Last week’s update to 5.1 kicked off some big things for FFXIV, with lots of new content of all varieties and the promise of the Ishgard Restoration and new housing areas to come.
One of those pieces of new content was a range of new housing items.
Ordinarily, that alone would be exciting enough for me, but 5.1 also brought us new wards—and because I was lucky enough to snag a large for my boyfriend, who has no interest in designing, naturally I needed to investigate and start creating with the new items!
So here are my favourites so far, where to get them, and how I use them.
The leather sofa
IRL, I’m not one for a leather sofa. My parents had one when I was growing up, and it didn’t take long for me to discover that they’re shockingly cold in the winter, and too hot (and sticky) in the summer. And you have to take good care of them for them to age well.
But a virtual leather sofa? That I don’t have to take care of. And it’s my second-favourite furnishing in the latest release.
It looks funny on its own—it has no arms or anything, so it looks like a squishy bench. But its real charm is that the team managed to design it with perfectly level seats and with a perfect grid, so with the snap grid, it’s incredibly easy to turn it into a sectional sofa or an L-shaped sofa that A) looks like it was made that way and B) doesn’t make the cushion texture look weird.
So long, forever frustrating and rather one-sided oasis couch and south seas couch, which were previously a staple in my designs.
Where to get it: Crafted by a level 78 leatherworker
The ale tap
Maybe this is super stereotypically Canadian of me, but how could you not love the idea of having your own beer tap in your house? I know I would be all for it.
While I probably have to wait a little while before I can have a real beer tap in my house, I love the idea of this little virtual furnishing. It’s understated enough to be classy, and a nice nod to all the players who build basement bars and lounges for friends and FC members to socialize in.
It’s just a bonus in my books that it’s designed in a Crystarium style, because I love the look of that area and really, really hope it’s where the new housing area ends up being.
Where to get it: Crafted by a level 78 blacksmith
The necklace display stand
I have a feeling this item will be a little niche, as will its matching hat stand. And it definitely feels like it’s meant for retail, which has been showing up more and more in FFXIV’s housing ever since it introduced mannequins and their ability to do private sales.
But I absolutely adore this furnishing, because as a little-known fun fact about me, I am what my family calls a magpie—super obsessed with shinies and especially jewellery—and once tried to start a homemade wire-wrapped jewellery business. Obviously it did super well.
Where to get it: Crafted by a level 78 goldsmith
The flooring mat
Hands down my favourite of the new furnishings. I’ve always been a little irked with the lack of flooring options in FFXIV, and the fact that if I want a particular flooring style, the whole level is going to be exactly the same.
This new item, which is technically a rug, makes overall design in FFXIV feel a lot more like the Sims. I can choose exactly where I want hardwood flooring, and it can even be dyed, so I can finally get that gorgeous mid-tone ashy grey look I’ve always wanted.
Where to get it: Any housing merchant
The Crystarium table set
This point is going to show you exactly how much of an interior design nerd I am.
I’m not sure yet if I’ll use this new set in any of my designs, because it isn’t really my style, but I do love how it looks. It actually reminds me rather strongly of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs (you may know him for Fallingwater) and it just has that classic retro modernist look to it!
If they bring out any more items like this, I may just have to try my hand at creating my own take on a Usonian design.
Where to get it: Crafted by a level 78 carpenter
The log partition
I won’t lie to you, I’m not totally in love with this furnishing.
I love the idea of it—I was raised in a very outdoorsy, went-camping-every-summer kind of family, so I appreciate the natural beauty of a log cabin, and I love that we’re finally starting to get some new textures in partitions and walls that don’t involve way, way too many blank partitions.
What would make this item better for me, at least, as a person who loves shiplap more than logs, would be if we could dye the partition, or at least if it came in different wood styles.
Where to get it: Any housing merchant
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