MODULAR KITCHENS CONTINUED
by Teresa Firelight
(Apologies for the delay getting this one out. RL became really busy for me so it took longer to publish than I expected.)
This is the 4th and final article in our series on Kitchens. We started Modular kitchens in the previous article and covered two: Dust Bunny and Consignment Kitchens. Now we will look at two more: 1) the Fancy Décor & Kraftwork Kitchen and 2) the LAQ kitchen (aka HEIMA Kitchen).
Fancy Décor & Kraftwork Modular Kitchen
Fancy Decor and Kraftwork have a modular kitchen they developed together. It comes in either of five colors (each purchased separately). You also have the option of buying either PG or Adult versions of each color.
The kitchen does not come with any sort of texture change HUD for tinting cabinets or counters. But it does include a HUD that allows you to chose the metal handles color (gold, silver or black). The good news is that you can modify the kitchen, so you can tint cabinets or counter tops or the tile backsplash manually. Also, you can resize individual pieces if you need to do so to make them “fit” perfectly in your kitchen space.
When I took the picture, I did not use their tile backsplash. That is because it only came with a single tile texture, and I did not like that texture. Of course, you could make your own tile out of textured prims, but in this case, I just used the default walls.
I used the Snow color (a.k.a., white) kitchen. I manually tinted the counters gray, which gives them a light black appearance. I also tinted the refrigerator to match the counters. I linked it, and the total LI was 46. I also put their “kitchen clutter” on the countertop, which is another six LI.
This set has three different styles of drawers, and several different cabinet options. It also includes two styles of refrigerator, 1) a closed one and 2) a higher LI one that opens and is stocked with groceries. There are cabinets containing a microwave and a wall-mounted oven. (These do not open or close, but they look realistic.) There is also a stand-alone stove/oven unit. It doesn't open/close either, but you can turn the individual burners on/off by touching them.
The kitchen island is modular so you can make it as large or small as you like. There are a lot of options – sink, shelves, cabinets, bars plus a left and right “end cap” to give it a polished appearance. Personally, I had a narrow space, so I only used the Sink and the two “end caps.”
This kitchen employs an interesting approach to animations. Instead of building them into the modular pieces, they offer an “animation box.” It contains a slew of nice animations and prop rezzers, and you can put it where you want it (or put out multiple ones if you so desire). After placing it, you turn it transparent, and it “looks” like the animations are built into the kitchen – but you have total control and put them where you want them.
The set also includes a barstool that has a plenty of sit animations.
What I like: This is a very clean and modern kitchen and looks nice It has a lot of options so you can customize it. Also, I really love the cute hanging shelf/light that goes over the island.
What I don't like: I don't like the way they did the kitchen tiles. I also wish that they had included a few color options for the counter tops and appliances.
As the name implies, you can get this at either Fancy Decor's Mainstore or Kraftwork's Maintore. (I recommend going to Fancy Decor because they have the kitchen set up for you to look at, and Kraftwork only has the vendor with no display model.)
LAQ Decor (aka Heima) Kitchen Set
LAQ Decor recently changed their name to Heima Decor. (So if you use SL search to find the store, be sure to use the new name.) I call the kitchen “LAQ” in my article, because that is what most people know it by. But if you buy it new, it is now named “HEIMA ^ Kitchen Set.” (If you bought it before the name change and are concerned about redeliveries – don't be. The redelivery page lists all of your LAQ purchases as well as any newer Heima purchases.)
Now that the rename explanation is out of the way, let’s talk about the LAQ (or HEIMA) kitchen. This is by far my most favorite kitchen. And it is also the most expensive kitchen that I own (at $L 2499). It is modular with several options of cabinets including a corner piece, sink, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Many of the pieces have great single and couple animations (but no adult animations) and rez props. There are several decorations you can rez-- all good LOD, low LI and nice looking. These decorations include things like a coffee set, vegetables on a cutting board, kitchen jars, food baking in the oven, etc.
The set comes in a rezzer, and (as rezzed) it is 59 LI. However, it is modular and the pieces fit easily together, so you can arrange it however you want, skipping some pieces and re-using others. This set gives you excellent control over what your kitchen looks like.
One thing that I really like about this set is that each piece is modifiable, and it is fairly easy to adjust the width of some of the cabinets so that they fit perfectly in whatever kitchen space you have. The cabinets with glass doors come pre-loaded with dishware, so you don't have to deal with empty shelves. Most pieces include both an upper and lower cabinet or appliance, with tile between the two pieces. This makes them really easy to arrange in your kitchen space.
The kitchen sink is the only exception. It does not have a top part attached, so you can place it below a window if you desire. However, the set also includes a fully loaded spice rack that goes perfectly over the sink.
The island has a sink built into it. It is shaped with an indentation under the counter, so you can put barstools under it and have room for a person’s legs. That is a nice realistic touch.
Did I mention that the refrigerator, dishwasher and oven all open, and the fridge is stocked with food?
If you want to talk about texture options, this set has more than any other I have ever seen. Each appliance can be individually colored with 11 different metal options. The cabinets have 12 wood and painted wood options. (My favorite is the “old” wood.) The counters have 22 options including marble, granite, stone, wood and painted wood. There are 21 tile options and your choice of gold or silver faucets. As of that were not enough, each selector also has a “Color” button that lets you tint any of the selected textures.
What I like: This is the most complete and versatile set that I have ever seen. It is wonderful for family roleplay and it is very attractive as a home furnishing.
What I dislike: If you want adult animations, this is not the kitchen for you. (Personally, I don't use adult animations, so that is not an issue for me). I used to “dislike” the fact that it did not use the AVsitter experience. That means each time it wanted to give you an attachment, it prompted you for permission to attach. But GOOD NEWS – the most recent version (which just came out about a week or so ago) has been updated to use the AVsitter experience. Now it gives props to you seamlessly. With that change, I have to “dig deep” to find something I dont like about it… and what I found is this… The animations were created for a rather tall avatar and I have to adjust them all for my “normal height” avatar. Fortunately, it is set up so you can adjust each pose for your avatar height.
[By the way, if you own an older version of the LAQ kitchen and want the updated HEIMA version that uses the AVsitter experience, just go to the store and use the redelivery terminal.]
You can get this kitchen at the HEIMA Decor mainstore. There is a room set up downstairs where you can play with the many kitchen textures, animations and options.
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