I added the bushes in the middle to give more texture and curb appeal.
Landscaping and Outside Pictures
I hope you enjoy this build and some of the little tidbits of where I get my inspiration, how things change, and how I come up with ideas. ENJOY fellow Simmers!
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
It is a very nice home, both the exterior, the outdoors areas and all the rooms of the interior.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
This is the first build I have ever done inspired by a song. The song, "Habibi, I Love You", is a collaboration of two very different artists. Ahmed Chawki is from Morocco and sings in classic Arabic. Pitbull, is a Cubano Americano rapper from Miami, Florida, USA. Their styles, their music, their culture couldn't be more different...and yet, they blend.
This song is beautiful and about a man who will do anything and become anything for the woman he loves so much. And in the end, he just needs to be himself. You don't even need to see the video or understand the language to FEEL the power of this song.
This build pulled all architecture, architectural design elements, interior design, colors, and layout from the video and the heritages of the two singers. For those of you who are interested, here is a link to the YouTube video:
As always, I started with the basic floor plan. As the artists are Moroccan and Cubano Americano, I wanted to incorporate the architectural elements common in both cultures. TS4 does not have any traditional Arabic architecture and few mosaic tiles. Thus, my choices were limited and I needed to find other ways to bring the Moorish feel to this build. There are two main things found in Moorish architecture, the U-shaped entry and courtyards. This is where I began.
Here are pictures of the overall layout of this build:
First Floor
Second Floor
U-Shaped Entry
This was one area I knew I could bring Moorish architecture to the build. As you can see, you are first greeted by a fountain. This fountain is a traditional octagram (eight sided), an extremely common shape used throughout Moorish, Arab, Semitic, Turkish, and Persian architecture. Then you enter under the covered, U-shaped entry. On the floor you will see green wood floor with the music star rug over it. This is a Shout Out to Morocco and the Moroccan flag. Yes, the colors are reversed (Moroccan flag is red with a green pentagon star), but I work with what TS4 gives us.
Grand Entrance
Both in Spain and Morocco, grand entrances greet you and this feeling I wanted to bring to this build. Keeping with traditional Moroccan architecture, there's a fountain and lots of sitting to enjoy company. The following picture illustrates a traditional Moroccan entrance.
Here's mine in TS4
Grand Entrance
Within this room are a lot of elements inspired by the song and the video. The first, and probably most obvious, are the musical instruments. On the wall opposite the piano is a painting of a man at the piano. I made it large and placed on the floor for a modern touch. On the side with the piano is a painting of the Sim world, also enlarged and placed on the floor. This is a Shout Out to Pitbull, also known as "Mr. Worldwide"!
Kitchen
Off the Grand Entrance to the right through both sets of double doors is the kitchen. I choose to use the tile throughout the kitchen with the filigree trim because it looks very similar to the mosaic tiles with Arabic writing on them, known as zelij. I choose the blue because the tiles looked like the shimmering Atlantic ocean off Miami. The kitchen cabinetry was influenced by the doors and windows.
The Office
Off the kitchen is the office area. I wanted to keep this modern and hip. Playing off the feeling of Pitbull's rapping, I choose very modern and industrial furniture. The color of the walls was inspired by the scene in the video when Chawki changes from a version of himself to a western European looking man. The walls are very clean, modern, and industrial looking. Also, I enlarged the wall decoration that looks like 9 tiles. This is representative of the wall Chawki is singing in front of at the beginning of the video.
The Master Suite
This is my favorite room in this build. It is completely inspired by Chawki and the woman in the red dress in the video. Chawki is wearing all black, she is wearing all red. I created the mosaic tile look by placing rugs and lining them up. And, Yes, it took forever!. The painting over the bed is a nod to the music that inspired this build. The two black rugs in the middle with the filigree design looked a bit like Arabic script and I think gave focus to the bed - the blend of black and red, man and woman.
The Master Bath
I could just die and go to heaven in this bathroom. The choice of tiles, again, was based on the filigree looking similar to Arabic script and the tiles looking like the shimmering blue of the Atlantic ocean. On the floor I chose to use the same rug as in the Master bedroom but in blue.
