Although they’re the easiest to get of all real estate in Final Fantasy XIV, apartments are probably the most complicated spaces to try and build in. And that’s for a few reasons:
- They’ve got limited slots, so they rule out complex walls, windows, and features
- They’ve got limited space
- And they’ve got limited floating capacity, since there’s no basement to float anything up from
Of course, that’s always just made them more of a challenge for me to try and build in. So today, I figured I’d share a few of the tricks I’ve learned for building in these little spaces!
1. Put wall-mounted items to work.
A particularly popular trick with designers is to float partitions up from the floor below to create anything from custom kitchens to windows, fireplaces, and more. But in an apartment, that’s not an option, because there’s no “below” to float from.
Instead, what you can do is use a partition and a wooden beam to sink wall-mounted items into the floor, giving you some of the same building flexibility even without a basement. That’s actually what I did for the loft in my FC room, which is something people always ask me about!
2. Combine designs to make the most of your slots.
Because you’re on a tight item budget, you’ll want to squeeze every bit of functionality out of your designs—and that includes considering how you can get multiple uses out of them. For example, a lowered ceiling could also be a floor for another level, or a wall could also be a divider for another room.
Get creative, and see how you can give your apartment’s features multiple purposes. If you need some inspiration, I highly recommend checking out photos and shows about tiny homes; they always have wild combinations of furniture and features that can give you ideas for your apartment.
3. Work with your vertical space.
Apartments are really limited in terms of their size, so my favourite trick to make them feel bigger is to emphasize their vertical space. Because of the way the cameras work in FFXIV, rooms are tall enough to build a second floor—and doing this at least in part of your apartment will make the rest of the room feel much taller.
