CM's Architecture Thread - Thornton Cottage (pg 8) & a homeless home (pg 9)

creativemetaphor · May 2017

@ciane
Thanks!! Wasn't feeling so hot last night, didn't have much energy to build but had a nice distraction making 7 Sims and letting them wander around the mansion. I'm thinking of having Mr Boddy rant about Death until he shows up and then I'll have a ghost Boddy. Though I'd still feel guilty about it. lol

The mansion was great fun to build... all three times.

But the last one is definitely my favorite version (which of course is why I kept changing them!)

creativemetaphor · May 2017

In my other 'interim' thread while the boards were not yet restored, I posted a couple of the builds I have done for @MiaSkywalker 's Round Robin Build Exchange - such a fabulous idea and so fun to participate in!

Here is the one I built for @MiaSkywalker herself for round 4. It is based on real 14th century Norman keeps - the main building of a castle. The main door is actually on the second floor to make it more defensible. There is a drawbridge across the moat, from there you can go to the ground floor storage/workshop area, and down into the cellar and dungeon. Or you can go up the stairs to the second floor and enter the double gated doors to the main reception hall with thrones.

The second floor also holds the kitchens with large cooking fire (there is intended to be a fog emitter fire beneath the grill but Mia requested I not place it in the uploaded build so if you want it there you'll have to add it yourself.) The kitchens are divided into three main areas - water (with cistern pool) to one side, the main cooking and prep area in the middle, and some related skill items to the other side such as nectar press and space for the intended alchemy table which I don't yet have.

The third floor holds the main Great Hall which contains another grand fireplace with a (useable) bonfire placed in it. Down the screened passage you'll find the Oratory (with podium) and behind the Great Hall is the council chambers with a great round(ish) table. The stairs to continue up are also on the far side of the Great Hall - this was another defensive feature which would have required anyone attempting to take the keep and continue to higher floors to cross the open hall where they could be fired upon from upper levels.

Speaking of upper levels, the 4th floor contains the library, several balconies, the scribal niches by the windows (for light, of course), a secret room, and a minstrel gallery, which all overlook the Great Hall. (You'll see the spy windows in the library and secret room).

The fifth floor contains 4 private bedchambers and three bathrooms. The main Lord's chamber has infant/toddler items (crib, changing table, potty), and a private bath of course. Then the "heir's" chamber with private bath, a third bedroom with double bed, and a 4th with two single beds and some children's play items. These last two rooms share a bath. All of the bedrooms have fireplaces.

There are stairs to the ramparts and private stairs to the solar on the 6th floor within the roof. The solar contains the private sitting area with fireplace, easels, an instrument, and a dance 'floor' (rug).

All told the build is 7 floors. The walls mimic the thick castle walls of the period, and even the toilets are set into small niches in the wall which open to common shafts which fall into cesspits. On various floors you'll see window seats, which are functional!

This is not intended to be a perfectly faithful reproduction, but is as close as I can make it while making it fully functional and fun to play. The cost comes in somewhere in the mid 500k range, so either for a wildly successful medieval family, a wildly successful modern family that wants to live in a medieval castle, or a family who knows how to use the money cheat codes

And now that I've "talked" your ear off, here are the pictures and the exchange link! (note some of the exterior pictures were taken before I had the moat finished.)

Basement with guard area, dungeon (including gibbets!), wine cellar, and glass blowing area.

Ground floor with general storage/work room, laundry area, and some hidden children's play items

Second floor with kitchen and reception hall/thrones

Thrones

Kitchen

Third floor with Great Hall, council chamber, and oratory

Great Hall

Council Chamber

Oratory

Fourth/Mezzanines with Library, scribal desks, minstrel's gallery, and "Room of Hidden Knowledge"

Fifth floor with bedchambers and bathrooms

Bedchambers 3 & 4 and shared bath

Bedchamber 2 and bath

Lord's Bedchamber and bath

Halls

Sixth floor with solar and ramparts

Solar

Exterior shots

rosemow · May 2017

Simwich Keep is such a very detailed and grand build! :) The design, layout and furnishing of each of the seven floors in the build looks so very great! You would have put so much time and work into creating the build! The wall and floor textures give a great look and feel to the rooms. It was very nice looking at each of the photos as well as reading your description of the various levels of the build.
The build looks so great ! :)

creativemetaphor · May 2017

Thank you for your kind words, @rosemow

And for taking the time to look through *all* those pictures

MiaSkywalker · May 2017

I think I've told you how much I absolutely love this. I look forward to the DV revamp that the two of us are going to do together!