The Ladies Closet
I used a building cheat, which I now refer to as the Shoes Cheat, which allows you to put items higher in the room and gives me stacks upon stacks of shoes. If you haven't guessed it, I LOVE SHOES! Habibi, I love shoes!
The Courtyard
Courtyards are found throughout Mediterranean and Asian cultures. This courtyard, however, is a nod to Islam and our Muslim Sims. I created a fountain in the shape of a crescent moon with the pentagon star. I changed the time of day to find out where East was located and was disappointed that it was in the opposite direction of the pentagon star. Thus, I placed three rugs down to symbolize prayer rugs and a set of candles to indicate the direction to SimMecca. I do not know if this is proper, but, it is done with respect.
The Pool
Pool designing in this game I find rather boring. Many Simmers have shared some terrific designs on the gallery and I usually try and use them in my builds. However, this time, I knew I wanted a specific look and feel to the pool. The tall grasses are from the video and the beach of Miami. I made the pool in the shape of an Octagon and used tiling around it to create the look of the Octagram. In the pool I placed lights in the shape of a heart. The heart is a nod to the song, a song of love.
I created upstairs to be an area of sleeping and private family time. This area is not intended for guests and I pulled the idea from the traditional Harem Quarters where outsiders were not allowed in.
The Landing and Entrance Hall
The Landing is outside and this was completely a result of the tower in the middle. The tower is in the shape of an octagon and in order to attach the landing to the tower it messed up my roofs terribly. Thus, I left it open. I created a small seating area overlooking the courtyard, which is covered in trellis covered plants and flowers. I also placed an easel for painting in the opposite corner. If they can't get inspiration from this view, then...
Entrance Hall
In keeping with traditional Spanish and Moroccan architecture (Moorish) I kept the walls clean and placed the vibrant mosaic tiles on the floor. Here's the view to the TV room.
The TV room
In most of my builds I create a Great Room or a Common Room where I place the TV and other entertainment elements for the Sims. In this build, I purposely wanted to keep the casual rooms more private and that's why I placed this room upstairs. The color scheme of this room was completely inspired by the rug, which, ironically enough is called the Magic Carpet. A nod to Moorish and Arabic cultures.
The Boy's Room
Off of the TV Room is the boy's room and it's all modern. The color scheme I choose was inspired by the bed. The mess of clothes on the floor was inspired by my brother when he was a boy. Wait a minute, his room still looks like that! The pictures on the wall are a nod to the song and the love of Futbol (known as Soccer to all of us in the US).
The Girl's Room
Also off the TV room is the girl's bedroom. The color scheme I choose was inspired by the bed. The pictures on the wall are a nod to the song and to teenagers everywhere who like their heroes on their walls.
Jack and Jill Bathroom
The Boy's and Girl's room share a bathroom. The color scheme of this bathroom was inspired by Pitbull's outfit. He's wearing a pink jacket and grey slacks. I reversed it, pink floor with grey walls but this bathroom is Pitbull and Miami modern!
Work Out Room and Balcony
The record label is Red One and this room is a nod to them. The balcony is over the entrance and I added a few planters for the Sims.
The Second Master Suite
I decided to add another Master Suite because I wanted room for other generation of Sims, like the grandparents. This room is Modern and a nod to the modern decor prominently featured in the video and throughout Miami. The big poster, thought it looked hip and adds a pop of color.
The Second Master Bathroom
Like the Master Bathroom, this was done with the tiles with the filigree that resemble Arabic script and the blue of the Atlantic Ocean. I used the jacuzzi tub in here because the corner one wouldn't fit.
The House at Night
Because Miami comes alive at night, I wanted this build to do the same!
Outside Views
The house itself is heavily inspired by the Spanish/Latin feel of Miami and the traditional buildings with the archways found throughout Latin America. The color blue represents the sky. The planters going up the house are representative of the vines with bright pink flowers found in south Florida. They crawl up everything! The tall grasses are commonly found on beaches of the East Coast United States from Florida up to southern Maine.
Some Last TidBits
Throughout this build I continually referred back to the video, to the song, to the artists' heritage, to the lands of Morocco and Miami. Here is some more. I used the moo cheat to stack the plants. Notice, the tall plants containers make an octagram. All the downstairs windows and archways are draped in the curved drapes that comes with TS4. This is commonly found in traditional Moroccan interiors and is very common in Spanish interiors.
