As much as I loved the skylights and mixed textures of my last home design in Final Fantasy XIV, I found I got tired of the busy-ness of it pretty quickly. I was sad to see it go, but I was excited about the idea of building something more cohesive.
What I ended up with wasn’t what I thought I would end up with for a few reasons. It’s definitely a departure from what I normally do, it used up my slots in a relatively small space—and it didn’t even have any pink!
Overall, though, I wouldn’t change a thing. Except maybe the paintings, but that’s a topic for another day because right now, I love the story they tell.
Creating a rustic cottage
If you look back at my early builds, one thing you’ll see in common is that I tend to leave the walls bare. It’s a style, sure, but for me it’s because they often end up as an afterthought. So this time, I thought I’d try something different.
It actually started with the nook in the hallway. I love the idea of having cozy little corners throughout a home, where I can sit and enjoy a coffee and a nice book in the sunlight.
So when I was looking for new inspiration ideas and happened across a photo on Pinterest that both met that cozy dream and simultaneously hit a very nostalgic chord that took me back to our adventures in London this year, I knew I had my new idea.
That nook, and especially the paneling, became the inspiration for the rest of the build, and overall, I’m thrilled with how it turned out. It actually reminds me of the country chic redesign I did years ago in the Sims 4.
A word to the wise, however: Paneling like this, just like in the real world, does not come cheap. The panels alone, between their hingan bookshelves and cupboards and wood slat partitions, account for close to 100 slots!
Changing up the kitchen style
As much as I love me some shaker cabinets, I wanted to try something new with this build, especially since I had built the ceiling so high to fit the paneling comfortably.
That ended up taking a few different forms:
- Double-stacked upper cabinets
- A new corner cabinet style
And of course, a lovely new cabinet style needs a lovely new backsplash style. I’ve been experimenting with textured backsplashes for a while now, and have tested out a few things like the backs of Hannish bookshelves and wallpapers on blank partitions. But though it isn’t normally my style, I’ve been eyeing the upper half of rattan partitions for a while now, wanting to find a way I could use them.
This seemed pretty perfect for a rustic cottage, and it actually lent the build a slightly coastal feel—something that I used to joke that I couldn’t get away from in my early designs for my medium house in the Mist.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
If you’ve seen my boho-inspired seaside retreat or my oceanfront haven builds, you probably recognize a few elements of this build, namely the custom canopy bed, the unique staircase, and the corner sofa. The sofa has actually made a few appearances by now just because I love how comfy and simple it is!
Though I eventually did find the seaside retreat’s ceiling a little heavy, I was so proud of what I did with the staircase and the bed that I wanted to keep them for my new design. The stairs were easy enough; all I had to do for the new design was take a few off the top.
The bed was definitely trickier. I won’t lie, I wasn’t super keen on the idea of floating the 14 hingan sideboards again, but I’m glad I sucked it up and made it happen.
