This week we are happy to present a video by BBB's Videographer, Sceneris, featuring decorated Newbrooke Model homes by some of our Parade of Homes residents. Sit back and enjoy.
Newly added Listings. Week of May 15th. 2022
For the week of May 15th. 2022, we have 1 new listing this week to share with you.
We'll be taking our Spring break starting the first week of May and returning again on June 5th, 2022. Newly added homes to our listing will continue during this time.
Newly added Listings. Week of May 1st. 2022
For the week of May 1st. 2022, we have 1 new listing this week to share with you.
Honey, I’m Home owned by Lina (melina Aurotharius)
The Newbrooke’s are still pretty “new.” It is fun to look at different ways that people transform their homes into “something stunning.” That is why I am featuring another NewBrooke home this week. (This one is a bit special to me, because it is my next-door neighbor. Her design inspired me in landscaping my own place. I hope her work will inspire you too.)
This week’s featured home is “Honey, I’m Home”, owned by Melina Aurotharius. She has a lovely Lakeside location on Spindizzy. She rezzed the Coniston model, then added a bit of landscaping construction to the exterior. And voila! She had a stunning pond around her house.
The back deck has a view of the lake, and has just about every household amenity (except for a toilet) on it. There is a covered area where you can eat. There is a comfortable sitting area with two sofas. There is even a hammock and a covered day bed. All of that is surrounded by a picturesque concrete pond – complete with Koi, water lilies and birds. It is so pleasant out there that it is hard to bring yourself to go inside the house.
But once you do go inside, you are greeted by a beautiful and modern elegance. The living room, for example, has an S-curved sofa and a candlelit fireplace. It also offers a stunning view of the deck, pond, and lake. And it is separated from the entry by an indoor waterfall.
The kitchen is sleek and sharp – the Catia kitchen by Consignment. (This kitchen is not the one they sell in the store, and is only available on the marketplace.) The rounded edges on the counter-ends and center island really add something nice to the overall effect. And Lina has placed some some kitchen items to the counters to make it look more lived in.
The bedroom has rich wood paneling and hand-woven carpentry. The bed has an interesting brass headboard and frame. There is also the standard dresser and an ottoman, making the room comfortable and inviting.
The entry has stained glass windows, rich wooden paneling, hanging plants, and an indoor waterfall. The waterfall serves as a room separator between the entry and living room, and lets you catch the elegance of the living room through the falling water.
I was fortunate enough to sit down with Lina and chat. Here is our conversation:
Your yard is very beautiful and very unique. What inspired you to do this design with the water around the house?
“From when I first saw the Newbrooke homes I knew I wanted to use a water feature around mine. I have always loved ponds and fish and birds. I feel they give a little sense of realism to my home.”
What was the most challenging part of decorating/furnishing your Newbrooke home?
“My biggest challenge is always prims. I love to use as many as possible and I love to decorate to the max. I really recommend linking your prims, this really made it possible for me to make my home as I wanted it.”
What is your favorite thing about this home?
“Frank Lloyd Wright has always been my favorite architect and I try to use a lot of his elements in my homes in Second Life. The open floor plans in these new homes and the flat hint at the same type of look I was always drawn to.”
Overall (e.g., inside and outside) this house carries quite a WOW factor! And I recommend visiting it.
Newly added Listings. Week of April 24th. 2022
For the week of April 24th. 2022, we have 1 new listing this week to share with you.
Many people tend to think of “Modern” and “Asian” as two completely different/separate themes. But not Anita Leonoase. She looked at the new modern Newbrooke design and saw a perfect fit with her love of Asian architecture.
She choose a Heaton home and turned it into a thing of beauty. For starters, there is a fascinating fountain in the front yard… with water pouring out of three modern curved metal arches. And there is a row of lovely Japanese Pink Irises behind the fountain, making the area seem warm and alive.
Once you go inside, you will be greeted by a very inviting living room. There is a Cherry blossom tapestry above the fireplace. This is very fitting because the word “Sakura” in Japanese for Cherry Blossoms. And Cherry Blossoms are beloved in the Japanese culture, in fact they are considered by many to be Japan’s unofficial national flower.
The sofa is loaded with comfortable pillows and there are scented candles on the coffee table. The entire room has clean modern lines, and yet manages to be welcoming at the same time.
If you go upstairs, you will find the most amazing bathroom… complete with a sunken Japanese style bathtub and a window fireplace. Next door is the bedroom, with cherry blossom pink walls and a lovely Japanese art hanging above a modern bed.
If you go back down the stairs and follow the hall, you will find the dining room. It has wide open glass doors that lead to a beautiful outdoor garden area. And you will come to my favorite part of the house… a small patio sitting room -- with a low sofa, an Asian-style dining table and a two-sided fireplace.