Furthermore, in every single room (excluding closets) there is the Dove wall hanging. This is symbolic of the beach birds flying around Chawki in the video. But it is also a symbol of peace. This building was inspired by a song, a song of love. In the YouTube thread there are many comments of hate and it broke my heart to read them. So I leave you all now with the love that this song expresses and the peace that love gives your heart.
Habibi, I Love You
LadyDaKare
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
Thankyou for sharing both the house and the descriptions of each section of the house, both outdoors and insides, which adds a depth of meaning to the home. It is a very nice home!
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
Two pieces of tidbits I forgot and would like to share.
1. Habibi is an Arabic term of endearment and roughly translates to darling.
2. The statue out front is Chawki at the end of the video - and it also happens he's pointing towards SimMecca
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
Rose, yes, this was made with Love
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
And I love shoes too!
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
The island of Cyprus is rather unique, both in it's geographical location and it's culture. Cyprus has not one, but two official languages, Turkish and Greek. "Kibris" is Turkish for Cyprus. Cyprus is steeped in history, but, has embraced modern architecture, mixing their old classic designs with modern and environmentally friendly architectural elements.
Here is the house that inspired this build.
This is Modern Kibris in TS4
As with all my builds, I begin with the basic floor plan. This build was especially tricky as we do not have terrain building as of yet. (I'm patiently, not so much, waiting.) So, in order to stay as true as possible to my inspiration picture, I built a ground floor. I only had the outside picture do go by, thus all interior design and layout are completely of my own design. Here are pictures of the overall floorplan.
Ground Floor
Main Floor
Second Floor
The Main Rooms - Entrance/Dining/Living Room
This area, in keeping with common modern design is an open layout. The feeling I wanted Simmers to have as soon as they walked in the front door was openness and the crisp breezes waffing through from the Mediterranean. Thus the choice in picture that first greats you. I went with a lot of the teal/soft blues throughout the build, but chose it as the dominant color theme for this floor. The teal blue is a nod to the warm waters of the Mediterranean, which surround Cyprus. It also gives the space a crisp and ocean front vibe. I put in a fireplace with teal blue tiles to showcase it. One might think a fireplace is unnecessary, but, it's amazing how cold islands get after the sun goes down. It's also a great place for Sims to commune and socialize.
I brought in brown to the living room because of the picture above the fireplace. I was looking for a way to bring in another color to offset the teal blue, because there was so much of it. The modern canvas painting had the teal blue and brown. So brown couches were added to pull it all together.
The Kitchen
The kitchen is slightly closed off to the Main Rooms and I did this to get some extra wall space. Initially I had a bar and stools where the seperating wall is, but it interrupted the room more than brought it together. So, I put up the walls and got the flow I wanted for this main space. In doing this it created a very large kitchen with plenty of storage and counterspace, something every woman knows you just can't have enough of in a kitchen.
Kept with the teal color in the kitchen as well for a cohesive transition from the Main Rooms. And, of course, I have my tea maker!
The Office
A very small space used to the fullest. Because this is such a small room I could not put a lot of items in the room or on the walls. So I accessorised the room with color. I went with the lime green because I wanted a different color than blue. It started with the chair, then the shades, but it wasn't until I put the rug down that I felt the room came together. I kept the floors and walls crisp white to give the room a larger feel while keeping the color palette focused on the lime green. Very typical modern concept for interior designing.
Pool Deck and Bar Lounge
Moving outside of the Main Rooms is the Pool Deck and a Bar Lounge. In my inspiration picture I could see an outside fireplace above the garage, and I mimicked that in this build. I created the seating area around the outside fireplace. Reminded me of late nights on the islands, cozying up on the cough in front of the outside firepit or fireplace.
I knew I wanted a pool, but, it took me a while to decide how it should be incorporated. It was at this point in the floor designing process that I decided to create the pool deck the space of the entire back of the lot. That created a huge space on the ground floor, which I'll get to later, but it provided the space I needed for the pool.
Though the lot I constructed this build on does not have a water view, I still wanted to create the look of an infinity pool overlooking an ocean. Hence the waterfall effect with the fountain on the ground level. I wanted the water to be moving and for this to be the focus piece of this space. After putting in the pool I still had this large unused space and that's when I decided to add the Bar Lounge. After constructing the bar area I got the feeling of a resort and it was that feeling that inspired the outdoor decor.