I'm still curious as to whether that dive well goes somewhere. Going to have to test it out when I get around to launching the game again!

creativemetaphor · May 2017

@MiaSkywalker You have! And I can't wait to hear about it

I'm sure you'll find ways to play it I didn't even think of!

creativemetaphor · June 2017

Entry for BuildnShare Challenge 191 - Koi Herring
The brief was to build a house for a teen angler (from a family of anglers) but who also wanted to pursue a degree in science/medicine.

I call the house Red Herring, as it was supposed to be a generally modern build but instead of making it overtly modern I made it based on more traditional styles and added modern touches like the grill or the full-height aquarium in the living room.

Overview and floor layouts

Main floor with entry, powder room, kitchen/dining, living/study, and porch

Upper floor with Koi's room, guest room, bath, and balcony

Exterior shots and landscaping

Entry portal leads to bridge over the fishing/swimming pool.

Kitchen/dining

Combined kitchen/dining with cooking area inspired by large English country hearths, and bright patterns evoking the African heart of the home. Always room at the table for guests.

Entry and powder room

Living and study area

Warm furnishings and a variety of patterns softened by the cool white walls. Full-height tropical fish tank to enjoy.

Koi's Room

Fit for a teenager, with plenty of fun elements, some nods to fashion, and posters to make the room her own.

Guest Room

Shell planter and deep-sea diving helmet plant mean Koi's personality is reflected even in the guest room.

Bathroom

Fun fishy towels, shell fossil, room for make-up, and a spacious, glass-enclosed shower.

Koi's bathing suit

Koi and her Aunt enjoying the new house

Koi's school uniform

Aunt Herring, modestly fashionable

Aunt Herring approves of the fish pond's price

Sleepwear

Koi cooked a special dinner as a thank-you to her Aunt

Koi's fish and fishing

Athletic/fishing outfit

Dreams of her new house and fishing

rosemow · June 2017

Koi' s home is very nice!

Very nice design of the exterior, and outdoors areas look very nice! Very nice layout of the build! She will enjoy finishing in the pond. It looks very nice the way the bridge is over the pond! The design of the pond looks great! The boat with the flowers in it is a very nice touch. Very nice furnishing of the interior of the home! The African theme of the furnishings through the home looks so very nice! It suits her family background very well. The African statue on the side of the start of the bridge is a nice touch also. The wall tiling and flooring texture in the kitchen looks so very nice! Very nice study room! It looks great that there is a skeketon there to assist her with her future medical studies. Koi's bedroom is very nice! She will enjoy looking at the fish in the aquarium and feeding her fish. The octopus toys and fish themed pets item look great in the room! The fish themed pattern on the bed curtains is a very nice touch! It is nice that there is a fish bowl in the kitchen for the fish that she catches.
It is a vety nice home for Koi!

soocoolsim · June 2017

Cool build and Koi is very pretty. Well done and best wishes for the challenge. The octopus is an interesting touch

creativemetaphor · June 2017

@rosemow @soocoolsim Thank you both! I had waffled for a while about even doing this one, but inspiration finally hit

creativemetaphor · July 2017

Entry for the BuildnShare Challenge #192 - By The Waterside

This challenge was to build a house for Lilith "Lily" Dismedousas, cosmetologist and lover of swimming and water. She wanted either a beach house or a house boat, but not a modern build - in beach inspired colors, with 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a decent kitchen, and a master bath that could serve as her "haven", "lab", and her "favorite room."