If you continue down the garden, you will find a Koi and Lotus flower fountain, two cherry trees in full blossom and a cute little bamboo fountain. There is also a yoga mat on the floor if you would like to try it out.
Anita was there and was kind enough to grant a short interview. This is what she had to say in answer to my questions:
What inspired you to choose an Asian theme for your home?
“This new edition of SL Newbrooke houses inspired me to create the Sakura House. The architecture of these houses are in complete harmony with the Asian decoration and landscape – the whole places appear so zen and so beautiful. Sakura house is that; it is in complete harmony with this place and the balance of Yin and Yang. At Sakura house we can feel and find that balance and harmony most important peace..., the colors used are inspired in Japan landscaping and the Sakura and Wisteria trees, Sakura House was designed to serve that purpose.... you can "almost" smell the perfume of the Wisterias and the Sakura flowers.”
What aspect of this design was the most challenging for you? And Why?
“The most challenging bit was trying to create Sakura House on the 351 LI allowance. I looked for items with very reduced prims as much as I could, so that I could decorate the Sakura house and give this Asian look to the place.”
What is your favorite area in the house, and why?
“Definitely the back garden where I can do Yoga and meditate. Itake deep breaths while looking to the Sakura trees, with a smile on my face.”
Is there anything else you would like to share?
“Indeed, I would like to say thank you for this opportunity to introduce Sakura house to the Bellisseria community and to the Parade of Homes. I find that the Parade of Homes is an excellent idea to keep Bellisseria alive and kicking. Also, I would like to thank the Moles for the amazing job they did on the Newbrooke theme. Also, I invite everyone to feel free to come visit Sakura house, and to stick around, enjoy a cup of tea or meditate.”
Newly added Listings. Week of April 10th. 2022
For the week of April 10th. 2022, we have 2 new listings this week to share with you.
I am sitting in for just one Decorator’s Find article. There is something I am a bit excited about and would like to share with you. That is the concept of applying wallpaper to your home. Some of the older homes (especially the Trads) only give you a small set of wall colors to choose from. Most of the newer ones allow you to create custom colors, which is an improvement, but still has its limitations. At present, none of the Linden homes let you apply a wallpaper texture to the walls.
Fortunately, there are some great products on the marketplace that provide a “Shell” of the interior walls that you can texture and color. I want to show you some “before” and “after” pictures so you can see what a difference the interior shell makes.
You can see it makes quite a difference. Here are two more:
There are a lot of good brands out there. I am going to focus on the brand that I personally use because that is the one that I am familiar with. But I strongly suspect that the other brands are equally good.
I use the interior wall shells made by Spyder Haifisch. They are sold on the Paradise Homes marketplace store.
I like this brand for a few reasons. First, they have an auto-place feature that moves the shell to exactly the right position, so that you don't have to spend a lot of time positioning it. You wear the HUD, then rez the wall shell anywhere between the house and the mailbox. Then you press the “auto place” button on the HUD. Poof! The shell rotates and moves into position.
The second reason I like this brand is that they offer a large selection and wide variety of wallpaper textures. This also includes several two-tone ones, such as the one I have in my trad -- I am enclosing a "before" and "after" with that texture:
Spyder actually puts the textures in the HUD so you can extract them if you need them. In one house, I had made an interior wall of my own -- I was able to fish the texture out of the HUD to make my wall perfectly match the rest of the room.
And another feature, you are not limited to only the wallpaper textures that Paradise Homes provides. The shell is Modify, so you can use your own textures if you want to. You can also use the SL editor to tint any of the textures that they provide.
Third, I like this brand because they update quickly for the new homes. I got a Newbrooke house a week or so after they were released – and the wallpaper for it was already available. In fact, that wallpaper made all the difference between me disliking and liking the way I had decorated my room. Let me show you:
And the other reason I like this brand is that Spyder gives great customer support. I had an issue with the wall flashing through one of the rooms on my Coniston. I contacted Spyder and told him about it. He started working on it right away, and by the next morning, he handed me a fix. From what I can tell he takes pride in his work and customer satisfaction is important to him.
At any rate, no matter which brand of Interior Shell you select, I strongly recommend that you get an interior wallpaper shell. It will bring a whole new dimension to your home.
This is our last visit to the Shoppes of Bramwich. Today we visit the Sweet Blooms Florist shop. This shop will entice you with lovely sights and smells. The owner and proprietor is Fay Starlight, and she is simply passionate about flowers. In fact, in her opinion, a “keeper” has to have pretty flowers and landscaping in front – that is an important criteria to her.
Given Fay’s love of flowers, it only seemed natural to her to open a florist shoppe.