Master Suite
This entire second floor is dedicated to the Master Suite and is my favorite space in this entire build. I love how the room flows to the outdoors and the views off the balcony overlooking the pool with the waterfall.
The Master Landing
I kept the main room closed off from the landing because I needed the walls for the bathroom. So, I chose to use the space as an artistic focus point and it acts as a kind of transition to the Master Suite.
The Master Bedroom
The interior bedroom was challenging at first because of the bed. I struggled to find a bed and color scheme that created the feeling of romance, water, warmth, and relaxation. It wasn't until I choose the rug that the room began to come together. I chose to tile the floors with the pool tiles because of the "shimmering" effect which evoked the feeling of the sun shimmering off the ocean and beach. The tiles I continued through to the Master Bathroom.
The Master Bathroom
The Master Bathroom I wanted modern, cool, and relaxing. Brown is a perfect color to evoke these feelings as it is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The bathtub anchored the room, color choices, and design. I love the view from the tub.
The Master Balcony
I wanted this room to flow out onto the balcony and I wanted the balcony to be private but flow onto the pool deck. For privacy I added planters and kept the lounge chairs back from the glass fencing. Sims can easily use the stairs from the balcony to get to the pool deck and the views are just phenomenal. Imagine looking over that balcony out to the Mediterranean Sea!
The Ground Floor
This entire space was created as a result of raising the lot so I could have the garage and the balcony area similar to my inspiration picture. In creating this floor I had a tremendous amount of space to fill. I started with the Family Room.
The Family Room
This is the first area you walk into from the staircase and it leads to all other areas on the ground floor, but, there are ZERO windows. There was no where I could add windows without altering the outside significantly. So my issue was how to make this space bright, warm and inviting without any natural light. The brown walls are because of the effect it has: Gives the feeling of warmth in the winter and cool in the summer. The brightness and inviting feeling I achieved through the color of the couches. I added side tables and dressers with the yellow drawers to add to the bright feeling. The choice of the painting on the wall was due to size and color. It had the yellow and was large enough to fill the space. I added a few other entertainment elements for the Sims and a 1/2 bath behind the stairs in teal blue and white.
The Boy's Room
The first room off the Family room is the Boy's room. Like the girl's room and their shared bathroom, I could place windows in this space. I did not have a view of this side of the house from my inspiration picture, so I improvised and continued the architectural look on my own. This gave me the opportunity to add the windows and bring in natural light. This room is simply decorated and more of a tween or teenage bedroom. I wanted this space to be very modern and hip. I chose the rug and it became the inspiration for the color scheme of the room.
The Girl's Room
The second room off the Family room is the Girl's room. This room was inspired by my own bedroom during my college years. My bedspread was pink and black and I chose this bed for that reason. The bed is what anchored the room and was the base for the color palette of this room. I decided to have some fun with the rugs in this room because I wanted to add a spice of personality. I got to incorporate my Shoes Cheat in the girl's closet.
The Jack and Jill Bathroom
This bathroom I wanted to be modern and simple. The tub and color choice are what I designed the room around.
The Garage and Work Room
As I stated earlier, when I created the large Pool Deck and Bar Lounge I ended up creating a huge space on the ground floor. I knew part of it would be the garage, but initially it was only going to be a 1 car garage. After I put the pool in and mapped out the Family Room and bedrooms I was left with an enormous space. I didn't want to make a dedicated exercise room because I wanted most of the exercising to be done by the Sims in the pool. After all, this was a build about the outdoors and the beauty of the Mediterranean. So, I decided to have fun with the garage and make it like a luxury high rise parking garage, where you pull in to an underground deck with private spots. Being that this is a rather luxurious house, I felt the large garage was appropriate. I added the work room so for the Sims handiness skill.
Outside Views
Here are views of the outside of this build. The emphasis is on the back of the build with the open areas. The roofs are suppose to be heat/solar panels. This is an engineering aspect that has been added to many homes around the world, but, has gained dominance in Cyprus. Being that Cyprus is an island and they do not have the space or resources for many power plants, environmentally savvy and renewable energy solutions have gained a strong hold in this country.
