Lately, I’ve been on a decluttering spree. You’d think that would just apply to the mass evictions of long-term tenants in my wardrobe, or to the dustbunnies who like to take up residence under the couch, but no.
It’s extended into my digital home, too.
Specifically, the photos and videos I’ve had stashed away forever in the far reaches of my hard drive.
There’s a good reason for all my intensive digital cleaning, and you’ll see soon enough (as in, I’m hoping to introduce you to it next week), but for now, it’s just felt like a lot of chaos.
Among that chaos was an old photo album I’d forgotten about: A build I did in Final Fantasy XIV that did not deserve to be forgotten.
Experimenting with open spaces
I’ve always loved the look of Final Fantasy XIV homes with open patios, yards, and decks. Most of the time, though, they incorporate a lot of foliage—and I’m not particularly talented at making those poor plants look realistic.
With this build, I wanted to test out a different way of creating open space, one that wouldn’t be so dependent on plants.
Working with the white screen-and-Hingan dresser combination I love so much for false windows, I built out a sea view and a whitewashed patio balcony where I could enjoy the morning breeze.
And while it’s not the most convincing—as the visible corner and overhead pergola shade show—it was still more than enough to make me happy.
Expanding my skills for custom objects
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. One of my favourite things about design in FFXIV is how much power we have as creators to take an item and turn it into something completely different.
In this case, it started with an entirely innocuous Little Ladies Day poster that looked so much like Lofi Girl to me.
Instead of hanging it on the wall, I wanted to turn it into a custom floating TV. And though I had to fight some of the furnishings to get them to stop snapping back to the wall paneling behind the setup, the finished result was worth the extra work.
From there, it quickly spiraled into a custom TV stand, floating fireplace, and even a vanity with a mirror in the upstairs bathroom.
Saving slots with the base staircase
Usually, I like to build custom stairs for my homes so I don’t have to work around the railings and other trappings that come with the base stairs.
This build was fresh on the heels of the release of the minimalist design set, though, and was actually my test for how those details would work. So of course, I had to try to use my house’s original staircase.
Overall, it did give me a ton more space in the build, but the tradeoff was a strange U-turn at the top to get the upper floor up and over the railing. That part wasn’t particularly cute, but it was worth it to save item slots for custom creations!