You will find the front-yard loaded with exotic flowers. There are sunflowers and several “rare” shades of Hollyhocks located directly under the store sign. The front porch has an inviting swing, with yellow Hesperis River and pink hollyhocks growing right in front of it. There is also a little gnome hiding just to the right of the door, and he is holding a welcome sign to invite you inside.
Once you get inside, you will find the typical florist shop wares… potted plants, cut flowers, and floral arrangements. There is also a little cutting table where she can trim the leaves for you and wrap them with paper and a ribbon.
If you go to the back room, you will see the area where Fay prepares the flowers and arrangements for the shop.
And if you step outside the back door, you will see where she grows some of the flowers that she sells. At the moment she is growing roses, tulips, lilies, and sunflowers. And while you are out there, take a look at the breathtaking view – because the shop’s backyard is on the top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Also, don’t forget to check the gnome couple on the porch.
I was fortunate to catch Fay while I was visiting, and we had an interesting chat:
I understand that this shop is very special to you. Can you please share what makes it so special?
“It is special because it's something I wish I could do in real life, have a little floral shop and place to grow lots of flowers...that make people happy!”
Please tell us a bit about why flowers are important to you in landscaping.
“I love flowers! No matter where I live in Linden Homes, I put a huge priority on the flowers and landscape. I like the Victorians so much because of all the flowers!”
What is your favorite thing or the thing you are most proud of about this florist shop?
“My little gnomes!”
Anything else you would like to share?
“I think each Linden Home is a little blank canvas we get to paint a little digital art picture upon. I enjoy ‘painting’ flowers and gardens!”
Newly added Listings. Week of March 27th. 2022
For the week of March 27th. 2022, we have 6 new listings this week to share with you.
This week we are going to go back to the Shoppes of Barmwich, and visit a cute little place named “On the Edge Boutique.” It is a fun and interesting combination of a beauty salon, a massage center, a workout room, and a serene yoga area.
It is a wonderful little get-away, located at the end of the street on a mountain overlooking the ocean. The front yard is loaded with so many flowers that you can almost smell their sweet aroma. The backyard gives the most amazing view – complete with a gazebo so you can sit and enjoy it properly. Or, if you prefer, you can sit on the porch swing and watch the clouds roll in over the water.
The shop is owned and operated by Missbehavin Neva, known to her friends as MissB. I was fortunate enough to catch her for an interview.
What gave you the idea to create a beauty boutique as one of the Shoppes of Barmwich? And how did you choose what types of services to put inside of it?
“One of my friends sent me an IM telling me about this idea they had about having shops here. After all, we all have landed a house here in the same location! It was pretty cool to be among my friends! We all had chosen the same house style - the Doyle!
“When I was first asked if I wanted to do this - my initial thought was NOOOOOOOOOO! I had just landed this beautiful Victorian and was halfway moved into my new house. But my friend got me excited after she told me what they were doing. She also reminded me that I already had a different house that I can "live in".
I got excited after hearing their ideas and what they were going to do with their shops -florist, Toy Shoppe, Bakery, coffee shop, etc... Just FYI - We all had the same style house (Doyle). I wanted to do the beauty boutique because it was a pretty easy shop to set up. I already had a lot of the stuff I needed. I just had to figure out how and where to put what, and I wanted everything to match. In real life, I like getting my hair and nails done at a real shop. What female doesn't! So I got excited, and started working on my shoppe.”
What was the most challenging part of creating this Boutique?
“I think the most challenging part was being able to use all rooms with the 351 Land Allowance that is available. I tried to block off the back rooms in my Doyle, but that didn't go as planned. My wall looked weird without the trim.
“So, I started with the main room which was the salon, then came the massage room. I originally was not going to have a fitness center - (I've never seen a fitness center at a real-life boutique). What the hell, after all, this is SL.
“The fitness room was quite easy since it came in a fat pack and was easy to place. However, finding a suitable mirror was not an easy task. I needed one that looked good and fit the theme. I am not sure if the one I have does. But I like it, so it is staying!”
She stopped to laugh and then continued...
“Blocking off one of the doors did not go as planned. I didn't have the molding and matching the wallpaper was a serious problem. But I did manage to find a use for that room: a bathroom and dressing room. After all, I had a fitness center and the visiting avatars may need to go potty – especially since we serve coffee and wine.”
What is your favorite part of (or thing about) the On The Edge Boutique?
“I am very pleased with how my boutique turned out. I have two favorite parts. One is the kickboxing animation – it's fun watching my avatar's animated movement. My other favorite is that I have a spot in the backyard to have my coffee or my wine and relax and enjoy the view.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
“I think this is a neat opportunity to be involved in something unique with my friends. It is really nice to see how all of our shops have come together! It's a beautiful area that we live in. Everyone involved did such a wonderful job in their shops.”