The waterfall pool was fun to make and is so pretty to watch in game. The sound of the water almost sounds like waves lapping on the beaches and rocks of Cyprus. If only there was a smell feature in this game. Salt ocean smell...
Modern Kibiris (Cyprus)
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
Origin ID: SummerFalls
House: Ravenclaw/Wampus - Wand: Alder wood with Unicorn hair core 10 ¾" and Slightly Springy flexibility - Patronus: Neblung Cat
| Simblr | Youtube | I love creating sims! |
The furnishing of the interior of the home right through the home is very nice, and very nice outdoors pool and bar lounge patio! Sims will enjoy sitting resting on the sofas there in front of the fireplace having a drink from the bar. It looks great how you have done the garage!
It is a very nice build
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
So the first, and probably most obvious thing about this build is its name. Yup, I stole it from Bond. Being that we are coming up on Valentine's Day, I felt the name was appropriate. My husband's paternal family were Russian immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. I am an amateur genealogist (one who studies family trees and ancestry) and I have spent a great deal of time tracing back my husband's family ancestry. It has been a slow an arduous journey as I do not read or comprehend any of the Slavic languages. Furthermore, much of the history was destroyed during World War II, sometimes purposefully sometimes by accident. What history and ancestry of my husband's family I have been able to find has led me to some very interesting towns and villages in Russia. What I found were these amazing wooden houses, made from the woods of the Taiga, the world's largest terrestrial biome.
There are a variety of styles and architectural elements that are fundamental Russian. Probably the most famous are the onion domes. Most people know this style from St. Basil's Cathedral at The Kremlin. But there are other styles as well, including high steeped pitched roofs (so the snow falls off instead of collapsing the roof) and the "Lace Woodwork" that ornately decorate the outside of the houses. Below is the photo that inspired this build and my version in TS4.
The Inspiration Photo
My version in TS4
As always, I begin with the basic floor plan. I only had the picture to work off of, thus I did not know what the other two sides of the house looked like nor the interior. The other sides of the exterior were created by keeping true to the inspiration picture. The interior layout and design are all my own.
Here are pictures of the overall floor plan for this build.
First Floor
Second Floor
Third Floor
The Grand Room (Living and Dining)
Initially I had this space chopped up into several different rooms. I decided to open it up as one room because of the piano. My husband's grandmother (of Russian descent) told us stories her grandmother had told her about living in Russia. She said they would eat together at the large dining table while listening to someone play music. They would sit and entertain each other through music recitals, readings, and even little plays. That's why I opened this room.
The color scheme in this rooms was completely influenced by the name of the build. As Valentine's Day is arriving and the color of red is associated with love in Western cultures, I knew I wanted to incorporate that throughout this build. I chose the ornate wallpaper because it resembled the wallpaper my husband's grandmother had in her music room, which she had bought from Russia. The picture of the piano keys was created using two pictures. First I put the Land Coral painting (2nd most expensive) and then I overlapped it with the piano keys painting. That's how I was able to get the fancier frame which was more in keeping with this room.
The Family Room
This room is suppose to be casual and fun. I had chosen the floors first, but, it wasn't until I chose the rug that the rest of the rooms furniture and decorations came into place.
The Kitchen
This is my favorite room in this build. It's a HUGE kitchen with a ton of counter space and lots and lots of storage. In an old picture of my husband's 2nd great-grandmother, the family is in the kitchen and it is huge. It has high walls with cabinets going nearly up to the ceiling and that's what inspired this kitchen. The choice of tile was based on my husband's favorite color, blue. Of course there is a tea maker.
The Outside Dining Area
According to my husband's grandmother, her grandmother (my husband's 2nd great-grandmother) shared a lot of stories about the family going to the summer cottage and eating at a huge wooden and glass table. Six large male servants would carry this heavy table, with ornate carving legs and frame and the heavy lead glass out to the garden area at the start of every summer season. Apparently it was in storage throughout the winter. So I chose the outside table with glass top because it had that heavy look to it. I added flowers and shrubs throughout the enclosed dining area. For our modern Sims, I added the BBQ.