I created the whole build to evoke the feelings of a tropical spa, with folding 'walls' that connect the indoors to the outdoors, a hot tub, beach gazebo with juice bar, even a diving board off the deck. The master bath and closet form a dual work-space with relaxing bathing/shower area, lots of counter space, and a full fashion design studio for working.

I named this build "Vitamin Sea la vie" because one pun just wasn't enough.

Overhead views

Exterior views

Living spaces

Guest spaces

hall

double guest bedroom

single guest bedroom

guest bath

Master suite

Studio Closet

"Haven" Spa-Bath

Lily's looks

aricarai · July 2017

Vitamin Sea la Vie is awesome! I really love the name; that's punny! Hahaha!

Are you in IP or Sunlit Tides? The environment is gorgeous! I really like how the bathroom turned out too. Love the counter area.

It reminds me of a resort on a private island. So cute!

rosemow · July 2017

The design and layout of Vitamin sea la vie looks so very nice!

It looks such a very relaxing home to live in! The open, tropical feel of the build is very nice! The roofing looks great! The wall texture gives a great feel to the build. It is great that the build is on stilts.
The 2 puns in the name of the home are great! Very nice gazebo! Sims will enjoy resting on the lounger or armchairs having a drink from the bar. The lemonade jug and fruit bowl are nice touches there. Very nice hot tub area. Sims will enjoy resting in the tub or relaxing on the lounger in the sunshine. Very nice living areas! The texture and type of furniture used suits the home type very well! Sims will enjoy sitting resting , watching tv or reading a book. The wall textures look very nice . Very nice blue colour scheme of the guest bedrooms. The master suite look so very nice! Very nice curtained bed and the treasure chest is a nice touch at the foot of the bed. It looks nice the way the sleeping area leads out to the hot tub. Very nice design of the bathroom! The wall tiling looks so very nice! Lily is very pretty!

It is a very restful tropical beach home

creativemetaphor · July 2017

@aricarai and @rosemow Thank you both for your kind comments! I really enjoyed this one, and would love to be able to hang out here in real life! It's just a shame some of the elements don't 'really' work, so a bit of imagination is required, but that's why this one won't go on the exchange.

When I woke up this morning I was hit by a sudden new inspiration and changed out the tub in the master bath for a "sunken soaking tub" - a fountain, but it looks so spa-like! I really should have waited to post, but I really thought I was done

Aricarai, this was built in Sunlit Tides, this was my first chance to see it, and it's just so stunning!

rosemow · July 2017

Your "sunken soaking tub " idea sounds great!

ciane · July 2017

Love the puns! You got a lot in for 70k. I went with a houseboat this time and, of course, I ran out of money and had to go back and take away curtains and play around with things. I like the way you used the wooden slats as walls.

creativemetaphor · July 2017

@ciane Yeah, I kept taking things out, too. Like I used almost the cheapest counters, and the 'rugs' are really just carpet tiles, and most of the walls are the pool walls, then lots of buydebug stuff... I splurged in a few areas but it was painful to let some things go. ah well.

soocoolsim · July 2017

Such a perfect lot for relaxing. I can almost feel the breezes and calm throughout. Loving everything especially that spa bath... so creative. Well done

creativemetaphor · July 2017

@soocoolsim Oh thank you! I really enjoyed building this one, I could almost hear the ocean in the background

creativemetaphor · August 2017

For this month's BuildnShare challenge, we were tasked with creating a house inspired by August in some way. We were given a great deal of freedom on this, and so here is my August-inspired build.

It took a while to get my inspiration formulated for a variety of reasons (not the least of which was finding a *human skull* in my shed!!

) but at last it settled into reality.

August conjures up the idea of nostalgia. Warm summer days here in the Northern Hemisphere, firmly in the middle of school's summer break, brought visits to Grandma and Grandpa's place and outdoor fun, backyard camp-outs, and barbecues. More than one stomach ache came from eating the unripe green apples off the tree, and always cured with Grandma's tea and kisses.