Newly added Listings. Week of March 13th. 2022
For the week of March 13th. 2022, we have 10 new listings this week to share with you.
This week’s Place of Interest is Sweetheart Bake Shoppe, one of the Shoppes of Barmwich. But before I tell you about the bakery, let me introduce you to the Shoppes of Barmwich.
Four neighbors in the Barmwich region got together and decided it would be fun to set up some cute little shops… not commercial ones that sell a real product (as that would be against the Bellisseria Covenant). Instead, they choose to create places of interest that looked like cute shops, open to the public to enjoy. You can’t actually buy anything in them, but they are charming and fun to explore. There is a Bakery, a Salon, A Flower Shop, and a Toy Store.
It is located between the toy shop and the flower shop. You will work up a bit of an appetite walking down the long path from the street to the bakery building. You will be greeted by roses, butterflies, and cute old-fashioned decor. You can see the pink delivery van parked around the side of the building. And there is a bench on the porch (in case you want to “sit a spell” before going inside).
Once you go inside you will almost smell the fresh-baked goodies that line the shelves in there. There are cakes, pies, cupcakes, doughnuts, etc. There is also free coffee and lemon-aid for the customers to enjoy.
There is a kitchen behind the showroom, where you will catch them cutting and boxing pieces of cake. They are also baking cookies in there. Again, it is hard to keep from having your imagination run wild and actually smell these goodies baking.
If you continue outside, you will come to a delightful garden outdoor dining area. There are two cast-iron soda-shop style tables, complete with chairs for two, umbrellas, and decorative lights. There is also an ice cream stand and an old-fashioned soda vending machine. This dining area is at the top of a mountain overlooking the ocean, and it provides a breathtaking ocean view.
This shop was designed and created by Fay Starlight. I was fortunate enough to catch her working in the kitchen and she granted me a short interview…
What gave you and your friends the idea to make a set of shops?
“We all landed a house in the same region of Barmwich. Then when I looked around, I realized we all put up Doyles and it looked very uniform like little shops! I mentioned that to them and they thought… what a fun idea. So the Barmwich shoppes were born.”
What inspired you to create a bakery?
“It sounded like a fun idea, with a cafe sitting area in the back. I also knew I had all the cakes, cookies and pies and things to make a really cute little shop!”
What is your favorite feature of the bakery?
“I like that visitors can sit a spell and enjoy a place to relax and have a treat! We have ice cream, pie, cake, cookies, donuts and cupcakes. There is also a nice selection of beverages!”
Anything else you would like to share?
“The whole idea was fun to do with friends and was something a little different for all of us to try make come together. Then we thought, it would be something that other people may enjoy as well, so we decided to make the shops a ‘Place of Interest’ and invite folks to come have fun with us.”
Newly added Listings. Week of February 28th. 2022
For the week of February 28th. 2022, we have 4 new listings this week to share with you.
I went to Kustom9 this week, there is so much to see and buy, one of the things I bought was a lovely Corner Shelf from Floorplan & Brocante, it is a Kustom9 Exclusive so it can only be bought at the event. The shelf comes in 4 colors, Light Wood, Black, White, and Dark Wood.
I chose the light wood color to match the furniture in my lounge. The shelf has 5 texture options - 2 basketweave design and 3 solid wood design finish that you select by touching the shelf and you get a menu to touch 1 to 5. I went with one of the basketweave effects looks for my lounge, as it was a lovely soft look. The shelf is 4 land impact and cost 99 linden.
I added a second shelf in the kitchen with a solid raffia wood texture to show that it can be used in lots of rooms, here I put out some condiments as an example, but you could place the shelf in a bathroom or bedroom or perhaps in the front hall or landing, and add books, towels, candles, ornaments, plants whatever pretty and useful items you have.
You can buy the Corner Shelf here at the Kustom9 Event - KUSTOM9 EVENT
Event Opening Date: February 15, 2022 Event Closing Date: March 10, 2022
Hope you will visit and treat yourself.
Take care and see you soon ...
Newly added Listings. Week of February 20th. 2022
For the week of February 20th. 2022, we have 5 new listings this week to share with you.
The Parade of Homes Office has moved to a new location
The Parade of Homes Office is no longer in Domingos region and has relocated to the new Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy (BBB) Headquarters compound.
The Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy (BBB) has a new permanent home for its Headquarters. You'll find info there on events, on the Embassies, Parade of Homes, the BBB Gazette, and Post Office, as well as all the usual application forms. In the region are a vehicle and boat rez zone.
If you find yourself at the former BBB HQs location in Winters Elm, you'll find a notice stating we have moved with a Landmark and Teleport provided. Stop by and check out the new location anytime.
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