The Pool Area and Playground
The playground is for the Sim kids but I chose the wooden boat playscape because it's the closest thing I could get to represent the ornate playgrounds of old Russia that children from the 1800s played on. These playhouses were little buildings and as ornate as the wooden houses they lived in.
The pool is in the shape of a heart and is my way of saying "Happy Valentine's Day" to all of you. It is surrounded by Passion Kiss plants. I know many people hate this informal holiday, especially if they are single. There are probably a lot of you out there who are just not feeling the love in your life right now. Well, this is for all of you.
Second Floor Landing
This was a tricky area because of the roofs. I wanted it open to the main floor, but, it left these tall blank walls. Well, coat of arms enlarged took care of that!
The Master Suite
This Master Suite is probably one of the smallest I have ever created. The room was made even smaller when I took from it to make space for the closet. I wanted a romantic and ornate bedroom and that's what motivated the choice in panelling/wallpaper. Once I chose the blue wallpaper I chose the most ornate bed in blue. The rest of the room was decorated around those elements.
The Master Bedroom
The Master Bathroom
I continued the theme of blue into the Master Bathroom as it is open to the bedroom and I wanted a clean transition. The choice of tiles in the bathroom was because of the shimmering blue. It's bright and looks like shimmering water.
The Office
The "Speaking Room" is commonly placed on the main floor by the entrance in houses in Russia. But, there wasn't space to put the room in it's traditional place. So, I modernized it, called it The Office and put it upstairs.
The Exercise Room
Russians love exercise rooms. Apparently this has been something of an obsession and national identity for centuries. And the vast majority of them are tiled, floor to ceiling. This room is for the Russians love of exercise. The blue tiles were chosen because that's the color my husband's 2nd great-grandmother's exercise room was. Red is for Russia...and for love.
The Third Floor Landing
I love this space because it's more intimate than the 2nd floor landing. The puppy statues are for my husband and my two Beagles, Ginny and Winston.
Overall the rooms on this floor were very difficult to layout and to decorate. This is because of the roofs. In game, this floor plays fine and the kids spend a decent amount of time up here.
The Girl's Room
I made this a Girly Girl's room. I like the multicolored giraffes the most. The bunnies are used on the walls and rugs because my husband's 2nd great-grandmother loved them. Her family was well off enough that she could afford pets and bunnies were her choice. But, they served a functional purpose as well. They slept with the children and kept their feet and hands warm in the frigid Russian winters.
The Boy's Room
The Boy's Room is all about dinosaurs. This boy just wants to play Godzilla all day.
The Shared Bathroom
I just love the colors in this bathroom. The room is anchored by my choice in bathtub. The grey choice is what influenced the choice in color of toilet and sinks and the tile walls. The pink is for love.
The Second Master Bedroom
This room was an awkward space because of the roofline. Due to the size of the room, I decided to decorate it in 3 sections. One section was walled off and became the bathroom. The other two sections were the sleeping area with the bed and an art room. I choose the yellow color scheme because that was the color of my husband's grandmothers bedspread. I tried to alter the wallpaper, but, found it was not possible to do so without changing the walls of the landing and the bathroom. After much time spent trying to "fix" the problem I just gave in and went with the red wallpaper in the bedroom and bathroom. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked and I think turned out looking really good. Plus, red is the color of love.
The art area is a loving nod to my husband's grandmother, a wonderful musician and painter. When she passed we inherited many of her paintings. Through her 50's 60's and 70's she painted and sold her paintings and many of them continue to be highly valued by the art community. To us, her paintings are priceless. Especially the painting that is showcased in our living room. It is a painting of a woman, but, upon meeting me for the first time she said; "You are the woman in my painting! I knew I would meet you." I do not see the resemblance but the story is more meaningful and the painting is more priceless because of it.
The Second Master Bathroom
I was able to section off a piece for the bathroom and the color scheme for that bathroom was influenced by the bathtub shower curtain. The walls were initially tiled but when I discovered it was changing the walls in the bedroom and landing I gave in and went with the red wallpaper. I was pleased it complimented the shower curtain as it was that curtained tub that anchored this entire room.