Grandpa could be found in his den, reading the newspaper or fixing a broken headed doll or a bike's squeaky wheel. Grandma's pies filled the house with tantalizing fragrances, while she scrubbed grass and dirt out of jeans to then be hung on the line to dry.

The cabin nestled up in the mountains had the clearest skies, the best environment for growing children, filled with family and love.

All this is what inspired my build An August Ago.

Overalls

Whole lot

Downstairs (clean and annotated)

Upstairs (clean and annotated)

Elevations

Backyard camp-out

Downstairs

Living Rm

Dining/Kitchen

Laundry

Master Bedroom

Main Bath

Upstairs

Grandpa's Den

Teen's room

Kids' room

Upstairs Bath

Sunset and night

rosemow · August 2017

What you wrote about your inspiration for the build is so very special!

As you designed, built and furnished the home, it would have brought back happy and lovely memories of past Augusts that you have had in your life.
The exterior design of the exterior of the home is very nice! Very nice textures of the exterior. The home looks very warming and homely, both the exterior and the interior! It is great that there is a camp out area in the outdoors for sims to enjoy cooking meals on the firepit or keeping warm around the fire, as well as a tent for sims to enjoy sleeping outdoors in the air. The sunset and night time pictures are very pretty! Very nice furnishing and layout of the interior of the home! It looks so homely! The floral and fruit wall themed patterns in the kids room look very nice. It is nice that there is a special den room for grandpa. The house picture and the hanging apron on the kitchen wall are special home touches. Very nice sofa and armchairs fireplace sitting area for sims to sit relaxing there near the fire, chatting and watching tv.
It is a very nice and special Autumn inspired home

creativemetaphor · August 2017

@rosemow You always leave the kindest comments! Thank you for taking the time and for seeing all those little details, it really is a special feeling.

soocoolsim · August 2017

Such a heartwarming build and lots of detail. Everything looks so homey and comforting. Great place to getaway and enjoy nature. Love the night pics and perfect campfire set up... I can almost hear the crickets

creativemetaphor · August 2017

@soocoolsim Thank you very much! It was joy making this one, and the budget let me really fill it with all those little touches that can sometimes get sacrificed. I so want to go camping now!

creativemetaphor · August 2017

So this build was done for @aricarai who does these awesome videos on youtube for building, renovating, and even sim make-overs. She was renovating an apartment and commented on how she didn't like that the shell wouldn't show any of her changes, so I offered to make her an apartment shell she could make-over in any way she liked, but at least she'd have a shell to start with!

Thus I created Los Torres (The Towers). This used to be two twin apartment buildings with very small units, but had been abandoned for some time. A developer came along and bought the lot and hired an architect to re-envision them as a single building with six units and some nice perks like a laundry room.

Half way through, the architect ran off with the wife of one of the contractors, so now the developer needs help finishing the building!

And that's when Aricarai comes to save the day! I added everything a proper shell would need, but wanted to leave most of the decisions up to the new architect. There are 'hints' of what I had envisioned in the flooring types and such, but all that is changeable

Also currently does not have any apartment markers to make it easy to decide what unit(s) to renovate!

I am super excited to see what she comes up with!

Here is the

Pictures:

Front/back

Basement which includes a laundry room and janitor/mechanic closet.

First floor designed with two large main foyers. The left side has the landlord office and stairs to the basement. Right side has a large room which can become a lounge, maybe a bistro or cafe, perhaps a daycare if the apartments have a lot of kids. Whatever the architect feels is right for this space!
Six parking stalls for the six units are accessed between the two main floor buildings.

Second floor units 1 and 2, currently designed as 2 bed, 1 bath each with a small balcony off the back

Third floor units, 1 bed, 1 bath each, with a more spacious balcony in front.

Fourth floor units, smaller 1 bed, 1 bath, larger balcony, a large entry area each.

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CM's Architecture Thread - Thornton Cottage (pg 8) & a homeless home (pg 9)

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