Outside Views
I took several pictures of the outside of this build because this is where I spent the most time "decorating". Russian wooden houses are extremely ornate. Many have the "lace woodworking" that are the focal decorative aspects of their houses. This is where the "Fairy Tale" design of later houses originated. The Gingerbread houses created during the early 20th century in the US and Europe are largely based on the lace woodworking and Fairy Tale houses of Russia.
My inspiration house was no exception. It is heavily decorated in lace woodworking, ornate windows and rooflines, and pillars. TS4 is still limited in its decorative friezes and exterior trims. The limitation is in that it goes straight across a room. There is no ability to get friezes and exterior trims to follow the roof line. The roof line trims are great, but, not nearly decorative enough, most especially for a Russian wood house with lace woodworking. Thus, I had to try and find other ways to give this build the ornate look of lace woodworking without having anything in the game that could replicate it. I used the dreidel wall swags to add some of that element but only used it at the peak of the roofs. I used multiple carved columns to add dimension and the feel of ornate woodcarving to the exterior.
The roofs of this build are extreme. They are steep and heavily decorated at the top. I was sorely disappointed that I could not use the Curved Iron Fence on the roofs. It would have been the perfect decorative touch and looked a lot like my the roof decorations in my inspiration picture. But, because I could not add another floor to place the fence upon (which would have made it look like it was on the very top of the roof) I could not use this feature. The only solution I could come up with was to take away a floor, but, in doing so the look of this build changed completely. So, I got creative and went through just about every item and enlarged it to see what I could get to give that decorative trim on the top of the roofs. Turned out the All Star Trophy worked best. And being that it was the five pointed star encircled, kind of looked like the star on the Russian flag. It's not even close to what I wanted and should TS4 come out with other rooftop decorations or the ability to put fences on the top of the roofline I will be back to make these roofs look more like the inspiration picture.
I kept the landscaping in the front simple as I didn't want to detract from the build. But, I had to add some red and I did that with the fountain out front. Again, the red is for love.
From Russia, With Love
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds
It was interesting to read about all the rooms and areas. The exterior design of the home is very nice! The porches are very nice! It looks nice how you have used the spandrels in the build. The furnishing of each of the rooms and areas is very nice!
It is a very nice build with many great features and details. It contains love for Valentines Day through the use of red and pink, and the shape of the pool, and it also contains family love for your husband's Russian family background.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
Bookmarked
~Showcase Thread~ ~Photobucket~
It's nice hearing how u get your inspiration etc
I WANT SHERRY'S CLOSET! SHOES!!
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/910413/post-apocalyptic-murkland-the-starter-challenge/p1
This building is my TS4 debut into community lots.
This build is for my dearest Valentine, my husband. He's been begging me to do something from his world - that would be the Universe of Geek.
As this showcase thread demonstrates, I get most of my inspiration from pictures of buildings from cultures around the world. This build is based completely on the Marvel comic and TV series. Thus, my pictures all came from the comics and show. But, I was frustrated by them because none of them gave me any idea of what the outside structure of the HQ looked like. The only architecture I had was the plane. I was debating on making the plane, but, I was looking at the logo and it just came to me at that point.
This building IS the S.H.E.I.L.D logo!
Here's the overall floor plan for this build
First Floor
Second Floor
Third Floor
Roof
So as you may have noticed, every floor is in the shape of the S.H.E.I.L.D. logo. Furthermore, the floors and walls of the Eagle are in black and the outer shield floors and walls are in white. The exceptions are the bathrooms and the workout room. The Eagle became the rooms and the white part of the logo are the hallways. The big white circles are "showhiddenobjects" lights. Every floor has two bathrooms, mens and womens.
The Entrance
I had a lot of fun with this space. I wanted the entrance to be wide open but also a bit of maze to get through. The reason is I was mimicking the look and feel of a security desk and the gates and metal detectors we walk through in highly secured buildings. I choose the astronaut statue because it was the most sci-fi like. After all, these guys have gone into space (in the comics). The pictures I placed on the walls were also very specifically chosen to represent the sci-fi feel.
The Lab
This is Fitz and Simmons laboratory. I based this room heavily off of the TV series. It has glass windows throughout, a storage closet where they keep secretive creations and concoctions. I placed a computer in since they're always doing some kind of research. I placed several Element Display racks because it just seemed like something these two Geeks would want to show off. There is a Life Under a Microscope in the space and a bunch of live creatures. I wanted to make this space as strange and geeky as possible. The pictures are representative of their scientific genius.
The Hall of The Fallen
Many government agencies, and S.H.E.I.L.D. is no exception, have a wall dedicated to those they have lost in the line of duty. This area is dedicated to all those fallen Sim Agents of Shield.
First Floor Offices
On every floor there are small office spaces in the "wings" of the Eagle of the logo. The first floor is for the lower level and less top secret. Kind of where the interns would be relegated to. I dedicated one space to where "experiments" are done. Another is for the low level analysts to do their spying. They don't have the clearance to have even heard of Hydra. The ATMS, well they stole them of course. How do you think the government gets its money?!
Second Floor
Breakroom
Well even spies have to eat. I decided to have some fun with space and made it a bit more cafeteria like with the menu boards. I put in the tall martini lights because, hey it's the government and well... The shield on the wall, well I'm sure by now you can figure out what that's suppose to represent.
Second Floor Offices
These offices I placed more high tech and observational elements for the Sim Analysts to get their geek on. Every room is different because analysts are working on different projects or researching different members of Hydra.
Interrogation Rooms
My husband informed me I HAD to put in an interrogation room. He was right, what government spy agency wouldn't have an interrogation room. I put two in so the Sim Agents can separate the bad guys for "questioning" and play good cop/bad cop.
The Library
Sometimes spies need to return to old cases or evidence and this is where they go to find it. It's a good room for other things too.
The WorkOut Room
This is where you will find Mae when she's not piloting the plane. All Sim Agents need to keep in shape and this room gives them the space and equipment to achieve the perfect spy body. Target practice is another skill Sim Agents need to perfect. To replicate the look of a target range I placed windows with the crosshairs and lights. I put curtains on the back to keep it closed. Since I only have one wall for target practice but curtains on the outside, I put curtains on the other wall just to even out the look in the hallway. Again, this is a government agency so everything has to be the same, neat, orderly.
The Second Floor Landing
This area is a place for Sim Agents to relax, talk about a case, or just catch up on government gossip.
Third Floor
Third Floor Offices
These offices are where the top Sim Analysts work. They are doing all they can to discover the secrets of Hydra and track all of Hydra's movements. Mae and Skye are seen working together to hack Hydra.
Coulson's Office
This room is modeled after Coulson's office on the plane. I placed a lot of little things that are actually in Coulson's office like the Astro Model Rocket on his desk. The picture over the credenza is representative of the blueprint of the plane Coulson has. I placed some other fun things in this room like blueprints and Emblems of Espionage. On the wall opposite Coulson's desk are two TVs for him to monitor what's going on with his Sim Agents.
Command Center
THIS is where the ACTION happens. This area is for the top Sim Analysts and Agents. This is where they develop their strategies to protect the world and monitor the action of their Sim Agents in the field. At the back table they can look over blueprints and fossilized alien skulls while debating how to take down Hydra.
The Roof
The top Sim Agents prefer another method of commuting to work.
Outside Views
As I stated initially, this build IS the S.H.I.E.L.D logo. As we do not have the ability to make circular walls or buildings I chose the octagon shape as it was closest to the logo shape. I wanted to keep the outside modern and stark and severe. I wanted the building to look almost impenetrable. This is why in the area out back where Sim Agents can build a rocket or use the telescope I placed high walls. The fences just weren't high enough to give the severe and impenetrable look I was going for so I used regular walls but made them in stone. I chose stone instead of the same exterior of the building because I wanted them to stand apart. In addition, I felt the high stone walls added a level of severity to the space.
Throughout the outside, and inside for that matter, are satellites. They are actually meant to represent security cameras. I mean, seriously, a government facility without a billion security cameras!
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
I always playtest any build that I post to the gallery. For this build, however, I decided to have a bit more fun with the play testing. I created my own Agents of Shield based off the TV show. Thus, throughout this showcase you've seen Agent Coulson, Mae, Skye, Fitz and Simmons. Since I made them I decided to post them to the gallery as well. What better way to test S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ then with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
One last thing, just for the record, typing out "S.H.I.E.L.D." has been the most detailed thing I've done with this build and post.
Lady DaKare
#LadyDaKare
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/809674/ladydakare-builds